Kids want tablets. But tablets are fragile, expensive gadgets with potentially unlimited access to the internet, both issues that challenge parents. A good kid tablet is different from a good adult tablet: While you want a grown-up tablet to be slim, light, and fast, you want a tablet for kids to be cheap, rugged, and protected.
Below are some of our favorite tablets for children, which we selected for their balance of price, durability, and age-appropriate features. Whichever tablet you get, buy a case and some kid-friendly headphones. These small investments pay for themselves.
The Best Kids’ Tablet Deals This Week*
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids (2021)
Best for Kid-Safe Content
Bottom Line:
The kids’ version of the new Fire HD 10 is ideal for parents who want to tap into Amazon’s carefully curated Kids+ library and take advantage of powerful, detailed parental controls.
PROS
- Excellent parental controls
- Library of brand-name kids’ content
- Two rugged case options
- Long warranty
CONS
- App store lacks some popular comics apps and games
- Not enough power for action gaming
Apple iPad (10th Generation, 2022)
Best iPad for Kids
Bottom Line:
Apple’s 10th-generation iPad remains the best tablet for most people, though its many improvements in design and performance come with a sharp increase in price.
PROS
- Appealing iPad Pro-like design
- USB-C port
- Relocated webcam
- Higher-quality cameras
- Improved speakers
- Faster performance
CONS
- Higher price than previous model
- Loses traditional Touch ID button
- No Face ID
Lenovo Tab P11 Plus
Best Affordable Android Tablet
Bottom Line:
The Lenovo Tab P11 Plus is the best affordable Android tablet on the market, with solid performance, a vivid 11-inch display, and impressive speakers.
PROS
- Sharp display
- Loud, clear speakers
- Perky performance
CONS
- Unimpressive cameras
- No promise for OS updates after Android 12
Apple iPad mini (2021)
Best Small iPad
Bottom Line:
Apple’s sixth-generation iPad mini tablet delivers Pro-level power in a smaller size that’s better for reading, taking notes, and slipping in a jacket pocket.
PROS
- Excellent performance
- Long battery life
- Works with second-generation Apple Pencil
CONS
- No multi-user option in iPadOS
- Pricier than previous model
Amazon Fire 7 Kids Tablet (2022 Release)
Most Affordable
Bottom Line:
Amazon’s Fire 7 Kids Tablet is an affordable and durable option for parents who want lots of control over the content their kids consume.
PROS
- Affordable
- Comes with a rugged foam case
- Two-year warranty
- Excellent battery life
CONS
- Sluggish performance
- Low-resolution display
- Poor cameras
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids (2022 Release)
Best for Kids’ Books
Bottom Line:
The Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids is a good tablet for young children, with reasonable performance and screen quality for the price.
PROS
- Rugged case
- Strong parental controls
- Good battery life
- Vibrant screen
CONS
- Sluggish performance
- $10 more than the previous model
- Limited app selection
TCL Tab 10 5G
Best Low-Cost 5G Tablet
Bottom Line:
If you’re in the market for a 5G-capable Android tablet with peppy performance, the budget-friendly TCL Tab 10 5G for T-Mobile fits the bill.
PROS
- Quality screen for the price
- 5G support
- Good performance and battery life
- Decent stereo speakers
- MicroSD support
CONS
- Disappointing Android upgrade commitment
- Only 32GB of built-in storage
- Lackluster cameras
Buying Guide: The Best Tablets for Kids in 2023
The Best Tablets for School
The best tablet for school is probably a base model iPad. The iPad’s dominant role in the tablet landscape means most schools support them, many teachers have them, and tech support is easy. Other tablets might not be able to run the third-party apps that schools demand or even fill out the right web forms. The worst offenders here are Amazon’s Fire tablets, which are inexpensive and popular, but don’t work well for productivity.
If an iPad won’t do for your school, pick something with Chrome OS—head over to our list of the best Chromebooks for kids for recommendations.
What Specs Do You Need in a Tablet for Kids?
Don’t assume a tablet for a kid should be a piece of junk. Sufficient hardware specs can help you find a tablet that works well enough to avoid frustrating meltdowns. Let’s start with screen size and resolution. An 8-inch, 1,280-by-800-pixel display is good for reading comics and watching videos, so use that as your baseline.
Pay close attention to storage specs, too. We recommend 32GB of built-in storage (or more) rather than 16GB. This amount of storage enables you to install more apps and take more pictures and videos. A microSD card slot can’t hurt, either, especially if you want to download movies to watch on long trips. Some games, like Genshin Impact, take up more than 20GB on their own.
Look for 2GB of RAM or more. This amount of RAM helps apps launch and run more smoothly, particularly if there’s anything else running in the background.
Battery life is another factor to remember—you don’t want the tablet to die in the middle of a long car ride. Carrying a backup battery can help.
The Best iPad for Kids
iPads have the best tablet apps, grow with your kid, and can double as a pseudo-laptop for schoolwork. Apple’s operating system, iPadOS, has tools to let you monitor your kids’ tablet use and keep an eye on what applications they’re running and for how long. Apple also has parental controls that can block apps, filter content, and prevent purchases—which you should use to keep your kids from spending money without your permission.
The iPad has by far the best ecosystem of accessories for productive and creative kids of any individual tablet model: cases, keyboards, and the Apple Pencil stylus. It’s versatile and extendable.
As you probably already know, iPads also let kids use iMessage and FaceTime to talk with other friends or relatives who have Apple devices without you having to get them a phone.
The Best Fire Tablet for Kids
Amazon’s inexpensive Fire tablets have been the best family option for years. The Kids Edition comes with a rubber case, a no-questions-asked two-year guarantee, and Amazon’s parental controls service. The 8-inch Kids model (based on the standard Fire HD 8) is affordable, too.
Amazon Fire 7
(Credit: Dave LeClair)
Amazon’s tablets have a simplified interface, strong parental controls, and Kids+, which is basically a giant bucket of content for kids. A Parent Dashboard lets you track what your children are doing and restrict their screen time. You can put multiple user profiles on the tablets, as well.
Recommended by Our Editors
The Best Android Tablet for Kids
If you primarily use Google cloud services and Android apps, an Android tablet can get you what you need for a little less money than an iPad, and it’s not locked down to Amazon services the way a Fire tablet is.
Regarding parental controls, Android has restricted user profiles that can prevent accidental purchases and filter Google Play apps. But if you intend to let your kids use one of these tablets out of your sight, you should consider installing some parental control software, as the openness of Android could get them into trouble.
Why You Should Avoid Toy Tablets
Companies such as Fuhu, Kurio, and Leapfrog made their names with highly restricted tablets that come with kid-friendly software and, by default, don’t offer access to the open internet. By and large, though, these tablets haven’t been updated for years and are running old, insecure versions of Android that we no longer recommend. They also won’t grow with your kids as they age, leaving you to purchase a more advanced tablet from this list eventually, anyway.
While you’re shopping for your kid, check out our lab-tested picks for the best kids’ phones and the best kids’ laptops. For a broader selection of tablets for older kids and adults, look at the best tablets we’ve tested overall.
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