Sep 4, 2021 8:00 AM

The Best Tablets for Kids

Kids and screens are a contentious subject. But if you’re going to get your kids a tablet, here are the ones you should buy and why.

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4 / 7

My Children's Favorite tablet is a good flat rock. Get the right one and it'll do everything from launching toy cars to hop-skip-jumping its way across a pond.

Of course, as a WIRED reviewer, there are also plenty of digital tablets in my house, and they're pretty popular at times too. After years of testing, we’ve tried almost every kid-focused tablet out there. These are our favorite picks.

If you're still hunting for kid-related educational ideas, check out our favorite kid podcasts, some fun ways to help kids learn, and our guide to the best STEM toys.

Updated September 2021: We updated our picks to include the latest models, added a new Chromebook, and updated prices.

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Photograph: Apple
Best Overall
Apple iPad Mini (7.9-inch, 2019)
The iPad Mini strikes the best balance between size, weight, and content available for kids. We suggest setting it up with the stand so your kids don't drop it, but overall the Mini is compact and perfect for watching the wealth of online kids content. Apple has thus far not created a kids content ecosystem, which ironically makes iOS the best platform for accessing everything. Amazon Prime, PBS Kids, and Disney+ all have iOS apps. (This is a matter of taste, but we very much dislike all the advertising on YouTube Kids and the endless upselling of Google Kids Space.)
It can be unnerving to let a child have control of $400 device, though. It's expensive and pretty large for younger, smaller hands. If you have younger children who might have trouble holding the Mini, our next pick is for you.
$399 at Apple
$399 at Amazon
$364 at Target
Photograph: Apple
Best for Smaller Hands
Apple iPod Touch
Yes, the iPod Touch is not a tablet per se—but it’s tailor-made for small hands. It has a bright, great-looking 4-inch display, access to Apple Arcade, and an A10 Fusion chip that makes playing games fast and seamless (even if that game is Fruit Ninja).
More importantly, it fits comfortably in tiny hands, and iOS is easy for both kids (and parents) to operate. Apple Arcade offers a wide variety of engaging games to choose from, and it frees up your phone since you no longer need to loan it out to your kids. You can also load up the Touch with kids' podcasts, connect a Bluetooth speaker, and have some screen-free story time.
$199 at Apple
$195 at Amazon

Photograph: Amazon
Best Budget Tablet
Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition
Amazon's Fire tablets are an affordable alternative to iPads. In addition to decent hardware, Fire tablets include one-year of Amazon Kids+, the company's content subscription service for kids, which makes it easy to find age-appropriate games or apps for your kids.
It used to be a simple recommendation: Grab the Fire 8 Kids Edition. But recently Amazon introduced a Pro version of both the Fire 8 Kids Edition and the Fire 10 Kids Edition. The main difference between the pro and regular versions is the content available by default. We’ve tried both versions and recommend the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition ($140) for younger kids (think 8 and under). The Fire HD 10 Pro Kids Edition ($200) is better suited to older kids, who will be more comfortable holding it and will benefit from the slightly more mature content included by default with the Pro version.
Buying into the Amazon ecosystem does limit you to Amazon content, but the selection of books, games, and videos in Amazon Kids+ is varied and includes some gems. You can filter and monitor it to your heart's content via Amazon’s parent dashboard. And their two-year worry-free warranty is unbeatable, especially if your child tends to smash or drop things and you need to replace it.
$140 at Amazon
Photograph: HP
Best for School
HP Chromebook x360 14
Many school districts will provide your child with one, but if yours doesn't, Chromebooks are our top pick for kids in school. They're durable—I knocked one off a countertop onto a tile floor and it survived—and there's also very little malicious software out there targeting these laptops. And no, it's technically not a tablet, but the 2-in-1 design means it can be used as a laptop for schoolwork or folded up as a tablet for playing some web-based games.
Chromebooks can also run many Android apps, though sometimes they don't quite work as well as they would on a tablet. Check out our Best Chromebooks guide for more options.
~~$329~~ $249 at HP

Photograph: Facebook
Best for Video Calling
Facebook Portal (2019)
In our review of the Facebook Portal, WIRED editor Adrienne So notes that it's the only device that can keep her 4- and 6-year-olds on a video call for longer than a few minutes. It's an easy way for long-distance relatives to hold a kid's attention for half an hour without resorting to embarrassing dances.
As a bonus, it works pretty well for those of you working at home, thanks to the new support for videoconferencing services. If you don't have the space to set up an in-home studio complete with webcam, ring lights, and backdrop, a Portal is a fast and easy way to look much better on back-to-back Zooms.
$90 at Amazon (8-inch)
$179 at Amazon (10-inch)
$180 at Amazon (15.6-inch)
Photograph: Amazon
Best for Reading
Amazon Kindle Kids Edition (2019, 10th Generation)
As with most Amazon hardware, the kid devices are worth the price for two things: the content and the warranty. The Kindle for Kids may have a quirky homepage and a grayscale screen, but it also has a two-year, worry-free replacement guarantee, a cute case, and a year’s subscription to the Amazon's Kids+ platform, which sorts through Amazon’s huge selection to present your kid with age-appropriate characters and themes. You can somewhat control this content selection through the website interface.
The Kindle for Kids also comes with Bluetooth for Audible books and has content in Spanish. It's very easy to white-list free library books into your kid’s profile. With tons of free books available, a safe, secure Kindle might actually save you and your bookish kid money in the long run.
$110 at Amazon

Photograph: Stephen Simpson/Getty Images
Prep Your Pad
How to Set Up Parental Controls
When considering which device is best for your child, you'll want to take price, durability, ease of use, and safety into account. We find Apple devices to be among the easiest on which to set up parental controls. Simply get your child their own Apple ID, set up Family Sharing, add them as family members, and set rules for them.
Amazon's tablets for kids come in a close second. It's easy to log into the Parent Dashboard on Amazon.com to change age filters or block or add content. But no matter the device, there are safeguards you can take to protect your kids from coming across inappropriate content (or spending all your money on L.O.L Surprise dolls). We walk you through how to childproof your devices and streaming services here.

Scott Gilbertson is a senior writer for WIRED. He was previously a writer and editor for WIRED’s Webmonkey.com, covering the independent web and early internet culture. He studied at the University of Georgia. You can reach him at luxagraf.net.

Senior Writer and Reviewer

TopicsShopping parenting iPad kids tablets buying guides

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