Disclosure: I was provide with a sample for the purposes of review. All thoughts and excitement are my own. Links included in this post are affiliate.
Price
How much a tablet costs is more than just the unit itself. The cost of a kid-proof case can tack on an additional $20-100. It’s important to protect that investment, but what happens when it breaks. A protection plan will provide you with peace of mind. Then comes content. With most tablets you’ll have to load it with content at cost ($.99-$15.99), YIKES!
The Amazon Fire Kids edition starts at just $149, comes with a protective bumper case, 1 year Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, and a 2-year worry free guarantee.
Ruggedness
What kind of case should I get?
This question depends on the type of tablet. Most are equipped with a shatterproof display like Gorilla Glass. Your case should protect the edges, corners, and screen. A good case or bumper will absorb shock on impact as well.
The Amazon Fire Kids comes with a kid-proof case equipped to take drops, bangs, and anything life throws at it. Amazon understands that sometimes things happen so they offer a 2-year worry-free guarantee with all new kids edition tablets. If they break it, return it and get a replacement for free!
Parental Controls
- Usage limits- Set a total time limit (1 hr/day) or limit how much time they can spend on apps, videos, and books. We leave books at unlimited to encourage reading.
- Educational goals- FreeTime allows you to set the device to require all educational goals to be met before entertainment content is accessible.
- Content access- Set a “bedtime” to limit when your kids can actually log onto the device. During those hours FreeTime profiles will not be available.
- Color coded profiles makes it easy to see from across the room. Blue for younger kiddos and black for the older crowd. A lock code is needed to enter into a parent profile.
- 8 and under – A FreeTime profile that locks the tablet to portrait orientation.
- Teen Profile – A fully functional FreeTime profile with the look and feel of a Fire Tablet. Time limits and educational goals are still accessible in this mode.
Features
- front and rear cameras
- Dolby Audio
- multiple profiles
Books- A fantastic selection of fiction, non-fiction, and board books.
- Sandra Boynton
- Easy Readers
- Disney
- …and 100’s more
- Toca Boca
- Disney
- PBS
- Thomas the Tank Engine
- PBS
- Dora the Explorer
- Sesame Street
- x-ray- Key information (plot, characters, terms)
- Whispersync- Add the audio companion to a text to enjoy
- text to speech- Allows you to have the story or story elements read aloud. A fantastic feature for pronouncing difficult and unfamiliar words.
- Word Wise- show hints above challenging words
Checkout my full video review below to see the features in action.