A tablet is a great learning tool for kids, and there’s plenty of options. Here’s our picks for the best tablet for your little one(s).

When I was young, all I had was a green-and-black-screened Game Boy. Kids today are different: they want a full-fledged tablet that can play games, watch videos, and read comic books. But thats okay, because there are quite a few solid, affordable tablets designed just for kids.Unfortunately, it can be hard to wade through all the garbage that’s out there. There are a lot of companies selling old, underpowered, or overly locked-down devices that just wont cut it, so you have to be careful when shopping for your little one.In most cases, its best to stick with the big names: the same brands youd buy from if you were looking for a regular tablet. In fact, you could just buy them a normal Android tablet and use its built-in parental controls. But for this list, I’m going to look at mostly kid-focused tablets and a few full-featured slates for those that are a little more grown-up. Here are the best tablets for kids.
TL;DR These are the Best Tablet for Kids:
1. Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition
The Best Bang for Your Buck Tablet
Amazon is the biggest name in kid-friendly tablets today and it’s all thanks to its Fire HD Kids Edition line. This line of tablets is packed full of cartoons, games, children’s books, and plenty of other kid-friendly streaming media. Each Kids Edition tablets also come with a years subscription (normally $2.99 per month) to FreeTime Unlimited, which is basically Prime Video or Netflix for kids.Although the Fire HD Kids Edition is available in a variety of sizes including a 7-, 8-, and 10-inch versions, we’ve chosen to focus on the 8-inch variant as it hits the best balance of screen size, features, and price. The Fire HD 8 Kids Edition comes sporting a 1,280 x 800 display, Dolby Atmos dual speakers, and a 10-hour battery. Lastly, they also come with a great two-year warranty for when your kid inevitably breaks something, even with its ultra-rugged the case.
2. Samsung Galaxy Tab E Lite
A Solid Alternative Tablet for Kids
If youre a fan of Samsungs Galaxy phone and tablets, you might consider its $100 Galaxy Tab E Lite for Kids. Its essentially the same as its Galaxy Tab E Litean affordable, lower-specced 7-inch tabletwith a bright case and a Samsungs kid-friendly interface pre-installed. Like Amazon, it comes with a subscription to a kid-friendly content service, though Samsung only gives you three months of access for free, after which its $7.99 per month, which is much pricier than Amazons FreeTime.If the 1.3GHz processor and 1GB of RAM arent enough for you, but you like Samsungs kid-friendly interface, you can actually install Samsungs Kids Mode on any of Samsungs other tablets, like the superior Galaxy Tab S5e. Youll get all the same parental controls for screen time and apps, on any device you want and it’ll also probably come with a newer version of Android than the 4.4 OS on the Galaxy Tab E Lite. Just make sure to grab a rugged case, too.
3. LeapFrog Epic
The Best Educational Tablet
While the Amazon Fire Kids edition has educational content, its also a bit more of an open sandbox. If youre looking for something a bit more strictly educational, LeapFrogs Epic tablet comes pre-loaded with a bunch of educational apps, while still allowing parents to install certain apps from the Amazon Appstore (no Google Play, though).The home screen is a bit less traditional, with a customizable scene containing colorful characters, which may appeal to younger kids. Like the other tablets on this list, it comes with a rubber bumper to protect the device from falls, and you can subscribe to LeapFrog Academy for even more content.
The LeapFrog Epic is similarly specced to the other tablets on this list1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of storagebut its priced a bit lower, currently around $100 on Amazon. It also uses Android 4.4 as its OS, so make sure the apps you want to use are compatible with older versions of Googles operating system.
4. Apple iPad
Tablet Kids Actually Want
Lets get real here: once your kids reach a certain age, they dont want an educational for kids tablet. They want what their friends have, and what they see heavily marketed on TV. And in todays tablet scene, that means Apples iPad.The iPad isnt a terrible kids tablet on its ownit has some decent parental controls built in, and it has an enormous library of kid-friendly apps, including all the games your kids friends are probably playing. But youll want a good kid-friendly iPad case, so that this $300+ tablet will survive through the school year. It might not be designed for kids specifically, but its what they want, and at a certain age, its time to graduate to the big boy toys. You might even get a few months of law mowing and chore doing in exchange.
5. Acer Chromebook Tab 10
Best Chromebook Tablet for Kids
If your kid is in school, chances are they’re using a Chromebook. The Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is a great way to give your kids access to all the same Chrome OS and Android apps they’re using in class on a tablet-shaped device.It features a 9.7-inch, 2,048 x 1,536 resolution screen in a slightly bulk package designed to survive the hard knocks at school. Unlike most of the kids tablets we’ve gone over so far, the Acer Chromebook Tab 10 also comes with an included Wacom EMR stylus, allowing kids to pen notes and draw pictures.
6. Asus Chromebook Tablet CT100
Another Chromebook Tablet Option for Kids
The Asus Chromebook Tablet CT100 is another Chrome OS-based slate you shouldn’t pass up. It’s a little slimmer than Acer’s Chromebook Tab 10, but it features a rubberized exterior that should protect it from falls as high as three-feet and three-inches high.The CT100 also comes with the same 9.7-inch, 2,048 x 1,536 resolution screen, OP1 Hexa-core Processor, 4GB RAM, and 32GB eMMC Storage as the Acer’s Chrome OS slate, so this kids tablet is ready for school work.
Whitson Gordon is a writer, gamer, and tech nerd who has been building PCs for 10 years. He eats potato chips with chopsticks so he doesn’t get grease on his mechanical keyboard.Kevin Lee is IGN’s Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam