You'll be prompted to setup a password if you don't have one already. Once you have registered your tablet, click on the Amazon Kids icon on the home screen.Here's what you need to do on the tablet: This means that once setup on the tablet you can control it from another device. That registers the device to you and gives you control of that tablet via Amazon's Parent Dashboard. The second is Amazon Kids (previously Fire for Kids).Īmazon Kids is a safe area where you can control all the content, set time limits and daily goals, turn off the web browser, turn off the camera and gallery, and so on.Īs we said above, you'll need to sign into the tablet with your own Amazon account.
The first area is the full interface with full controls, which you'll have access to as an adult, with access to all your content.
This way you don't have to create a new Amazon account for them, you don't have register an email address for them or provide payment details for them, and Amazon knows that the user is a child and can create a space specifically for them on the Fire tablet.Īmazon Fire tablets - like the Kindle - can be split into two areas. With Amazon allowing Households, it's best to have any child's device (Fire or Kindle) on your account, with a child profile. When you buy an Amazon product, it needs to be registered to an Amazon account. As we mentioned, there's a new version of the Fire 7 about to launch (29 June), so things are a little messy right now with Amazon tablets and will likely be much clearer in a few months time.
The Pro version has a different case so looks a little more grown up, but that's the only real difference. The regular version is recommended for ages 3-7, while the Fire 7 Kids Pro is for 6-12. There are actually now two Kids versions. We'll talk about it more below, but bear in mind that at the end of the year, you'll have to pay, or lose the access it provides. This is a subscription service that provides access to loads of content specifically for children.
The big kicker here is that you get a 1-year free subscription to Amazon Kids+. It also comes with a 2-year no quibble guarantee if you/they break it (pictured above in blue). It's the same spec as the Amazon Fire above, it comes with 16GB storage and no "special offers", so the tablet itself worth £49.99 and about £5 for the cover. However, there's a special model specifically for kids and this is an Amazon Fire tablet that comes in a foam bumper cover. Note that there's an updated version of this tablet which has been announced by Amazon, but is not yet available - if you're looking to buy new, then obivously the new version has many advantages. If you want more storage, that's £10/$20 more too - so you're probably better off with a microSD card. Special offers means lock screen advertising and if you really want to protect your kids, opt for no special offers, at £10/$15 more. The Amazon Fire comes in 16GB or 32GB storage options, and with or without "special offers". It's a plastic build, but if you're buying it for a child, you'll want a case to provide all-round protection. The regular Amazon Fire 7 tablet is a 7-inch tablet, powered by a quad-core processor and offering Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a microSD card slot for memory expansion.
This is an advantage over a regular Android tablet, which doesn't (although Google Family Link has some uses), and it's at least £290 cheaper than an Apple iPad, although if you've bought a lot of iTunes content or have iOS-specific apps in mind, that might be a barrier to your choices.
Amazon sells different versions of its Fire tablet and we'd heartily recommend the basic Fire 7 model, as it's ideal for younger children.Īll the Amazon Fire models run on the same user interface and offer the same software features, including all the controls you need to make it safe for your kids. Once you've accepted that children don't need the latest and most powerful tech, there are few choices to be made.
Firstly, the price, secondly, Amazon has put a lot of effort into providing parents with controls to ensure that the Fire is a safe place for kids. One of the best tablets for kids is the Amazon Fire, for a number of reasons. The big problem is that most adults have a tablet setup for themselves, meaning you're only a few clicks away from content or buying temptations that you don't want in the hands of your child.
They love the interactive games, they love having access to video to watch and they love all the apps.