The best kids’ tablets provide kids and teens with learning and entertainment, while allowing parents to control screen time and content. Parental controls are essential with children’s tablets, and the best ones offer seamless controls that are easy to set up, yet difficult to breakthrough.
Kids’ tablets don’t necessarily have to have brightly colored bumpers and children’s apps preloaded to be effective, either. Teens will likely prefer a more adult-like tablet such as Apple’s iPad, with optional screen time restrictions and parental controls, while younger kids may need something more child-friendly. Read on to see our picks for the best kids tablets in different categories.
Best Overall
Large screen
Parental controls
2-year no questions asked replacement policy
Bad cameras
The 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 screen looks clear and provides a full 1080p HD picture. The battery lasts for up to 12 hours of actual usage, which is spectacular for long trips. This tablet runs nice and snappy thanks to the octa-core 2.0Ghz processor, which should have no problem letting kids play the games they want.
The cameras are not great, coming in at only 2MP on the front and back, but that is a small issue since you can still video chat without issue. Overall, the Fire HD 10 Kids Edition is an awesome choice for kids to enjoy.
Screen Size: 10.1 inches | Resolution: 1900 x 1200 | Processor: MT8183 Octa-Core 2.0Ghz | Camera: Rear and front camera, 2MP
Older kids will get the most out of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e, which can assist them as they do homework or watch their favorite shows. The 10.5-inch AMOLED screen with 2650 x 1600 pixel resolution will provide dynamic, engaging images, and the 7050mAh battery should keep it going for up to 15 hours, so there’s no fear of running out of power in the middle of a long day or road trip.
Best Portable
Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e
Ultra thin and portable
Beautiful screen
Kids Mode for younger kids
Expensive
For younger children, Kids Mode comes with the mid-tier tablet, which allows you to turn your tablet into a child-friendly tool, both educational and entertaining. A PIN ensures the mode cannot be deactivated without your approval, and it comes with around 3,000 different apps for budding learners to explore different languages, improve their math skills, and interact with their favorite cartoon characters. However, unlike previous Galaxy Tabs, it does not come with a stylus and does not have stylus capabilities.
Screen Size: 10.5 inches | Resolution: 2650 x 1600 | Processor: AMD Kabini A6 5200M Quad Core 2 Ghz w/ Qualcomm Adreno Graphics Coprocessor | Camera: Front, 8MP; Rear, 13MP
“The Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e is a feature-rich, premium Android tablet with a beautiful Super AMOLED display and a quad speaker configuration for excellent multimedia performance.” — Bill Loguidice, Product Tester
It can be difficult to find the right tablet for a pre-teen, as kiddie tablets are far too restricted and not fun for this age group, but adult tablets may not have enough restrictions. The Lenovo Tab M10 HD (2nd Gen) is an excellent choice for these ages. The 10.1-inch HD tablet has a strong and durable design, with a full metal body, which should hold up well to regular life with a pre-teen. The 1280 x 800 screen looks crisp, and also has TUV Rheinland eye protection to lower blue light and protect eyes from extra strain.
Best for Pre-Teens
Lenovo Tab M10 HD (2nd Gen)
Google Kids Space
Durable design
Great price
Camera is not great
There is a pretty solid MediaTek P22T processor, which will handle gaming, movies, and schoolwork. Plus, the speakers are tuned with Dolby Atmos for better sound quality. The cameras are better than other tablets we’ve seen, but they’re not the best. You get a 5MP front camera and an 8MP rear camera, which will do the job for basic functions such as selfies and video chatting. One of the features that makes this a great tablet for pre-teens is the included Google Kids Space, which has over 10,000 approved apps and games, as well as the ability to give kids their own account, but with parents able to set restrictions and monitor.
Screen Size: 10.1 inches | Resolution: 1280 x 800 | Processor: MediaTek P22T | Camera: Front, 5MP; Rear, 8MP
Apple’s 10.9-inch iPad is an excellent option for teens who need some screen time restrictions and filtering, but don’t need kiddie apps or large bumper cases. Although it’s a bit on the pricey side compared to others on this list, it has a flawless 2360 x 1640 Liquid Retina display, plus an A14 processor with 64-bit architecture and Neural Engine technology. Together they team up to make streaming Netflix, playing games, and browsing the Web a breeze.
Best for Teens
Apple iPad Air (2020)
- Fast processing
- Apple Pencil support
- Excellent integration with Apple ecosystem
Worried about too much screen time? Apple has a nifty Night Shift mode that ditches the blue hues believed to disrupt sleep if used right before bedtime. If your teen already has an iPhone or uses a Mac at school, they will feel instantly at home using the iOS software. If not, it’s intuitive nonetheless and has a vast selection of apps, both educational and not-so-educational.
This tablet has a 12MP main camera, and the front FaceTime Camera records at full 1080p, but takes pictures at only 7MP. For regular video, it can record at 4k resolution. It also has support for the Apple Pencil, which should help your teen take notes at school. Overall, it’s a fantastic tablet and the one that your teen is likely already begging you for, if you are willing to pay a premium.
Screen Size: 10.9 inches | Resolution: 2360 x 1640 | Processor: A14 Processor with Neural Engine technology | Camera: Front, 7MP; Rear, 12MP
“The iPad Air 4 really impressed me with its network performance, turning in decent numbers when connected to Wi-Fi and unbelievable performance when connected to cellular data.” — Jeremy Laukkonen, Product Tester
No matter how you spin it, putting an expensive tablet in the hands of a child is dangerous. It’s bound to get dropped, soaked in liquid, or even lost. So we don’t blame you if you are wary of spending more than $100 on one. Luckily, the Dragon Touch Y88X Pro 7-inch Kids Tablet comes in at under $80, but still manages to check most boxes.
Best Budget
Dragon Touch Y88X Pro 7-inch Kids Tablet
Extremely durable
Tons of pre-loaded content
Parental controls
Extremely low-quality cameras
It’s highly durable, with a soft silicone case that comes in pink, blue, orange, and green. It comes pre-installed with loads of kid-friendly content, including Disney eBooks and audiobooks. And it has advanced parental controls that let you set timers and restrict access to certain material.
Even though it’s designed for children, this tablet still packs a fast-performing quad-core processor, has a 1024 x 600 IPS screen and runs Android 9.0, which gives you access to just about every app you could want. All in all, it’s truly an incredible value.
Screen Size: 7 inches | Resolution: 1024 x 600 | Processor: Quad Core | Camera: Front, 0.3MP; Rear, 2MP
If your child is perhaps too young to have full access to the web or unlimited screen time, the TCL TAB Family Edition allows for a decent amount of supervision. It uses the excellent Verizon Smart Family Basic, which needs to be downloaded, but offers lots of controls for blocked sites and categories. It also allows you to pause the internet, see all web and app activity, and locate your child’s tablet in case they lose it.
Best for Parental Controls
TCL Tab Family Edition
Full HD screen
Tough design
Excellent parental controls
Some setup required
The children’s interface appears geared toward a younger audience (ages 3 to 8), but that does not mean the tablet is cheaply made. It has an 8-inch FHD display, solid front and rear cameras at 5MP and 8MP, respectively, Android 10 OS, and a 2.0Ghz octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM—decent specs for a kids’ tablet at this price point.
There is a bit of setup required on the front-end to get everything working, such as the parental controls, but the steps are definitely worth it.
Screen Size: 8 inches | Resolution: 1920 x 1200 | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 | Camera: Front, 5; Rear, 8MP
LeapFrog has become a leader in children’s educational entertainment, and this tablet comes with a three-month trial of LeapFrog Academy. This means your child can learn and play on a tablet that can grow along with them. You can add activities in areas your elementary schooler may need extra help in or add more difficult activities to keep your kid challenged.
Best for Preschoolers
LeapFrog Epic Academy Edition
Tons of great content
Removable bumper
Highly educational
Lower resolution screen
For the first three months, kids get unlimited, free access to hundreds of educator-approved games, videos, eBooks and music, but after the trial period, the content will cost $8 per month.
The tablet runs on Android and has a multi-touch, 1024 x 600 screen. It includes a stylus and 16GB of memory, but you can expand the memory up to 32GB. It also has dual cameras to take pictures and record videos. And, with its basic parental controls, you can set what, when, and for how long your child can use the tablet.
Screen Size: 7 inches | Resolution: 1024 x 600 | Processor: 1.3Ghz Quad-core Processor | Camera: Front and rear, 2MP
Best for Elementary School Kids
Perfect size for kid hands
Kid-proof case
Extensive parental controls
Kids will age out of the tablet
Screen Size: 8 inches | Resolution: 1280 x 800 | Processor: MT8168 Quad Core 2GHz | Camera: Front and rear, 2MP
“For a tablet this size and in such an affordable price category, I was impressed with the display.” — Erika Rawes, Product Tester
About Our Trusted Experts
Erika Rawes has been writing professionally for more than a decade, and she has reviewed roughly 150 gadgets, including computers, peripherals, A/V equipment, mobile devices, and smart home gadgets. Erika currently writes for Digital Trends and Lifewire.
Bill Loguidice has more than 20 years’ experience writing for a variety of major technology publications including TechRadar, PC Gamer, and Ars Technica.
Jeremy Laukkonen is tech writer and the creator of a popular blog and video game startup. He also ghostwrites articles for numerous major trade publications.
What to Look For in a Kids’ Tablet:
Screen size - Look for a screen size that is going to best fit your child’s age and how much they travel and move around. A smaller child may have trouble lugging around a 10-inch tablet, and it may experience more wear as a result. A 7-inch screen may be too small for an older child working on school assignments.
Durability - Durability is a big concern for kids’ tablets, as even pre-teens can be quite rough with their devices. Look for well-built, quality devices that are designed to handle the rigors of children.
Technical specs - This is very important when buying any tech, but certainly so with tablets. Look at the processor, memory, screen resolutions, storage, and camera specs as some of your main guides. Sometimes, you can find a great bargain with similar specs to a device you wanted, but other times you will find it’s best to go ahead and pay a bit more for a device and get a better screen or faster processing. This is especially true when buying a tablet for teens, as they may use their devices for tasks including photography and school assignments.
- How can I see what my kid is doing on their tablet?
- Setting up parental controls is your best way of monitoring your children’s online activities. Most kids’ tablets come with some form of parental controls available, but depending on the type of controls, you may or may not be able to see all of your kids’ online search activities. To track your kids’ online activity, you may need to add an additional parental control application such as Our Pact or Circle.
- How can I control my child’s iPad?
- Your best option for setting limits, viewing usage, and turning off applications for your child’s iPad is through the use of the native Apple parental controls provided (Screen Time and Family Sharing).
- What is the best parental control app?
- There are many first- and third-party parental controls available, but the native controls on the tablet you buy are often best, since they are integrated into the tablet and software itself. For separate apps, Circle, Our Pact, and even anti-virus programs such as Trend Micro can do an excellent job of tracking, filtering, and blocking internet activity.
Setting up parental controls is your best way of monitoring your children’s online activities. Most kids’ tablets come with some form of parental controls available, but depending on the type of controls, you may or may not be able to see all of your kids’ online search activities. To track your kids’ online activity, you may need to add an additional parental control application such as Our Pact or Circle.
Your best option for setting limits, viewing usage, and turning off applications for your child’s iPad is through the use of the native Apple parental controls provided (Screen Time and Family Sharing).
There are many first- and third-party parental controls available, but the native controls on the tablet you buy are often best, since they are integrated into the tablet and software itself. For separate apps, Circle, Our Pact, and even anti-virus programs such as Trend Micro can do an excellent job of tracking, filtering, and blocking internet activity.
