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Giving a tablet to a kid is basically a high-stakes stress test for technology. As parents and guardians, we aren't just looking for "great specs" — we’re looking for a device that can survive a three-story drop, a mysterious sticky coating, and the occasional tantrum.
To make it onto my "Kids' Choice" list, a tablet has to be more than a gadget; it has to be a survivalist. It needs the durability of a tank, the flexibility to grow with them, and enough educational magic to trick them into learning while they think they’re just winning a game. Most importantly, if the parental controls aren't tighter than a jar of pickles, it’s a hard pass from me.
I test all of the best tablets every year, but the real "final boss" is my nephew. If a device can survive a few weeks in his hands and still function, it’s earned its stripes. Here are the top contenders that won't result in a "tech-induced" headache:
- The Gold Standard: The Apple iPad is the undisputed heavyweight for content and versatility. It’s a powerhouse for all ages, but please — for the love of your sanity — buy a rugged case before you even take it out of the box. It’s an investment, but a fragile one.
- The Starter Kit: If you want value that actually makes sense, start with the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids. It’s built for the "oops" moments of early childhood.
- The Graduation Gift: Once they hit elementary school and start acting like "big kids," the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro is the perfect step up before they start eyeing your laptop.
Technology is like school uniforms: they’re going to outgrow it eventually. The goal is to find something that lasts long enough to make the investment worth it.
To help you buy the best kids tablet for your needs, click to reveal some key questions to ask.
Read more ▼
Are there safety and parental controls?
All the tablets in my list have built-in parental controls to limit screen time and restrict what content is seen. Always be sure to check what these are before buying. For example, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro has a phenomenal suite of options to tweak specific to every child who uses it.
That's not to say the iPad doesn't have parental controls. They just take a little tweaking — we have a handy guide on how to set them up!
How durable is it?
All too often, tablet makers focus on making their hardware slim and sleek, but don't really think about the fact that a kid is clumsy. Check for a sturdy case and a good warranty. Amazon's Fire HD 10 Kids is the best on this list for that purpose — offering a 2-year warranty and a chunky shockproof cover.
Is there a lot of kid-friendly content?
Kids get bored easily (I know firsthand with my nephew). So is there a lot of stuff available for a child to watch, play and learn? Out of these three picks, for the sheer wealth of child-friendly apps in the app store, Apple's iPad reigns supreme.
I may not have kids myself, but I have an incredibly boisterous nephew and I'm well-versed in the art of putting a tablet in front of him for some peace and quiet! Of course, there's a lot more to what makes a tablet amazing for kids beyond that, which I can take you through with my years of experience.
The best tablets for kids you can buy today
Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.
The best tablet for kids overall
Who is this for?
The 2025 iPad is a great all-round tablet for kids of all ages. There are other tablets on this list that are more directly catered to certain age ranges, but if you wanted to make one purchase and accessorize with different cases as they grow up, this is the one to buy.
Why is it the best overall tablet for kids?
Looking beyond the design (which will just be covered up by a case to protect it from clumsy moments), the three superpowers here are its big and bright display for all your kid's needs, impressive performance and power efficiency to keep running on long journeys, and the amount of child-friendly experiences you can find on the App Store. And all of this comes in at a good price of $299.
What do we like?
👍 A16 Bionic performs well for kids: We've done all the lab testing to prove this is the fastest tablet on this list for apps and games. I'll spare you the jargon and simply say this guarantees the A16 Bionic is zippy enough for zero temper tantrums while using it, and with over 11 hours of battery life, long enough for those big journeys.
👍 Apps and accessories to match your child's imagination: With any child-friendly tablet, you want to not just distract them from eating broccoli, you want to inspire learning and creativity. From Lego Duplo world to Crayola Create and Play, the options are endless in iPad's app store. And on top of that, the optional Magic Keyboard or Apple Pencil can take that creativity one step further when the time is right.
What don’t we like?
👎 An expensive bet: I know I mentioned the cases to protect your iPad, along with the $299 price being good value for money as a whole. But if you need something quick and cheap to do the job, there are cheaper options on this list that aren't a potentially fragile combination of aluminum and glass.
The best tablet for younger kids
Who is this for?
The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids tablet has been purpose-built for children aged 3-7 years old — from its ultra durable and colorful hardware construction to the tailored OS with engaging apps and robust parental controls.
Why is it the best tablet for younger kids?
With a specific focus on younger kids, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids tablet is a fantastic option for any child to grow up with — packing enough performance and battery life to keep that 1080p panel going for a long time, comprehensive child safety controls for setting limits, and all the entertainment your kids will love from the likes of Disney and Blippi's treehouse.
What do we like?
👍 Kid-proof from all angles: Yes, this is a big 10-inch tablet, but Amazon has pulled out all the stops with its Kid-Proof case, parental controls to set screen time limits and restrict apps, and a dense library of content catered to every year, so the tablet actually grows with your child.
👍 Performant and power efficient: To limit frustration, you've got to make sure its zippy and lasts a long time. While Geekbench scores (1,523 multi-core) may fall well behind iPad, the 2.0GHz octa-core processor is more than enough for the far more simplistic OS you get in the Fire HD 10 Kids tablet. Plus, this slab can last over 14.5 hours on one charge.
👍 Big, bright display: The 10.1-inch display is a true eye-catcher with color and brightness — paired effectively with loud and clear speakers. The bass production is poor, but from personal experience with my nephew, a kid is going to miss that bassy warmth when watching Paw Patrol in the car seat.
What don’t we like?
👎 Limited app selection: Just like the HD 7, you get a year of Amazon Kids+. The content selection is wonderful for kids, but beyond the Kids+ subscription, Amazon's tablet app library is extremely constrained.
The best tablet for older kids
Who is this for?
For slightly older kids aged 6-12 years old, that's where the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet comes in. The case is slimmer, the OS is tweaked to allow for more advanced interactions (while keeping those robust parental controls), and Disney, Marvel and lego are all part of that Amazon Kids+ subscription.
Why is it the best tablet for older kids?
For the kids growing up and getting used to using tech/expanding their horizons of learning/being inspired by the gadgetry they use, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro Tablet is a respectively powerful slab with storage to take your films and TV shows on the go.
What do we like?
👍 Big, bright display: With a 10.1-inch 1080p display, this is a big, bright and colorful canvas for your kids to interact with. Whether it's jumping into all the age-appropriate Amazon Prime Video content or the apps and games built into the Kids+ service.
👍 Enough under the hood to do more: It's still not iPad-levels in terms of power, but for the limited amount of tasks that are possible on the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro Tablet, the Octa-core chip is fast enough for keeping apps running at a smooth 60 FPS with plenty of multitasking capability too — say for when you're flipping between a word processor for your homework and Duolingo for learning foreign languages. Oh, and did we mention this has over 14 hours of battery life in our testing!?
👍 Award-winning parental controls: Amazon goes on about the controls being award-winning a lot, but what that means in practice is so much more important when it comes to older kids. Those guardrails are critical in this transitional phase of a kids life, and being able to fine tune them along with screen time use limits too has limited my sister's anxiety when it comes to making sure my nephew stays safe on the tablet.
What don’t we like?
👎 Limited app selection: At this point in a child's development, sometimes what you need to do isn't necessarily going to be a purpose-built education app or a storybook. You need the ability to get stuff done, and the productivity side of Amazon Fire tablets has always been a bit of a weakness.
Battery life compared
Battery life is one of the key things to consider when buying a tablet for kids. You can't always trust manufacturer claims about how long they'll last on a single charge and you don't want a child's tablet to die halfway through a trip.
That's why we put every tablet we test and review through a series of battery tests, then average the results and compare them against the competition. I've assembled the tested battery life of every tablet on this page here in one handy chart, to help you make a more informed buying decision.
P.S. if your kid is really putting the tablet through its paces, a good power bank is a great backup tool!
How to choose the best tablet for kids
Still not sure which tablet is the right fit for your child? Don’t worry — picking the right one can feel a bit overwhelming, especially with so many out there. I go through tons of tablets every year, and here are the key things I always think about when deciding which ones are actually worth recommending for kids.
Screen size: Think about how your child is going to use the tablet. If they’ll be watching lots of videos or playing games with detailed visuals, a bigger screen — up to 10 inches — will give them a better experience.
Battery life: All the tablets I recommend here last at least 7 hours, so you can expect them to survive a full school day or a long car ride. That said, some last even longer — over 12 hours — perfect for those long haul flight moments for vacation.
Budget: You can spend as little as $50 or as much as $600 on a kids’ tablet. But honestly, most parents don’t need to go anywhere near the top of that range. A good rule of thumb is to only spend what you’re comfortable losing if (okay, when) it gets dropped, sat on, or left behind somewhere.
Age matters: A tablet that works great for a preschooler probably won’t cut it for a pre-teen. For little ones (around ages 3–7), the Fire HD 10 Kids is ideal — it’s easy to use, durable, and has excellent parental controls built in. For kids a bit older (around 6–12), the Fire HD 10 Kids Pro offers the same reliability but with a more “grown-up” feel. And once they’re in their teens, they’ll likely want something more capable, like the iPad
How we tested these tablets
When we test tablets for kids (or anyone, really), we don’t just take a quick look and call it a day — we put them through their paces to make sure they’re really worth your money.
First, we check how fast they are compared to other tablets. Some are better at handling games and apps than others, and we try to measure that as clearly as possible.
Then we take a close look at the screen. Is it bright enough to use comfortably? Do colors look rich and vibrant? We actually use tools (like light meters) to check this, so it’s not just based on how it “feels” to us.
Battery life is a big one too. Nobody wants a tablet that dies halfway through a long car ride. So we run a set test that browses the web nonstop until the battery runs out — that gives us a consistent way to compare how long each one lasts.
And finally, we use the tablets the same way you and your kids might. We browse the web, watch videos, play games, write things — all the everyday stuff. If the tablet has a keyboard attachment, we’ll even try typing the entire review on it, just to see how it holds up in real-life.
All of this helps us figure out which tablets are actually worth recommending — and which ones aren’t ready for life with kids.
