Tablet Ideas for Small Children
A parent recently sent me the following email. While I think the information shared with her is important, I’m more impressed (and suspect you will be too) with the reason she is buying her kids a new device.
I’m expecting baby #3 this summer, and in the same fashion as baby #2, it will arrive with gifts for its siblings. I’m toying with the idea that this gift be tablets, but my kids will be 5 and 3. We have a Leap Pad, and have really enjoyed it, but my 5 year old is aging out of it, and my 3 year old wants whatever the 5 year old has. Can you recommend a specific tablet that you feel is the best value (surely this thing can’t last longer than a couple of years in a house with 3 kids and 2 dogs?!) and is easy to use? We have Apple products, but I don’t want to spend the money on ipads.
What a great idea to give gifts to children when a new sibling comes home. When my son was four, all he got was a complex as his baby sister came home. It is the gift that keeps giving though! :)
As to your question about tablets. I think you have a few good options. Out of the hundreds of tablets being marketed to children, I think The Meep and the Nabi are standouts.
The Meep ($150) is an Android based device, designed for kids 6 and up, although they advertise as a pretty rugged device. The parental controls are really well designed. I particularly like the ability to set time limits and the virtual allowance options.
The Nabi ($200) also runs on Android, and is designed for younger children. They suggest that the device grows with your children. There are plenty of input options that suggest it is true, but will require additional investment as you move forward. The Nabi is very clever with its parental controls. I love the chore list.
Both devices provide downloads thought their app stores, also suggesting that partnerships with Amazon or Google Play are coming.
A price-point between the above two and below the iPad is the Kindle Fire HD ($200-370). It is not as kid-friendly in its appearance, but is a really good device. Frankly if we were not Apple people, this is the direction we would have gone when making a choice for our older children. If for no other reason than Kindle FreeTime Unlimited, a fixed-price subscription-based service that costs $5 per child. After settings are in place then kids can shop on their own for media (books, apps, etc).
If you decide to stay with Apple products, do what my wife does and buy new for herself, then hand down the old one with an Otter Box case. Somehow this trick always works.
So all in all, for a 5 and 3 year old, I’d probably lean towards the Meep, although my wife would probably win with the “hand-me down strategy.”
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Baby 3 coming…gifts for a 5 and 3 year old sibling
http://t.co/JyHqa9Hk