The best tablets for kids

A protective case keeps the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet safe from your more destructive tykes, but its cheap cost makes it easily replaceable if it breaks.

If you can't get an iPad, Amazon's tablets are among the best you can buy for a kid. The Amazon Fire HD 8 should be near the top of your list.

We could point to the modest price tag and the inclusion of a kid-friendly protective case it ships with, and that'd be that. But, we can't forget about the other qualities, including a big, sharp 8-inch HD display and the Fire operating system (OS), based on Android, that offers a fun and safe multimedia experience.

Amazon has spent years filling its own app store with an abundance of games, apps, books, and video content. Don't want to spend a ton on apps? Check out FreeTime, a cheap monthly subscription to enjoy premium content from over 20,000 sources, including Disney, Nickelodeon, and PBS. Oh, and did I mention you get a full year of that for free with a new Fire HD tablet purchase?

Fire OS includes a wealth of great parental control features, including the ability to set screen time limits, education goals, and filtering out the bad stuff you don't want your kids viewing. You could even enable an adult profile for yourself whenever they aren't hogging the thing.

Reviews from 3,400 buyers average out to a 4.1-star rating. User BrookCom says, "Great value for a kids tablet that you don't have to worry too much about getting broken." Wired scored it 8/10, saying, "The Fire HD 8 Kids Edition is a useful compromise of a device—durable, enjoyable, and at $130, way cheaper than an iPad mini."

Pros: Affordable, comes with a protective case, uses Amazon's intuitive and kid-friendly Fire OS, comes with a year of FreeTime Unlimited

Cons: Amazon app store updates lag behind Google Play and Apple's App Store

The LeapFrog Epic Academy Edition Android-based tablet grows right alongside your little ones.

Remember LeapFrog? This classic brand has been keeping kids entertained and educated for decades now. The company offers learning tablets, computers, toys, games, and more.

The company is still at it as of 2020 with the LeapFrog Epic Academy Edition. Based on Android, it's not the most flexible device you will find, but LeapFrog uses its expertise in the field to deliver a tablet that children of all ages can figure out.

One big claim to fame is that the tablet grows the more your child does. From the suggested age of three through nine, parents can add new content once their kids have exhausted all the material appropriate for their age. Much of that content will come from LeapFrog Academy, a subscription-based service (three months included) that serves up thousands of educational activities and games. Kids can learn both academic (math, science, and more) and life skills through them.

They'll earn certificates and cool rewards for their accomplishments, like clothes for their interactive avatars that live in the educational environment they'll be exploring. As a parent, you can check in to see how they're progressing, and you can add even more content through the App Center. A web browser with powerful parental control tools is available to keep your options open.

In a 4-star review, TrustedReviews concludes, "For under fives, the LeapFrog Epic is the perfect platform on which to begin a journey in tech, offering entertainment and education in a managed way." One buyer at Amazon considered an iPad over it but was worried about the potential for their child to stumble upon inappropriate content. It's "an incredibly affordable option to replace his iPad that eases my mind," they say.

Pros: Comprehensive educational plan, access to fun apps and games, kid-friendly web browser lets your kids explore more without worry, doesn't cost a fortune, comes with a protective case and stylus

Cons: Not as versatile as traditional tablets, some apps are too costly

If you have a bunch of Android apps already, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 is a top-notch affordable tablet with access to the best Android app store there is.

Some of the tablets on this list don't have Google Play, and that will be a deal breaker for some of you. Perhaps you had your own tablet or smartphone for the child to play games on and you decide it's time for them to get their own, but you've already bought into the rich app ecosystem surrounding Android. Fear not: the Samsung Galaxy Tab A is here to save the day.

This is a legit 8-inch HD Android tablet whose brawn doesn't quite jump off the charts (1.4GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage), but it certainly has enough power to fuel a kid-driven adventure. It doesn't present itself as such out of the box, but it's easy enough to work your way through the menus to set up a kids' profile and home screen setup.

The Galaxy Tab A 8.0 is also an excellent option for older kids who need a more capable device for schoolwork and the "occasional" YouTube binge sessions. And if you want to limit that time, Samsung gives you ample tools for doing so. There are cameras on the front and rear for video calls and maybe even some social media shenanigans.

We'd sooner recommend an iPad for this scenario, but if you can't quite stretch the dollars or it's vital for you to have the Google experience, you can't go wrong here. Just make sure you buy a nice case alongside it for the younger users in your family.

The Galaxy Tab A 8.0 is one of the best Android tablets available at its price point today. Nearly 500 customers at Amazon have propped it up to a 4.3-star rating, including Rebecca, whose kids are thoroughly entertained by it while she's running errands. "I love this tablet. It's the perfect size," she remarks.

Pros: Access to tons of apps through Google Play, versatile enough for children of all ages, amazing battery life, support for multiple profiles makes it a family tablet

Cons: More expensive than other Android-based options, Android may be more complicated to use than other platforms

The Microsoft Surface Go can do a lot more heavy lifting than other tablets on this list, making it the perfect choice for school needs.

Need something a little scholarly for the back-to-school season? Check out the Microsoft Surface Go. This Windows-based tablet is perfect for those who are growing up fast. Microsoft Surface Go is powered by a stripped-down version of Windows 10. S Mode, as it's called, limits the user to preinstalled apps, apps from the Microsoft Store, and whatever you can do on the modern web.

This sounds like a major drawback compared to other Windows tablets, but it's a safer environment for a younger person who needs the tablet for schoolwork and just a little fun on the side. S Mode can be disengaged at will, too, so the tablet becomes even more useful once you decide it's time to take off the training wheels.

Hardware-wise, the Surface Go sports a roomy 10-inch display, 4GB of RAM, and begins at 64GB of internal storage, an amount that can seem paltry for a Windows device, but feels entirely appropriate in the form factor of a tablet. Powering it is the dual-core Intel Pentium Gold, which won't be all that useful for a lot of the cool games available for Windows. Then again, this is for school right?

The Surface Go is wholly positioned as a tablet out of the box, but its built-in kickstand can combine with a Surface Type keyboard cover to enable a laptop experience. That's an added $80 expense if you're looking to get serious with it.

TechRadar gave the tablet a glowing review. "it's tough to beat this gorgeous machine that's truly a computer in every sense of the word," they said before awarding it 4.5 stars out of 5. Its 4-star rating at Amazon is thanks to happy purchasers like William, who says it's " a great little computer for a kid."

Pros: Comes with Windows 10, handles most basic web browsing and application tasks with ease, beautiful design

Cons: Accessories are costly, not suitable for younger children