2014 best kids' tablets buying guide

 

Are you fed up with handing over your tablet every time your child wants to play their favorite game, or use it with their latest tech toy? Maybe it really is time they had a tablet of their own. But with so many to choose from, which is the best tablet for children? To help you out, here is own-news guide to the best kids' tablets available in 2014.

In this guide we'll start off by looking at some of the things you may want to consider before picking up a kids' tablet, and hopefully identify which features are important to you. We'll then take a look at our picks of some of the best child-friendly tablets currently on the market. By child-friendly, we mean those most suitable for children aged three to 10 years old.

While you may look after your own tablet because you recognize it as being a technically advanced (and expensive) bit of kit, the chances of a child – no matter how conscientious – being as careful are slim. Therefore, you will want to consider how any potential tablet will survive the inevitable bumps, knocks, drops and spills.

Can it run their favorite games and apps?

Just as you probably checked to make sure your favorite apps were available on whichever tablet you purchased for yourself, you might want to do the same for your child. All of these tablets come with a selection of pre-loaded apps, but if there's a particular title your kid loves playing on your smartphone or tablet, will they be able to have it on their own? In our house, any tablet without access to the various LEGO apps, or titles from Toca Boca wouldn't be worth considering.

Who will be using the tablet?

If you have multiple children, you're probably going to want them to share the same tablet, rather than buying several of the same thing in different colors. If so, look for devices which can be setup with multiple profiles. This means each child can login to have access to their own selection of appropriate apps and their own files (though that won't help if they want to play with it at the same time).

What parental controls do you need?

Parental controls aren't just about being able to prevent your child running up a massive bill with in-app purchases. You should also check you can limit what content on the device they have access to. There's also the issue of internet connectivity, whether any web browser can be limited to child-safe sources, and who will be able to communicate with your child online.

Children between six and nine are going to be best served by one of the more grown-up devices in our selection, and it will come down to which features appeal most to you and them. It could be that a combination of content and parent controls of the Nabi DreamTab swing it for you, or maybe the motion-sensing games of Kurio Tab will send you in that direction.

Then there's the Fire HD6 and the iPad mini, either of which you could quite happily use when your child isn't. Here it's a decision between the Freetime service and managed cost of the Fire HD6 compared to the app selection of the iPad. There's also the elephant-sized tablet in the room, the Nabi Big Tab. This could be for you if you want a family tablet which brings you together to play like a board game ... just don't expect your child to be carrying it around with them