The Independent

SMALL WONDERS

Ella Delancey Jones reviews the top-rated kids’ tablets

While there are plenty of tablets for adults on the market, models aimed at children have come a long way, too. In 2025, they can be powerful, playful and genuinely educationa­l tools, when chosen and used with care.

We spoke to Tracy King, a clinical psychologi­st, to understand how to approach screen time with intention. “Tablets aren’t inherently harmful – in fact, they can be valuable tools for learning and connection, when used with care,” she says. “But

without structure and support, they can easily become overstimul­ating for young, developing nervous systems.” When it comes to choosing the right tablet for your kids, King suggests prioritisi­ng intuitive parental controls, offline capabiliti­es and a child-proof design. “Screens aren’t the enemy but children need structure, relational engagement and regular movement to balance their digital experience­s,” she adds.

With all that in mind, we spent weeks testing a range of tablets before whittling it down to the top eight. Our favourite – Amazon’s Fire HD 8 kids pro – is easy to set up, durable, has parenting controls and brilliant battery life – all markers of a great kids’ tablet. We’ve also found options for every age group and a range of uses, whether you want to encourage creativity or help them knuckle down with homework. Keep scrolling to find out which kids’ tablets impressed us the most after we put several models through their paces.

How we tested

We put a range of tablets for children to the test across real-life scenarios – from quiet solo play to chaotic family travel. Devices were used by children aged 3-15, with input from their parents, guardians and (in some cases) tech-savvy older siblings. When testing, we considered many key factors, including ease of use, durability, battery life, parental controls and value for money.

Amazon Fire HD 8 kids pro: £149.99, Amazon

We gave this to our preschoole­r straight out of the box – and that’s saying something. The Amazon Fire HD 8 kids pro took us about five minutes to set up and once we had created our own profile, we were able to add up to three separate kid accounts with custom age settings and parental controls.

Right away, we loved how easy this tablet was to manage. Using the Amazon parent dashboard app on our phone, we could pause play remotely, approve or deny download requests and set daily screen limits. You can even tailor the interface to include larger icons, simpler navigation and less text-based menus, which made it really intuitive for pre-readers to use on their own.

The tablet itself feels like it was built to last – the chunky case is super grippy and clearly designed for actual children (not just marketed at them). The tablet comes with Amazon’s two-year guarantee, so we didn’t worry too much when this tablet took a tumble off the kitchen table during testing.

It also includes a one-year Amazon Kids+ subscripti­on, which gives you access to loads of ad-free content – books, games, videos, educationa­l apps from brands such as the BBC, Lego, Disney and, yes, Peppa Pig. We liked that you can set your child’s age to guide what content is shown, and that if they try to access something outside of their age range, you get an email to approve or deny it.

Battery life was brilliant, too – it lasted all day, even during a long journey. While the HD screen is a nice upgrade, our preschoole­r didn’t really notice. But we appreciate­d the smooth visuals and responsive performanc­e. For £150, it’s a brilliant allrounder for younger kids.

Buy now

Honor pad X8a kids: £149, Honor

Right out of the box, this tablet feels thoughtful­ly designed for younger users: it comes with a chunky protective case, a kidfriendl­y stylus and an interface geared toward playful, ageappropr­iate learning. As seasoned stylus users, we found the bouncy-tipped pen quite hard to navigate, but our preschoole­r didn’t seem to have the same issue.

Our little tester loved drawing on the 11in screen – and it’s a nice one, with a 90Hz refresh rate and TÜV Rheinland eye comfort certificat­ion, which helps reduce blue light and screen flicker (not that our little tester was too fussed about the specifics). The tablet is lightweigh­t, easy to hold and the textured case gave us confidence when handing it over to our mini testers.

Performanc­e was surprising­ly smooth for the price. Apps launched without lag and the speakers were more than good enough for cartoons and music. The tablet runs on MagicOS 8.0 (based on Android 14), with Google Kids Space pre-installed, offering educationa­l apps, games and books in a safe digital environmen­t.

We used Google Family Link to set time limits, control app downloads and lock the device remotely – all of which worked well during testing. Battery life is great, too, with about 14 hours

of video playback on a full charge (and 56 days on standby, according to the brand).

It’s not trying to be a high-performanc­e adult device – and that’s the point. For a sturdy, safe, kid-dedicated tablet that covers all the basics (and then some), this is a solid win.

Buy now

Apple 11in iPad (2025), 128GB: £329, Currys

If your child is in secondary education or about to head off to university, the latest Apple iPad (11th generation) offers huge value for anyone looking for a high-quality, reliable all-rounder. It’s powerful enough to handle everything from streaming and sketching to emails and gaming, with a speedy new chip that makes it noticeably quicker than the previous generation.

We tested this tablet across the age spectrum, too: a preschoole­r (under supervisio­n) happily tapped through drawing apps and simple games, while an older child used it for YouTube, school tasks and browsing the web. Both loved the large 11in screen, though the older child found it a little bulkier in hand compared with the sleeker iPad Air.

The screen is crisp, bright and works well even in outdoor light. Like the iPad Air, it supports the Apple Pencil (sold separately),

so it’s great for note-taking or creative play. You can also add a keyboard case (also sold separately) to turn it into a lightweigh­t laptop replacemen­t.

Parental controls are managed through settings, which gave us detailed control over content, time limits and any in-app spending. It was also easy to create individual profiles and monitor all usage remotely.

This is Apple’s most affordable iPad, but it doesn’t feel like a compromise. Whether you’re buying for a teen, a shared family device, or just want something stylish and straightfo­rward, it’s hard to beat.

Buy now

Amazon Fire HD 10 kids: £199.99, Amazon

This tablet was an instant hit with our preschoole­r – thanks, in no small part, to the lovely pink case (it’s also available in blue or purple). But it wasn’t just the colour that won her over – the Amazon Fire HD 10 had the perfect mix of intuitive design, ageappropr­iate games and seriously robust parental controls that gave us total peace of mind. It’s the one we chose to take abroad with us and it held up when used intermitte­ntly during a fivehour flight.

The large 10.1in HD screen is bright and colourful – making it ideal for videos, games and interactiv­e story apps – and the tablet’s overall speed impressed us. Apps loaded pretty much instantly and the battery easily lasted through a full day of play and travel.

The parental control system is one of the best we’ve used. Via the tablet’s dashboard, we could set daily limits, pause the tablet remotely, approve app requests (such as Netflix and Disney+) and adjust content settings based on age. Our preschoole­r was able to navigate independen­tly using the younger-child theme, which felt really age-appropriat­e.

The device includes a year of Amazon Kids+, but after that first year, it’s £4.99/month – something worth factoring into the overall cost. Also note that remote control features require wifi – we had to hotspot it from our phone when we were out and about.

Still, between the generous two-year guarantee, solid battery life and growing content library, this is a brilliant pick for younger kids just getting started with tech.

Buy now

Even if you’re not already an Apple household, setting up the iPad Air is seamless – we had it up and running in minutes. We tested this with an older child and it’s fair to say they were thrilled. The 11in Liquid Retina display is big, bright and responsive, making it perfect for drawing with the Apple Pencil stylus, watching shows, playing games or working through school tasks.

From a parent’s perspectiv­e, it’s definitely more of an investment – especially if you’re adding accessorie­s – but this really is a device that does it all. With Apple’s latest M3 chip, it handled multitaski­ng, light video editing and gaming with ease. For kids with creative hobbies, this is a serious step up from most kid-first tablets.

The screen is stunning and the build quality feels premium – although we did wait for a case to arrive before handing it over to our young testers, having learned that lesson the hard way before. Parental controls are managed through Apple’s screentime settings, which give you detailed control over content, usage time and purchases across profiles.

Battery life was excellent, easily lasting through a full day’s use. It’s not a device you’d hand to a toddler without a second thought, but for school-age kids and beyond, it’s a fantastic tool that grows with them, from phonics to Final Cut Pro.

Buy now

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE+: £599, Samsung

With its massive 12.4in AMOLED display and high-end performanc­e, the S10 FE+ feels more like a laptop replacemen­t than a toddler’s toy. That said, as a shared family tablet (especially for tweens, teens and parents), it shines. There’s plenty of power under the hood – it handled streaming, creative apps and high-performanc­e games effortless­ly – and it has a waterproof design. The battery lasted all day, and the S Pen stylus (included) is a brilliant tool for older kids who want to draw or take notes.

It was easy enough for us to set up a profile for our daughter, as Samsung Kids mode comes built-in, offering a colourful, simplified interface and strong parental controls. Paired alongside our Google Family Link, it gave us full oversight of app usage, time limits and content restrictio­ns – great for younger kids who are still building tech boundaries.

Our older testers really liked this one, too. It feels premium, fast, and the large screen made everything from YouTube to notetaking feel expansive. For younger children, it’s a bit much – both in size and cost – so we’d definitely recommend a sturdy case (and nerves of steel) if you plan to share it with under-fives.

The biggest drawback is the price – this is a serious investment, especially when the charger isn’t included. But if you want a

device that genuinely grows with your kids, this one earns its place.

Buy now

Huion kamvas slate 11: £269, Huion

This is a proper drawing tablet – but one that’s accessible enough for kids and beginners, which is no small feat. It runs full Android 14, which means it doubles as a standard tablet for YouTube, light gaming and browsing – but what really sets this one apart is its creative focus.

It comes with Huion’s H-Pencil stylus, and our mini tester loved doodling with it, while we appreciate­d that it came with extra nibs and USB-C charging. It also comes with a folio case included, which was a nice touch. Performanc­e-wise, it’s smooth with 8GB of RAM and a MediaTek Helio G99 chip inside. It handled multitaski­ng and video playback just fine, too. There’s 128GB of storage as standard and the option to expand via MicroSD, which is handy for saving downloaded content or creative projects on the go.

The screen brightness isn’t the strongest (it’s non-reflective, like a Kindle screen) but for a beginner-friendly tablet that

encourages creativity in younger users, this one ticks a lot of boxes.

Buy now

Lenovo Idea Tab pro: £379.99, Lenovo

Got older kids who need a bit more power for schoolwork, creative play, or gaming? The Idea Tab Pro comes with a 12.7in display and includes the Lenovo Tab Pen Plus – a great stylus for drawing, handwritin­g or annotating homework.

The tablet runs on Android with 8GB RAM and a speedy MediaTek Dimensity 8300 processor, so it handled everything from YouTube and Google Docs to light gaming, without breaking a sweat. Our older child testers used this tablet for schoolwork, streaming and drawing. While it’s a bit on the heavy side, the large screen was brilliant for multitaski­ng and splitscree­n use.

We particular­ly liked the “entertainm­ent space” feature – a customisab­le content hub where kids can access their favourite apps and shows. It was easy enough to set up parental controls through Google Family Link, giving us full visibility and the ability to manage app access, screen time and filters.

Overall, this is a strong, good-value choice for families with school-aged children who need something a bit more grown-up than the entry-level kids’ tablets.

Buy now

Verdict

There’s no one-size-fits-all tablet for kids, but the good news is there are brilliant options across every age and budget. If we had to pick, our winner is the Amazon Fire HD 8 kids pro, as it combines durable, kid-friendly design with robust parental controls and reliable performanc­e, all at a reasonable price. For younger children, the Amazon Fire HD 10 kids stood out, thanks to its solid performanc­e and toddler-proof design. If you’re looking for a well-priced, kid-first option with creative potential, the Honor X8a kids edition really impressed us with its easy interface, included stylus and Google Kids Space integratio­n. Elsewhere, older children or families wanting a premium, do-it-all device that grows with youngsters, should look to the Apple iPad Air – it’s fast, flexible and fantastic for everything from drawing to homework.