Is the Fire HD Kids Edition Worth It?

   Kay is one of these kids who loves to learn...as long as it doesn't feel "educational". <insert eye roll here> (Could I make this stuff up?!) 

We recently got the opportunity to test out the new Fire HD Kids Edition tablet.

  My favorite part - hands down - is the parental controls. You can, for example, put a limit on games and videos, while allowing reading books to be unlimited. (Because who wants to put a limit on that?!) You can also block access to games and shows until certain education goals are met (for example, 30 minutes of reading). 

  You can even set a bedtime and a wake-up time, and between those hours you can't turn the tablet on. (I think that's genius!) 

  I know I don't have the only child in existence who has the habit of dropping things, particularly expensive things that you least want her to drop. (Don't ask what happened to my camera last year...) The Kids Edition tablet comes with a lightweight kid-proof case to protect against those inevitable falls. We didn't put it to the test, but even if the case fails to prevent a break, you can send the tablet back for the first 2 years and get a replacement - no questions asked. I feel much better handing this tablet over to Kay knowing that, if something does happen to it, we can replace it, no problem.

  And all those things are great, of course, but what about the content? The best tablet in the world is still only as good as the content it contains. 

  Fortunately, the Kids Edition gets full marks here as well.

  You get a year of FreeTime Unlimiited with purchase, meaning unlimited access to over 5000 books, movies, TV shows, educational apps and games. And not generic books and shows you and your child have never heard of - these are PBS Kids, Nick Jr., and Disney shows, stories with your favorite characters - Curious George, Peg + Cat, Wild Kratts, Dora the Explorer. When the year is up, it's only $4.99 a month to subscribe. 

  Kids no longer have to "borrow" your tablet. This isn't a toy, no imitation tablet for kids; it's a full-fledged tablet, with special features added for kids. It has all the things you would expect a tablet to have - internet, email, apps, photos, etc., as well as the children's features. It has crisp HD display, and front- and rear-facing cameras. (Hey, I'm a little jealous; my tablet isn't nearly so nice. I may just "borrow" hers sometimes!) 

  But they're also safer here than on your average tablet. In the FreeTime kids' profile, they don't have access to internet or social media, and they can't make in-app purchases. 

  Kay was over the wall about this "early Christmas present". Since starting kindergarten, she hasn't been as into getting read to other than before bedtime. I was happy to find that she was perfectly content to "read" on the tablet (some of the apps are books that a narrator will read), even when she would otherwise have balked at story time. (Because it's not really reading? Who knows how a 5 year old mind thinks!) There's Little Critter and Bernstein Bears and Sandra Boynton...I could rave on about this for a while, so let me stop now!

  This is the kind of gift that will be mentioned first when the inevitable "What did you get for Christmas?" questions come around. Kay feels like a "big kid" because she has her own tablet; I'm satisfied because her profile doesn't get access to the internet and all the things that go with it. 

  Her daddy is a fan of the tablet too. Of course, that's because she can watch her shows on it and he gets the TV all to himself. Plus, no commercials on the tablet! (Gotta love that!)

   And so, to answer my initial question - is the Fire HD Kids Edition worth it? It's a costly item, what we call a "Santa gift" in our house, though at $149 for a 6" tablet and $189 for a 7" it's still about the price of comparable tablets. But if you can afford it, I give an emphatic "Yes!" For car rides, waiting rooms, winter days...I won't let her be on a tablet all the time, but if it takes Curious George and Peg + Cat to get her excited about learning, then bring them on! Tablets can be a wonderful supplement to learning and encourage even reluctant readers to dive into books (nothing like a "no games until you read for 20 minutes" to get even the unenthusiastic reading!). 

  And since it's geared for kids aged 3 - 10 years old, they'll be able to use it for years.

  And, of course, you can log into your own profile and use it when the kids aren't around. Can you tell I do that? Because I totally do!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.