Tablets aren’t just for adults – they’re a great learning and entertainment tool for kids of all ages. They’re versatile, portable, and they can encourage children to read more. Children’s tablets can also develop creativity, help with homework – and of course, are great for playing games and watching films. They usually feature parental controls to limit access to certain websites and apps, and plenty are designed to be extra robust.
If you’re looking for a tablet for your child, here’s a selection of perfect devices for little ones looking for entertainment.
Even though they may look sleek and slim, tablets can stand the odd knock.
Choosing the right tablets for children means looking at details like exteriors; a sturdy tablet’s exteriors can be surprisingly hardy. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 is 7mm thick, and has a tough glass front and aluminium frame to protect it at home and on the go. If you’re looking for a portable device, the Huawei MediaPad T3 10 is also ultra-slim, and its deceptively lightweight body is covered by a hardworking, strong aluminium case.
Accidents can happen when you have little ones in the house. So when it comes to buying a tablet for your kids, make sure you’re familiar with what the manufacturer’s warranty will cover. It should cover you for any faults or issues you may have with the hardware or software, but may not include accidental or liquid damage. Vodafone customers get a 24-month manufacturer warranty for all non-Apple devices, and we’ll top up additional 12 months for Apple devices on top of the 12 months which Apple offer. For extra peace of mind, you can always buy tablet insurance that covers damage, loss and theft.
If you’d like to add an extra layer of physical protection for your kids’ tablet, a tablet case and screen protector from a third party can help it withstand any knocks, drops and scrapes.
Tablets for kids can be a fun, educational way for kids to learn and play – but occasionally you might want to set a screen time limit to help to restrict digital usage. The limits you set may depend on how old your child is and how often they need to use their tablet – for example, on days when they use it for homework, they may want some extra time that evening for movies and games.
You can set screen limits on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 and Galaxy Tab S6 Lite using the Samsung Kids login screen for parents, and screen time limit settings are also available on iPad devices. If you need to briefly extend or shorten screen time, you can do this on your child’s device via your own login.
Tablets for kids are great for helping kids with research and keeping track of homework. They’re also versatile enough to help with handwriting, drawing, and developing creativity during their toddler and early years. iPad 10.2 and iPad Pro 11 are both compatible with Apple Pencil (sold separately), which acts like a pen on the screen, so kids can easily write notes, draw and jot down ideas. Older children and students doing coursework can even use Apple Pencil with iPad Pro to suggest edits for a PDF, create art and design projects, or edit photos. The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite also comes with a pen-like stylus called the S Pen, which lets kids write, doodle or annotate homework, and saves their work to the Notes app.
The best tablets for toddlers and younger children can even let them practice their handwriting. Plenty of Apple and Android apps will allow them to practice tracing letters and words – you can even download finger painting apps for younger children.
What makes the best tablet for older children? For those who love their games and can’t get enough of YouTube, you’ll need a tablet with a clear, high-definition screen. iPad 11 has a backlit 11-inch Liquid Retina display with ProMotion and True Tone to give entertainment a rich, truly immersive feel, adding drama to action sequences and a wealth of lifelike colour. The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite’s slightly-smaller 10.4-inch display also packs a punch – the combination of minimal bezel and up to 16 million colours makes for a gaming experience they’ll love. Plus, sound quality is maximised with its two speakers engineered by AKG, featuring Dolby Atmos – perfect for when they’re not using headphones and they won’t be disturbing anyone nearby.
If your plan is for your child to only use their tablet at home, a device without a data plan which uses your home WiFi will be fine. If you’re considering tablet use when you’re out and about (and not connected to public WiFi), you’ll need an LTE tablet which uses 4G data (like a smartphone does).
Browse our full range of LTE pay monthly tablets, and discover our Unlimited data plans that will let your child stream and game to their heart’s content.
If you want to see all the Apple and Android tablets available and compare their features, you can browse our full range of tablets here. We also sell a range of great value nearly new tablets. They’re in pristine condition - the only difference is that they’ve been returned without being used by the original owner.
And if you’ve decided a tablet isn’t quite right for your little one, our roundup of the best phones for kids might be more what you’re looking for.
If you’re buying a tablet for a child and you’re an existing Vodafone customer, you can enjoy a 15% discount on selected additional devices and plans - log in to your My Vodafone account to apply the discount.