A parent's guide to buying an Amazon Fire Kids tablet

Amazon Fire Kids tablets
(Image credit: Chris Wedel/Android Central)

If you search for tablet for the child in your life, you will inevitably find an option from Amazon at the top of many lists. This is because Amazon has worked extremely hard to offer good quality hardware and software and do so at an affordable price. With up to six different tablet options for kids, it can be difficult to sort through which is the best Amazon Fire kids tablets to buy for your child.

Amazon Fire Kids tablet: What is it?

Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids tablet and imoo Kids Smartwatch

(Image credit: Chris Wedel/Android Central)

An Amazon Fire Kids tablet takes the company's already great hardware at its core, like an Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus and make it perfect for kids and parents by adding software specifically designed for children. This software feature is called Amazon Kids and Kids+, making these tablets not only easier to navigate for kids but also filling it with age-appropriate content that puts you in control of what your child sees. That's a very basic explanation of what you get when you purchase an Amazon Fire Kids tablet, so let's get into the details in the different layers of what makes these tablets such a great buy for kids and parents alike.

Amazon Fire Kids tablet: Pricing

Amazon Fire 7 Kids 2022

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Amazon's fantastic Fire Kids tablets cover a range of prices in an attempt to be accessible to everyone. Starting with the new Fire 7 Kids for 2022, you can pick up the 16GB option for $109.99 or bump it up to 32GB for $129.99. As of right now, the Fir 7 Kids Pro from last year hasn't gotten the update yet, so you can pick it up for $49.99. If you want to move into a more powerful, larger tablet, the Fire HD 8 Kids and Fire HD 8 Kids Pro runs $139.99. Moving up to the biggest offering from Amazon, the Fire HD 10 Kids or Fire HD 10 Kids Pro costs $199.99.

Amazon Fire Kids tablet: Differences

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro

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Amazon offers three different sizes of tablets for its kid's tablets to cover a wide range in the category of excellent Android tablets for kids. You may recall that I said previously that there are six choices of Amazon Fire Kids tablets, well that is because each size of the tablet comes in two different configurations. It sounds a bit confusing, I know, but let's break it down a bit so we can sort it out.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Fire 7 KidsFire HD 8 KidsFire HD 10 Kids
Weight15.1 ounces19.4 ounces25.2 ounces
Display7 inches8 inches HD10.1 inches HD
Dimensions6.4 x 7.9 x 1.1 inches9.2 x 7.2 x 1.0 inches8.2 x 10.6 x 1.1 inches
Storage16GB or 32GB32GB32GB
Expandable StorageUp to 1TBUp to 1TBUp to 1TB
Screen Resolution1024x600 (171 PPI)1280x800 (189 PPI)1920x1200 (224 PPI)
Battery lifeUp to 10 hours of multimediaUp to 12 hours of multimediaUp to 12 hours of multimedia
Camera2MP front and rear-facing cameras with 720p video recording2MP front and rear-facing cameras with 720p video recording2 MP front-facing and 5 MP rear-facing with 720p video recording
Alexa enabledOff by defaultOff by defaultOff by default
ColorsBlue, Purple, and RedPink, Blue, PurpleAquamarine, Lavender, Sky Blue
AudioMono speakerDual speakers with Dolby AtmosDual speakers with Dolby Atmos
CaseKid-safe case includedKid-safe case includedKid-safe case included
Parental ControlsYesYesYes
Amazon Kids+One year includedOne year includedOne year included
PortsUSB-C, 3.5mm headphone jackUSB-C, 3.5mm headphone jackUSB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
Warranty2-year2-year2-year

The table above shows you the hardware specs of each of the three available tablet sizes — these are all what you'd get from a standard Amazon Fire Kids tablet target towards kids aged 3-7 years old. The other three choices of tablets to choose from using the exact same hardware as the standard but have a few changes for kids between 6-12 years old. Amazon calls these Amazon Fire Kids Pro tablets.

These tablets get a slimmer kid-proof case with different color choices — Black, Doodle, Intergalactic, and Sky Blue. The other difference between the Pro and standard models is in some of the software features in Kids+. The differentiation between the two categories allows older kids to have an experience that feels less "kid-like," all while making sure that parents still feel safe letting their child use the device.

Amazon Fire 7 Kids 2022

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When deciding between the base devices — Fire Kids 7, Fire Kids HD 8, or Fire Kids HD 10 — it comes down to budget and your child. The Fire Kids 7 is a good value and excellent entry-level choice. For a great price, you will get all the same wonderful software and warranty that the more expensive options do, but in a smaller, less powerful package.

The Fire Kids HD 8 will suit most kids very well as it has more powerful hardware and a larger, higher-quality display. The Fire Kids HD 10 is the largest and most powerful option from Amazon and is best for gaming and heavy media consumption.

Amazon Fire Kids tablet: Features

Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids

(Image credit: Chris Wedel/Android Central)

Let's take a look are what both versions share in features. When you purchase any Amazon Fire Kids tablet, it comes with an excellent case to keep it safe, and should something happen to damage the device, or it stops working for any reason — Amazon has your back. With a two-year worry-free warranty, should your child's tablet need to be replaced — Amazon will send you a new one for free so long as it is in the two-year warranty period.

While the case and warranty are great, what really makes these devices so wonderful is the Amazon Kids and Kids+ software. It offers over 20,000 curated movies, books, games, shows, and so much more, all broken down by age groups. When you set up your child's tablet, you will enter their age and choose an age range of content you want to be accessible by your child. Then, displayed in a colorful, easy-to-use setup, your child will be able to explore an appropriate library of content safely.

Amazon Kids Content

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From the parent's side, you will be able to go in at any time and make adjustments to your child's content setting. Part of the parental control feature is the ability to set screentime limits, educational goals and to be able to see what content your child spends their time on.

If you want to require your child reads for 30 minutes before the entertainment content is unlocked, you can. From the parent dashboard, you have complete control over your child's device — even the ability to pause it.

The combination of parental controls and curated content for children is what puts Amazon Fire Kids tablets leaps and bounds ahead of other options.

For times when Wi-Fi isn't available, you can download content for offline usage. Your child's device will be ready for long road trips by downloading games, movies, and books. However, keep in mind that some games may require an internet connection to work. Also, don't forget to pick up a pair of excellent headphones for kids for those car rides.

Amazon Fire Kids tablet: Pro models

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro

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Now that we've covered what features all of the Amazon Kids Fire tablets share, here's what is different with the Pro models. As mentioned before, there are no distinctions in the hardware for a Kids Pro tablet, aside from the style of case. Amazon has made a more mature, less bubbly case design for older kids. There's still the useful kickstand that's built-in for propping the device up when watching something.

The less adolescent styling continues in the way that the software looks too. The home screen of the Kids Pro tablet will more resemble the look of what you would see if you were logged into your profile — however, don't worry, the content is still age-appropriate. Although, if you choose, your child can have access to more apps if you want to approve them.

Amazon Fire Kids Pro tablets will have access to a digital store and a filtered web browser — all filtered and with parental controls attached.

There is a digital store with apps that aren't available to younger kids using a standard version tablet. The apps shown in the store are still filtered to avoid your child seeing an inappropriate option. What is accessible are options like Netflix, Disney+, The Washington Post, and others, but none can be downloaded without your permission. When choosing an app from the store, you will be notified that your child has requested to download it — you decide to approve or deny that request.

There is also a web browser available to Kids Pro tablet users. While it may sound scary thinking your child will have access to the internet, it's not a full web browser. Instead, it is a filtered service that links to specific websites like San Diego Zoo live cams, PBS, and other kid-safe sites. If you don't want your child going to any of the pre-chosen web pages, you can block certain ones or disable the web browser entirely.

As mentioned before, Amazon has created the Pro version of its Fire Kids tablets to let older kids feel like they are using a "big kid" tablet rather than one meant for a younger child. They get to explore a bit more in a safe environment on their device, while you get to maintain the parameters of that exploration with excellent parental controls.

Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition

(Image credit: Source: Amazon)

Amazon continues to improve on its line of Fire Kids tablets by offering solid hardware capable of keeping even the most demanding child entertained and differentiating devices for older kids with the Kids Pro tablets. Parents have plenty of options when it comes to choosing one of Amazon's Fire Kids tablets. Hopefully, you now have the information to make that choice a bit easier.

Chris Wedel
Smart Home Writer
Chris Wedel is a fan of all things tech and gadgets. Living in rural Kansas with his wife and two young boys makes finding ways to get and stay online tricky. By utilizing his years of experience with the tech and mobile communications industries — success is assured. When not conquering connectivity challenges and testing new gadgets, he enjoys cruising a gravel road in his UTV with some good tunes.