How to choose a tablet for a child

When choosing a tablet for a child, it is necessary first of all to build on the price and special “childish” capabilities of the device.

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1. How to choose a tablet for the child: what to look for
   
2. How to determine the price of a tablet for a child
3. How to choose a tablet for a child based on age
4. Main selection criteria
5. Top Tablet Manufacturers for Kids

How to choose a tablet for the child: what to look for

The key characteristics when choosing a tablet to be used by a child are:

1. Price;

2. The presence of special children's functions;

3. Operating system;

4. The presence of a slot for a SIM card;

5. The amount of internal storage, the presence of a slot for a microSD memory card;

6. The amount of RAM, processor power;

7. Battery capacity.

8. Also important is the manufacturer of the device.

How to determine the price of a tablet for a child

It is worth remembering that children, especially small ones, are not the most accurate users of electronics. They can drop it, spill liquid on it, damage it in another way. And modern tablets, in turn, are quite sensitive to various mechanical effects.

As a result, it is pointless to buy a small child an expensive tablet. There is a risk that the device will break without the possibility of repair right on the day of purchase.

The best way to determine the right price is to see if the monthly family budget accommodates the full cost of the tablet. If not, then it is advisable to pay attention to the less expensive model. Only then damage to the tablet will not bring negative emotions and will not break a hole in the family budget. In the end, this is a child, and he most likely does not understand that such electronics can be very expensive.

For an older child, who already at least goes to school, you can purchase a more expensive model. But, again, the purchase of flagship tablets like Microsoft Surface or Apple iPad is advisable only if their damage can pass unnoticed for the family budget.

How to choose a tablet for a child based on age

Tablet for a child 2-4 years

For such a tender age, special developmental tablets are suitable, to which various applications are preinstalled that teach account and writing, as well as reading.

Unfortunately, such tablets are produced mostly by little-known and often Chinese companies. Therefore, in the event of a breakdown, repairs may simply not be possible due to the lack of spare parts on the market.

The main advantage of special developing tablets lies precisely in the software stuffing. The simplest interface, the inability to “break” anything, the functions of parental control and the difficulty in installing third-party applications make them excellent devices for playing and learning.

Among such developing tablets, for example:

1. SkyTiger ST-902. The device is focused on learning to read and listen. There are voiced fairy tales, collections of riddles, written in simple language encyclopedias, etc .;

2. TurboKids S4.A very simple tablet, in which pre-installed programs for teaching various languages, including Russian and English. In addition, there is a cartoon player and a couple of simple games. All this is complemented by a “tiled” interface, over which even the smallest child “does not miss,” and a relatively impact-resistant casing with huge plastic bumpers at the ends;

3. PlayPad 3. Another educational tablet with a huge number of developing applications. Most of them, however, will have to download from the official site. But they are developed by professional educators and psychologists. There is a parental control and colorful interface;

4. EXEQ P-1011. The main advantage of the tablet - licensing under the animated series "Fixiki." There are also appropriate programs that will help the child explore the world and especially the numerous electronics in it. In addition, the tablet has a full-fledged “adult mode”, in which the device can be used for various purposes, and the colorful and bright case becomes calm and restrained after removing the cover.

The following feature, which is worth paying attention to when buying a child tablet - amount of permanent memory. It must be above 16 GB. If it is equal to this parameter - it is desirable that the tablet was equipped with a slot for memory cards MicroSD.

The fact is that many cartoons are not available in video streaming or online TV services. Then, in order to entertain the child, you will have to download them to the computer first and then transfer them to the tablet. That is why the amount of memory is very important - in order to save as many cartoons as possible.

Tablet for a child of 5-9 years

At this age, children can already be given the usual, full-fledged tablets. Unless it is worthwhile to install parental control systems on them (the corresponding applications are available in various stores such as the Play Store or the App Store depending on the operating system used) so that the child does not stay up in toys.

In addition, for such a tablet, you should have a separate account on the App Store or the Google Play Store and not attach a bank card to it. Otherwise, the child may well lower the entire family budget for in-game purchases, which are almost the standard for mobile entertainment.

Of course, for a child of primary school or preschool age to acquire a high-class flagship tablet from Samsung, Apple or Microsoft is inappropriate. Such devices have a high price and a lot of unnecessary features. A good solution would be to purchase a budget or middle class tablet from Xiaomi, Wexler, Lenovo, Huawei, etc.

Ultrabudgetary options like BQ, Archos, Texet, Irbis, etc. not recommended for purchase due to extremely limited capabilities due to "weak iron" and low maintainability.

When choosing such a tablet, it is necessary to take into account not only the amount of internal storage (in the end, cartoons at this age are still interesting), but also the amount of RAM and processor power. It is assumed that a child at this age will put a variety of tutorials and games (especially games), so the tablet should “pull” them.

Main selection criteria

The main criteria for selection are:

1. Availability of pre-installed children's applications or additional modes;

2. Operating system;

3. The presence of a slot for a SIM card and a standard internet connection;

4. The amount of internal storage, the presence of a slot for memory cards MicroSD;

5. The amount of RAM, processor power;

6. Battery capacity.

Children's software

Among the most important applications that should be installed on the tablet, you can highlight:

1. Parental control system. Limits the time of using the tablet and sites available for visiting;

2. Simplified launcher. With large icons, clear buttons and other features that make it easy to use. Such, for example, is found not only in special children's tablets, but also in Samsung devices;

3. Software protection systems against unauthorized purchases in the form of the need to enter a password or fingerprint scanning.

operating system

For the purchase of a child are recommended tablets running Android operating system. And there are several very important reasons:

1. In most cases, they are cheaper than the iPad or devices running Windows;

2. You can customize the desktop as you want, using third-party launchers or special modes;

3. You can configure deep parental controls;

4. To activate your account on the Google Play Store, you do not need a bank card binding, so you can completely restrict in-game purchases;

5. Educational applications are very diverse.

There are also disadvantages, of course:

1. A huge amount of advertising, often non-switchable. To get rid of it, you can contact a specialist who modifies the hosts file;

2. Risk of catching viruses. For deliverance, it is worthwhile to disable the ability to install applications from unknown sources in the device’s security settings.

The presence of a slot for SIM and the ability to connect to the Internet

The ability to connect the tablet to the mobile Internet allows you to achieve the following goals:

1. The child will be able to watch cartoons or download data packages for educational programs even outside the home - for example, on trips;

2. You can track the location of the child with an accuracy of several tens of meters and in the "online" mode through specialized software;

3. You can write messages to your child in instant messengers or social networks.

Of course, all Internet access is via a GSM module, which, in turn, requires a SIM card. It is desirable that the tablet supports 4G-network, then the video will be played in streaming mode without prior buffering. For all other purposes 3G is enough.

The amount of internal storage, the presence of a slot for microSD cards

As is clear from the purpose of the tablet, the internal memory will be used to store cartoons, games and educational applications. All this requires, in fact, a lot of space. Therefore, the more internal memory - the better.

The minimum required amount of internal storage in 2017 is 16 GB. It should be noted that about 2 of them will be “deducted” by means of recalculation, 3 will be occupied by the operating system, and about 2 more - pre-installed applications. As a result, the user is only 9 GB. That's enough for a few demanding games.

Therefore, models with at least 32 GB of internal memory are recommended for purchase.

If the internal memory is less, you should make sure that the tablet has a microSD card slot. Some user data can be stored on them, such as photos, movies, music, etc. Of course, the "flash drive" will have to purchase separately.

The amount of RAM, processor power

These two parameters determine the overall performance of the tablet.

The more RAM, the better.Now it is pointless to buy devices that have less than 2 GB of RAM - such tablets will “slow down” when performing the simplest tasks. Expanding the memory is impossible, so that a child of school age should take "with a margin."

The parameters for determining processor performance are quite complex, but they are subject to a simple rule: the “fresher” the chip, the better. New models are equipped with high-performance, energy-efficient processors that will allow the tablet to work longer.

Well, Qualcomm processors are faster than MediaTek.

Battery capacity

This parameter determines the autonomy of the tablet. The higher the battery capacity - the longer the device runs on battery. There, tablets with 4000 mAh can “live” up to four hours of active use - or a whole day mixed.

Top Tablet Manufacturers for Kids

The best manufacturers of specialized children's tablets are listed at the beginning of the article. But the "universal" - the following:

1. Samsung;

2. Lenovo;

3. Huawei;

4. Xiaomi.

Apple models are not recommended to take due to their high cost, but from Microsoft, Acer, Asus, etc. refuse. - because in most cases they are installed on the operating system Windows.

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Attention! This material is the subjective opinion of the authors of the project and is not a guide to purchase.