Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition Review

Although they are a few years old, the Fire 7 Kids Edition tablets still stand as being one of the best for kids out there.

The main thing to note about the Amazon Kids tablet is that it comes with a stand so kids can watch their videos and play games with the device propped up AND it’s encased in a protective cover.

There are also some good extras included- for example, the Amazon Kids + content service comes free for a year when you buy it.

If you’re thinking about getting your child one of these tablets, read our review for the full scoop. Let’s get into it.

Value For Money

This is a tablet, just like the ones made for adults and teens to enjoy, but with kid-friendly features. The price is $99 for the tablet, a fair price when you consider what’s given to you in the package. This includes an ad-free lock screen, your 2-year warranty, the durable case, the actual tablet itself of course, and the streaming content service for kids.

In the end, you can rest assured it’s a good buy.

 

Performance and Design

The Fire 7 Kids Edition is just the same as the Amazon Fire 7, only with a protective case. Much of this case is crafted out of plastic, foam-like material that you can purchase in purple, pink, or blue.  Meanwhile, the stand is crafted out of hard plastic, and it folds down easily in the back. Kids don’t have to worry about their fingers getting pinched or complaining they can’t extract the stand from the back. Also, there aren’t any tiny parts.

The Case

The case is good at handling common wear and tear from kids, such as small drops. It will fall many times while being handled by kids, and you can rest assured it can take the heat. Keep in mind there is no water protection included in the tablet, but Amazon’s warranty will cover damage from water.

All you need to do is contact Amazon and they will work out a replacement for you.

The warranty covers screen cracks and other types of damage. Your tablet is certainly covered for those first two years.

Hardware

The hardware is just the same as Fire 7. Performance is dependent upon how it is used. If the tablet is being utilized just to watch content on YouTube, Kids+, or another streaming service, it seems slow but not unusable.

Just don’t try to put on an adult profile for a streaming service- it’s far too slow to enjoy anything.  Apps tend to open very slowly on this device, averaging about three seconds.

Included Apps

Amazon Kid + is the main draw of these Fire 7 Kids Edition tablets. This is a subscription service that offers tons of games, TV shows, apps, movies, and more for kids aged 4-12.

The interface is easy to figure out, and kids of all ages will find just what they want to watch. You can break it down into age categories- two to be exact. One category ranges from 9-12 and the other goes from 3-8.

The tablet also offers loads of parental control, so you can monitor what your kids are doing. Also, you can use the FreeTime app to help you approve purchases, manage the kids’ screen time, restrict items, and put additional content onto the device.

The Amazon Kids+ subscription is included with your purchase for a year, after that, it becomes $3 a month with your Prime membership or $7 a month for a family plan with up to 4 profiles for kids.

Features

Let’s now look at the features of this tablet. When you purchase any tablet from Amazon designed for kids, you can count on the tough case to keep your purchase safe.

Case: If anything happens to it while you are using it for the first two years, Amazon’s got you covered. Should the tablet need a replacement, Amazon will send you a new one so long as it is within the warranty period.

Software: Sure, we love the case, but have you heard about this amazing included software? It’s true- there are over 20,000 shows, games, books, and movies all curated for kids. It’s broken down into various age groups, too, so kids can watch what appeals to them. It’s easy to do when setting up. Simply enter your child’s age and then pick the content you want them to see. The selections you make will be available in a library that’s easy for kids to peruse.

Parental Controls: You can go in anytime you like and modify the content settings. Some cool parts of the parental controls are the ability to set screen-time limits, set goals for learning, and see what content your child spends the most time on.

You can also make sure your child is reading first before they watch TV. Using the parent dashboard, you can require that 30 minutes of reading is completed before the entertainment section unlocks. Alternatively, you can pause the device from the parent dashboard.

Bonus: Want to get your kid interested in reading AND set them up for school success? Try out this Reading Head Start program!

 

Why Not Just Buy A Regular Fire 7?

You may look at the price of the Fire 7 and the Fire 7 Kids and say, “Well, I can buy a tough case for my kid and save money. What does it matter?”

A lot, actually!

You’re going to want to shell out those few extra dollars. It’s got that great 2-year warranty, for starters. The purchase also comes ready for kids to use, namely, it comes with that Kids + content service and the tough case.

Sure, you could spend just a few bucks and get the regular Fire Tablet if you wanted, but this is more suited for a teen or young adult. Something like this would also be OK if you limit screen time to moments when it’s just you and your child watching together.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Tech Specs

Buying Guide

Here we will compare a few different kinds of Amazon Fire Kids Tablets so you know the difference between them and can decide which one is right for you. We’ve already discussed the basics of the Amazon Fire 7, now let’s talk briefly about the other Amazon Fire Kids tablets available.

Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids

This device offers a sharp 8” HD screen, a processor that runs smooth and fast, and dual speakers. It’s built both inside and out to handle the wear and tear/demands of kids. The Amazon library of content for kids is also included and you will enjoy tough parental controls.

Now onto the tech specs:

Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro Edition

If your child- (read: tween) is itching to step it up and they need a device that keeps up with them, this is the one you should seek. This features hardware that’s fast and powerful plus a large display. On top of it all, you can still take advantage of parental controls to ensure your kid’s safety.

Now for some tech specs:

Pro Editions

Perhaps in your shopping, you keep seeing “Pro Editions” of these kid’s tablets. What does that mean? It just means that you’re looking at a tablet with all the same hardware as the regular Amazon Fire Kid’s tablets, but with a few add-ons- namely changes to make them more appealing to kids aged 6-12.

Cases: These include slim cases with greater color selection- shades like Sky Blue, Intergalactic, and Doodle are offered.

Software Differences: There are also some differences in the software features, too. The main difference between a regular and a Pro Amazon Fire Kids Edition tablet is that older children get a device that’s less “child-like,” but still keeps parents at the forefront of safety.

The web browser of these tablets are also filtered and still have parental controls. It’s the best of both worlds- your child can enjoy Internet freedom with filtered access. It offers educational websites kids enjoy like PBS or the San Diego Zoo live cams. All the sites are preselected for kid-friendliness and you can block the ones you’d rather they didn’t visit.

Protip: Worried about your toddler seeing things they shouldn’t, but want them to have a tablet? Try out Animal Island Learning Adventure:

 

More Pro Features

Digital Shop: There’s a digital store that features apps younger kids cannot get when using a standard Fire tablet. The apps for sale are all kid-friendly. Your child can enjoy options such as Washington Post, Disney+, Netflix, and more. None of these may be downloaded unless the parent gives permission. When your child chooses an app to download, you will be notified and you may deny or approve it.

Home Screen: The home screen is also appealing to tweens. Instead of seeing an array of kid’s characters in a library when they load it up, it instead features a home screen that looks like an adult’s tablet (but everything is still kid-friendly). You can give your kid access to as many or as few apps as you like.

What To Know About ALL Fire Tablets

 

Great place to consume Amazon Content: If you’re a subscriber to Prime, your child will love consuming all the books, TV shows, and music that Amazon offers. The interface is designed to bring the user the best Amazon experience out there, for example, the pages are easily swiped for each media sold by Amazon.

Built Well: These tablets take the cake for protection against the wear and tear of children everywhere. The plastic isn’t exactly the most expensive or fancy, but it’s ideal for the drops and falls it will take in the hands of a young child. They include MicroSD slots that are easily used and perfect for adding extra storage.

Low Price: These tablets are so fairly priced- all are $150 or under. This is a price that most of us can afford. For the price, these tablets are a great value.

So Which Is The Best?

Out of the three, it all comes down to your kid’s needs and your budget. The Fire 7, Fire Kids HD 10 and Fire Kids 8 HD are all good in their own ways.

The Fire 7 Kids is great for entry-level users, and parents on a budget. It’s got a great price point, great software, and a great outer case that will keep your child entertained wherever you go.

If your child is older and interested in tablets, the Fire Kids HD 8 could be right for you. It has a bigger and higher-res display, plus its hardware is powerful.

Lastly, the Fire Kids 10 is best for older kids- tweens aged 10-13 will love this for its ability to handle all the gaming and video-watching they tend to do.

Personal Experience: Amazon Fire 7

For this section, I’d like to talk about how having a tablet has helped my daughter out in terms of learning and entertainment.

As a parent, I can honestly say I love having the tablet around for moments when I just need a bit of relaxation. The tablet also serves a great purpose in entertaining my child when we are on the road. For example, visiting Grandma who lives two hours away calls for a movie so that the ride is mostly quiet and peaceful.

It’s also helpful for flying. As we come out of the pandemic and back into normalcy, we do plan on flying to visit family and friends and perhaps take a vacation. The tablet will keep my child quiet as we fly, and the headphone jack means I can plug in some kid-safe headphones and let her relax as we fly.

I also like that my daughter is learning how to use technology. Technology is part of everything we do in life, including work. By having my child learn to use this now, it becomes a lot easier for her to adapt to devices she will have to use for school and work down the road.

I also like that I am in control of what happens on the tablet. The parental controls are easy to learn. I can offer my daughter 30 minutes of screen time a day before it locks up and she has to resume playing with toys, reading books, or coloring to grow her brain.

I like that I can control the amount of time she spends on there, and if I do need some extended peace and quiet, I can allow her to play longer.

Now I’d like to discuss our warranty story. It was a hot day and my partner was using wet cement on a home improvement project. He had a bucket of water nearby.

My daughter wandered outside with her tablet to show Dad something cool, and the tablet slipped right into that bucket of murky water. Quickly Dad fished it out, but it was never the same.

After that, we contacted Amazon who promptly got us a new tablet after a year into our warranty. I was glad at that moment we had purchased the Kid edition.

In Conclusion

The Amazon Fire 7 Kids Edition is a great device for your youngster. If you have an older child, a Fire 8 or 10 might work better. But for very young children, the 7 is just perfect. It’s got everything they need to enjoy kid-friendly movies, TV shows, books, and more. It’s well worth the price paid.