The Adventures of Twins and a Tablet

Having preschool twins is a roller coaster ride in itself, but throwing a tablet into the mix makes it even more of an adventure. We recently received an Amazon Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet to review and I knew it would be a hit in our household. But, I totally underestimated the new (parent-approved) adventures and worlds opened up through the tablet. Enjoy the adventure recap below as well as an appreciation for some of the tablet’s technical and design features through my 3 D’s (Durability, Diversions, Dependability).

Durability

If you look closely at the pictures, you will see one of our boys sporting a full arm cast. (One twin was trying to catch up to his brother who had a cast two months earlier.) Our boys are FULL of energy and being around fragile items does not slow them down. With the Amazon Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet- you will instantly notice the thick rubberized kid-proof case (in green, blue or pink). Now, I don’t think twice about our son with only one fully functional arm grabbing the tablet and swinging it around to get it in position to use. The tablet is surprisingly light and easy to grip- which is helpful for tiny hands. Bonus: Even if the tablet did get damaged, it automatically carries a two-year, no questions asked replacement guarantee!

The twins’ version of the durability review: ‘Heyyyyy!!! It’s my turn to use the tablet!’ and ‘…No, I get the first turn!’ (Imagine initial tugging and pulling until one turns on the device and starts to play and both are engaged together.)

Diversions

Our twins have different tastes in entertainment (one likes trains and cars while the other is looking for superheroes) but have had no difficulty in finding games or videos from the downloads I have enabled in their profile. The harder part for me was deciding what to choose out of the 5,000 kid-friendly books, movies, TV shows, educational apps, and games available from the Amazon FreeTime Unlimited. Bonus: The first year of Amazon FreeTime Unlimited library access for free downloads is included in the tablet purchase.

The twins’ version of the diversions review: ‘Let’s play Life – I am going to get a whole bunch of pets!’….’No, let’s find Elmo and the monster again!’

Dependability

As much as I like to think I manage our kids’ digital use and safety, back-up support is definitely appreciated. I can depend on the parental settings to help me set screen time limits. I am also isolating my content and my tween daughter’s apps and content from the twins by creating separate profiles (up to four). Mine and my daughter’s profiles are password-protected so that the twins cannot access them. We are already a Prime household, so my entertainment queue list (and shopping list) is ready for me when I log in to my profile. Bonus: When my tween lost her hardcover reading book for school, we were able to download a Kindle version that she accessed on her profile to complete the reading assignment.

The twins’ version of the dependability review: ‘Yayyyy, we finally have our own tablet! Sister can’t take it!’

Overall, I give the Amazon Fire HD Kids Edition Tablet two big thumbs up. It really isn’t a toy even though the twins think it’s the best toy of the season. The magic behind the screen includes a quad-core processor, an HD display, front- and rear-facing cameras and Dolby Digital audio. Our family is enjoying the new adventures and wish you many parent-approved adventures in your future.