The new Kindle Kids Edition has been an awesome purchase for Mazen so far! Here are all the details of what it is (and what it isn’t!) and how it’s designed for young readers.
About a year ago Mazen asked me if he could get a Kindle. He had just started reading books, and I thought it might actually be a great tool for him. I am absolutely obsessed with my Kindle Paperwhite, and figured if it had me reading more it might have him reading more too. But at the time the only options I could find were to buy a Amazon Fire Tablet with a Kindle app on it or get him the adult version tied to my Amazon account. Since we already had an iPad and I didn’t want to give him free range to buy books, I tucked the idea away for later.
Recently when I again tried Googling “how to set up a Kindle for kids” I discovered that Amazon came out with a Kindle designed for kids last fall! (I have no idea why their marketing didn’t reach me sooner.) Mazen’s grandmother KK and I were chatting about it, and she offered to send it to Mazen. Since schools, public libraries, and bookstores are closed, this is the perfect way to get kids reading book after book without having to leave the house.
What is the Kids Kindle?
- it’s a black and white 10th edition Kindle just like the Paperwhite
- it has a super long battery life
- the kids version is connected to the parent’s Amazon account and managed through the parent dashboard
- free of apps, ads, and other distracting things
- “Reading time not screen time”
- Has an achievements tab to track daily reading goals
- Ability to connect to Audible (requires either Bluetooth headphones or a speaker)
What’s included in the Kindle Kids Edition price?
While at first you might not want to spend $109 on a kids’ device, everything that is included might change your mind:
- 1 year of FreeTime Unlimited
- A nice hard case
- A 2 year protection plan that means if they break it Amazon will replace it (the peace of mind most parents want to hear!)
Tell me more about FreeTime
There are thousands of books from the Harry Potter series (!) to educational books, animal books, comics, and more. They are always adding titles (they say!) so your child will never run out. After your free year it’s only $2.99 a month. I’d pay a lot more than that to keep my child reading!
What can you do in the parent dashboard?
- See which books your child has been reading and how many minutes on each
- See total time read by day
- Set age guidelines so only books that are in that range show up
- Send books you purchase to your kids kindle and share any in your library you want
- Note you will see controls for Amazon Fire tablets too, like screen time limits
So how’s it going? Is he reading?
YES. It’s gone great. While right now he is buzzing through all of the Big Nate books (which are comic-style) he’s been reading for hours! It’s so great that when he finishes one book he can start another right away. $109 just for the books would be great, so I feel the kindle has already paid for itself. We have set a 45 minutes a day goal. Some days he doesn’t read anything and other days he’s reading for 2 hours.
Since I’m always trying to read more, I love reading with him. Sometimes I have to sit down with him to get him settled down to read, but that is always fine with me because I love to be “forced” to sit and read for a few. It has truly been a win-win for us both. I hope the newness will not trail off – I will be sure to update this post in a few months to report back.
Julia says
Thanks so much for this, Kath! My six-year-old is an advanced and avid reader who particularly loves graphic novels. I considered getting her a kids kindle but when we borrowed the Dog Man books on my kindle, the formatting didn’t work digitally! Has Mazen experienced anything like that, or have all graphic novels worked well? I’d love to get my daughter a kindle for our next trip (whenever that is) instead of carting loads of books!
Kath Younger says
“Graphic novels” gets me every time – lol! Mazen has been reading Big Nate on the Kindle and they are very similar to Dog Man and you can read them as whole page or zoom in on one comic square. If Dog Man didn’t work on your Kindle though, I bet it’s a Dog Man thing (and maybe why there aren’t any Dog Mans in Freetime?) But there are thousands of other books she would love!
Julia says
Thank you! Great to know!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Cute! I want a Kindle too (but the normal edition, haha) 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Jacqui Rossetter says
Just in case you want to share with readers, Amazon Free Time Unlimited is available to Prime Members for $19.99 for a whole year right now. We have it on both kids tablets and has been great for them.
Kath Younger says
Thank you!
Rebecca says
Would love to know what books Mazen is into! My 8 year old has read all Dog Man and Big Nate and now reading Binder of Doom series which seems to be a hit!
Kath Younger says
Big Nate – all day, errrrry day!
Ashley says
Something people might want to look into is if their public libraries provide free access to digital libraries. My library system has Overdrive. I can download both kids and adult books for free to my Kindle with just a click of a button.
Stephanie says
It’s so exciting when kids love to read. I became an avid reader in 4th grade and still am today!
Have you changed your website recently? I read your blog through Feedly and up until just recently I could see the whole post there, now, I just get a paragraph and have to come to your website to read the full post.
Kath Younger says
Unforuntately I had to change it because spammers were stealing my full posts. I hope it’s not a permanent thing because I know feed readers are so convenient, but I’m stumped on what else to do for now.
Elizabeth says
Do you know whether it allows parents to monitor what books your child chooses to read? My 4th and 5th graders are advanced in ability but I do take care that they read within their maturity level.
Kath Younger says
Yes you can set an age range
The Many Thoughts of a Reader says
My almost 9 year old is a huge reader. I already got her birthday present *as long as it’s not cancelled because of covid” but this is a good back up idea if it does get cancelled. Or Christmas. Or maybe I’ll tell her one grandparents about it. We have SOO many books and ones that she hasn’t read yet, but I am leery of checking physical books out of the library for awhile. She actually is finishing the final Harry Potter today! I am not a huge e-reader myself, I prefer physical books.
Helen says
Just got mine today but their home screens look just like mine does! Sigh. On chat with them now – I have never had good luck with Amazon devices lol I really wanted to just turn them on and go!
Kath Younger says
Oh! Ours was all set up!