Best Tablet for Kids Australia (Our Top 5 Picks for 2026)

There’s no denying it: kids need tablets. Some parents may loathe this prospect. But if you’re in the market for one, you may be wondering what is the best tablet for kids – especially as they’re expensive, fragile, and can potentially provide unlimited access to the internet.

As parents ourselves, we understand the demand for tablets in our digital age and have reviewed our top 5 tablets for kids based on affordability, durability, and kid-friendly features.

If you are looking to buy an iPad online, our recommendation would be to compare the price on Amazon vs Kogan.

If you’re looking outside of Apple, our top tablet for preschoolers and smaller school kids is the LeapFrog LeapPad Academy Learning Tablet, with a bonus stylus, as well as pretty tough case and screen protection. It’s not the cheapest out there, but is definitely much more affordable than popular brands like iPad!

Our Top Picks for Best Kids Tablet Australia 2026

Below is a chart comparing our top picks in tablets for Australian children, whether you’re looking for the best overall, a budget option, or something future-proof, with more power and features! Clicking on the relevant button will take you straight to Amazon to see the latest price and if it’s suitable for you, then you can order online and get it delivered to your door!

For more detailed information, including what factors to consider when making your decision, keep reading below for our reviews of the best tablets for kids Australia.

What to Consider When Choosing the Best Tablet for Your Child

When you’re researching the best kids tablets, what you’re looking for will be different from if you were looking to buy one for yourself. After all, raw power matters much less than good parental controls and exterior design is more about preventing damage from kids that don’t treat their items with as much care as what an adult would.

It’s important to bear in mind that what your child may find appealing now, they might not be so drawn to in less than a year. Kids edition tablets are worthwhile, but it is really great to have kid tablets that can grow with your child and not something that will just collect dust and be a heavy paperweight.

Our reviews focus on the best Android available over Apple iPad and the US Amazon range including the trending, Amazon Fire HD8 and Fire HD 10 kids. This is because an Apple iPad is a more expensive option with many parents not wanting to fork out over a thousand dollars for the latest Apple iPad for their three-year-old.

The Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids is not available on the Australian market right now, and really is geared towards subscribers of Prime and the Amazon store. You cannot install Google Play and a lot of apps Australians regularly use, (including banking) can’t be installed on these devices here either. Although Fire HD 10 Kids is popular with children in the US, it isn’t user friendly for Australians at this stage, so it is not recommended that you purchase one from overseas either.

What to Look For When Buying Tablets for Kids

Who will be using the tablet?

You need to consider the age of all who will be using the tablet. If the sole user is a young child, the needs will be different to a tablet that is shared between varying ages and or an adult too. Perhaps get one with separate logins, so adults can protect their content (and unauthorised purchases!) and consider whether the tablet will be suitable for use as your child grows.

Establishing this also allows you to either be conservative with your choices or go full blast. For example, kids want something colourful and fancy while older ones want a laid-back design. 

Another factor is durability. If the user is someone whose age may still have issues with grip, you might want to get something that can withstand slips and falls without getting easily damaged. Or better yet, something that comes with protective accessories against these accidents.

What Is the Purpose?

Establishing the purpose of the tablet in the first place gives you a clearer perspective of what to look for in a device and narrows down the choices. Just because your neighbour’s 10-year old uses a particular brand and model, that doesn’t mean you have to get the same for your child of the same age.

They may use the tablet for distance learning, and you might need something purely for your child’s entertainment and recreation. If one device can provide both features, why not? However, it’s not always the case, especially when you take into consideration the cost involved.

Screen Size

Generally, with kids edition tablets, the screens range from 7 to 10 inches just like the ones in our reviews. The 7-inch option is obviously smaller so it can be easier to handle for little hands and will certainly cost less than its 10-inch counterpart. An HD 10 kids edition makes for better tv and movie viewing, but if price and heft are a concern, opt for the smaller size (most kids don’t really mind).

Tablet Cost

The cost of your tablet will be based on brand (for example, Apple iPads are often at the top of the list – comparatively speaking) with Android-based systems cheaper to produce. Lower cost tablets typically have lower screen size, lower quality graphics (general screen and camera quality), and are slower to use. Storage size will be less and speed times will be a lot slower with tablets at the lower end of the market. So sometimes it is better to spend a bit more to save on feelings of frustrations (or tantrums!) that long load times can induce.

Choice of Apps

Again, this will be largely dependent on the type of device you purchase as different systems require unique platforms on which to download apps. There are so many suitable, kids apps including ones for learning and gaming.

Apps for LeapFrog tend to be more expensive than ones purchased on Google Play (for Android) or in the Apple App Store (iPads). Apps for both Android and Apple tend to cost similar amounts and of course, there are a lot of free alternatives that don’t require a paid subscription.

Parental Control and Internet Access

For kids tablets, you need some type of child protection features. Consider whether there are any restrictions built-in (e.g. for online access, in-app purchasing and time management) or whether you can download additional apps or kid-safe browsers to provide more peace of mind.

Also, be mindful of setting up user content/restrictions when signing up for popular Apps like TikTok, Roblox, and Minecraft, as parents can control who their child will be ‘friends’ with and what material these ‘friends’ can access. Parents can also sign up for SafeTube which only allows child-friendly YouTube content.

Protective Case

You will definitely want a good, quality case to protect your child’s tablet from the rigours of wear and tear, mess and stickiness, bumps and scratch marks that tablets can get subject to.

The best ones provide a snug fit, with silicone casing being soft for small hands and normally come in nice, bright colours too. Good to get one at the same time as your tablet purchase, including screen protectors.

What You Already Have

This might seem like something you would unsurprisingly overlook because it is an indirect factor in choosing the best tablet for your child. But I’m telling you, it is worth considering in so many ways.

Using the same brand of devices around the house gives you a lot of conveniences—for example, chargers.

iPhones and iPads are notorious for having chargers that break so easily because the manufacturer sticks to using lightweight wire for its cables. So, having other Apple mobile devices around the house gives you the charger backup just in case one breaks, and you see a potential “end of the world” scenario once your kid gets interrupted with whatever they were doing on their tablet.

Another factor is the ecosystem, and Apple is well-known for that as well. How do you want to type a note from your Notes app on your iPhone and be able to continue it through your iPad or Mac? I’m sure your young ones will appreciate similar privileges.

But perhaps the most prominent app from this ecosystem that we could use as an example is FaceTime because it’s an Apple-only product. If you already have an iPhone, it is more convenient to buy your kid another Apple device, so it’s easier to communicate whenever you need to.

Best Kids Tablet Reviews Australia 2026

1. Our Top Pick — LeapFrog Leappad Academy Kids’ Learning Tablet

The LeapFrog LeaPad Academy is a learning tool designed to assist a child with the fundamentals in reading, writing and mathematics. It is touted as a “kid-safe learning tablet” and comes fitted with preloaded content, which includes science, music, puzzles, logic and creativity to prepare kids for school and beyond.

Some parents like to purchase the LeapFrog products like this Leappad (or its predecessor Ultimate), in addition to their tablets and iPads they already have. In this respect, your child does not have the option of doing ‘mindless’ activities, as only learning apps and videos are permissible.

It does have a LeapSearch Kid-safe web browser, and a lot of the content you may want your child to use will incur an additional fee (so just beware). The battery life is reasonable, and the 7-inch shatter-safe screen with a wrap-around bumper is great for this age level.

If you’re specifically after an ‘educational tablet’ with content and apps all based on learning, then this one is well worth a look. It’s best suited as an educational learning tool.

Cons: It is NOT designed like a regular tablet. You won’t be able to get YouTube or other Google-based platforms here. Plus it only has 16GB, so it is not designed to store too much content other than what it was built for.

2. Best Premium Option – Apple iPad 10.2 9th Gen (2021) 64GB

If your child can’t let go of the old iPad, but you want an upgrade from the old one, this Apple iPad 10.2 9th Gen (2021) can quickly solve potential tantrums. This tablet still has that original design of the classic iPad that they have grown to love — the home button, the thick and sturdy rim, and of course, the aluminium frame.

As the name suggests, the screen size is 10.2 inches retina display with a field of view of 122°. This makes it ideal for kids who watch and play games a lot or do tons of school work, especially under remote learning.

Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt 9 work well on this device with no problem. It would have been cool if this was compatible with Apple Pencil as this would add to keeping your kids entertained because they can draw, mark documents, or take notes. Unfortunately, they can’t use it with this model.

It operates on IPadOS 15 with a true tone feature. You’ll also be surprised to know that this model still has the wired headphone jack that many users still prefer.

With its 12MP front camera, FaceTime-ing your little one while you’re away will be enjoyable for them. This is also very good for kids that are still under distant/remote learning schemes, and its Center Stage keeps your kid in frame when they can’t be still in one place.

Cons: This is not the most durable tablet on the list, so you may want to protect it by purchasing a case. Of course, separately! It also doesn’t support Apple’s Magic Keyboard and even the 2nd Gen Apple Pencil.

3. Best Budget Pick – Lenovo Tab M8

Nothing much of a fanfare — just enough for everything your child might need. This Lenovo Tab M8 works like a charm when it comes to a kid’s basic entertainment needs, such as children’s games, YouTube, and Netflix. Reading and browsing won’t be a problem as well.

A screen size of 8”, which is not too bad, considering the main purpose you have probably purchased it for. The expandable memory of up to 128GB compensates for the not-so-enticing 2GB RAM and 32GB Storage. This is enough for the stuff to keep your little one’s content.

It runs with a MediaTek Helio A22 processor, which is good enough to run most of the kid-friendly games. Can’t expect any wonders though! The front camera with 2.0 MP and the rear camera with 5.0 MP isn’t the most desirable quality, but it should be fine when you’re only after the entertainment value. This has Google Kids mode and also has a Face Unlock feature.

Perhaps one of the best features of Samsung devices overall is its durability and good battery life. With 5000 mAh, you are guaranteed continuous browsing for approximately 10 hours.

Cons: When you have other gadgets that are all utilising the new USB type C, it will pose some inconveniences since this device still uses the old adapter.

4. Best Full-On Option — Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition

With a full-featured and vibrant HD display, 32GB storage capacity, and 256GB expandable storage, there’s no limit to what Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Edition can do for your kids’ entertainment. Access 15,000 popular games, apps, and educational content, including Disney and Nickelodeon, for free within one year.

However, you will have to pay $2.99 per month after the free subscription expires, which is pretty cheap if you ask me. Cancel this anytime through Amazon Parent Dashboard, or you may contact its customer service.

You also have the option to add content that your child can access in their profile like Minecraft, Youtube, and even Netflix using FreeTime or now known as Amazon Kids+.

The best of all of these is that you get to control what they can access: screen time limit, filter the content that they can browse, and even set educational goals. You can do this either through the device itself or at Amazon Parent Dashboard, which is accessible online.

Built with the kids’ clumsiness in mind, they’ve made it extra durable. As a guarantee, Amazon will replace the unit once broken, no questions asked. But even so, every purchase comes with a kid-proof case as an added layer of protection.

Cons: It doesn’t support Google apps and has a very limited selection when it comes to Android apps. While the unit is specifically made kid-friendly, be on the lookout for issues with the touchscreen functionality, as this is most likely the first one to go.

5. Best for Tweens — Samsung 32G Galaxy Tablet A8

Having a hard time choosing the perfect tablet for your child’s seemingly “awkward” age? Like they are either too old for “toy” tablets but too young for an iPad pro?

If this is your current situation, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is a very nice pick! The thing is, this tablet’s design is just about right for a young adult who may dread some flashy and colourful features.

Perhaps the most crucial feature of all and the main reason for your purchase is parental control over the content and apps. Get access to Samsung Kids, a library of games, videos, and books that are definitely kid-friendly.

For kids under digital learning, take advantage of the Galaxy connectivity that lets you automatically sync notes from all your Samsung devices.

It features a 10.5” LCD screen with storage choices of up to 128GB. 

In terms of what it can do, it has very decent specifications that can satisfy basic functionalities that adults need, but you can still control as parents. 

As with my previous experiences with Samsung devices, they are durable enough to last for many years, and they can still be useful once your child turns legal age. Just a quick removal of the parental control, and off they go.

Cons: When buying the lower storage capacity, be aware that the pre-installed operating system and apps have already taken up more than half of the internal storage capacity.

Frequently Asked Questions

At what age should you give your child a tablet?

Experts recommend avoiding digital media for kids below 18 months, except for video chatting. Of course, you’d want family members from far away to see and talk to your baby/toddler once in a while every chance you get.

For the 18 months and older, the ideal duration is one hour a day. However, who strictly follows this nowadays, right? If this is unavoidable, the best thing you can do as parents is to ensure that screen time is about high-quality entertainment and is very educational.

How do you make your tablet child-friendly?

There are a lot of things to consider to make a tablet child-friendly, regardless of whether it is really a kid tablet to begin with or not. First is to make sure that it is protected enough to allow them to use it without feeling like they are going to break them anytime.

Next is using a child safety lock and choosing only the app you allow them to use. This way, you can have the peace of mind of letting them use the tablet on their own without having to worry that they can open other apps that you restrict.

Lastly, make sure to download child-friendly apps that they can freely use during their leisure time.

How important is a processor/speed in tablets?

Basically, the better the chipset, the faster the tablet will run, as well as the faster the processor. Higher specs (e.g. moving from dual-core processors to quad-core and 1GHz to 1.5GHz) typically add cost and are often more favourable for adults when researching tablets. Even if your child’s tablet is a bit slower than yours, encouraging children to have a little patience is never such a bad thing!

How much storage will I need?

This all depends on what you want to use the device for. If you want to store a lot of music, video files, apps and or streaming services such as Netflix, you’re going to want at least 32G. The lower the storage, the cheaper the price, but then your options will be limited unless you purchase an external storage card. It’s best to ensure your device gives you this option to transfer files and free up space, rather than needing to purchase another tablet altogether. Sometimes you can just delete old apps your child is no longer using and moving video files off the tablet and onto your desktop, will save a lot of space too.

How Important is the screen resolution?

Generally the higher the quality, the greater the cost. The tablets kids like aren’t dependent on this variable as most are just as happy with a lower resolution as their priorities are more on load times and the variety of apps they can download.

What should I look for in terms of connectivity?

Consider what you can plug directly into the tablet. Some allow you to add memory cards to get more storage space to transfer photos on or off the tablet. Many have USB ports so you can connect a printer or a keyboard/mouse or other hardware and even mini-HDMI sockets to connect up to a TV, so you can watch your video files or streaming services from your tablet, directly on your larger screen TV. Some tablets will also connect wirelessly to various other devices either over wifi or via Bluetooth, so if this is important to you it’s work having a look at what’s available.

A few tablets also have access to 3G or 4G networks as well which would allow you to continue being connected to the internet when away from wifi (although it’s more expensive) and does come in handy if you go for long drives or family vacations and plan on taking your devices with you.

Last update on 2026-07-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API