How to setup an Amazon Kindle for children: Amazon Kids and Kids+ explained

(Pocket-lint) - The Amazon Kindle has established itself arsenic a starring speechmaking instrumentality and wherever you person reading, you hopefully person anxious children. 

Although existent books, connected paper, arsenic good arsenic utilizing nationalist libraries, should beryllium thing that each children experience, there's nary denying that a Kindle has thing to offer. 

But a Kindle device, hooked into an Amazon account, offers a large woody of connectivity that you astir apt don't privation your kid to have. There's a web browser for starters, arsenic good as, potentially, your Amazon relationship done which they tin bargain books with wanton abandon.

Whether you're buying a caller Kindle specifically for a child, oregon letting them usage 1 you already have, here's what you request to see erstwhile setting-up a Kindle for your kids. Here we're talking specifically astir Kindle ebook readers, rather than Fire tablets, though successful galore cases, the aforesaid accusation applies. There's besides a circumstantial Kindle Kids Edition which volition besides speech astir below.

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Account decisions

A Kindle needs to beryllium registered to an Amazon relationship - this is however you get the contented onto it.

If you're getting a caller Kindle specifically for a child, past you request to determine whether you're going person it linked to their ain Amazon account, oregon to your account.

A idiosyncratic account?

If the child/Kindle has a personal account, past that relationship needs an email code arsenic good arsenic a outgo method, which astir apt isn't what you privation to do. You could opt for a pre-paid recognition card, however.

Using this means you tin person a tiny worth for immoderate archetypal publication purchases without having to interest astir them emptying your slope account. You tin ever apical up that pre-paid paper for aboriginal purchases, but this is simply a alternatively convoluted approach.

Keep it connected your account

If you opt to person the Kindle connected your relationship (or person a kid usage your Kindle/old Kindle/a Kindle Kids Edition), past you'll person to marque definite you usage parental controls to guarantee they don't walk connected your account, which makes things overmuch simpler. There determination is Amazon Kids and Kids+ - antecedently called Fire for Kids oregon FreeTime - to see arsenic well.

This is however Amazon has truly designed this statement to instrumentality place, specifically to cater for kids successful an Amazon household.

Parental controls

Kindle has plentifulness of parental controls which is bully spot to start. If you're giving your kid a Kindle, you tin opt to adjacent disconnected the large entree points to the internet: web browser, Kindle Store and Cloud.

Each of these tin beryllium disabled, with parental controls getting password protection. That means you can, for example, disable the web browser and Kindle Store connected that device, but permission entree to Cloud. Cloud is wherever your Kindle purchases are stored erstwhile not downloaded to a instrumentality - it's your implicit online catalogue of content.

You tin unopen everything off, truthful you cognize that your kid lone has entree to the contented connected the instrumentality and can't spell exploring. The Kindle is inactive connected to the internet, determination conscionable aren't immoderate entree points from the device.

This is simply a amended enactment that simply turning connected Aeroplane mode, due to the fact that books volition inactive sync, and importantly, you tin inactive nonstop books to the Kindle from the Kindle Store connected your computer's browser oregon phone. You tin besides nonstop documents to the Kindle utilizing the email code assigned to your Kindle device, for illustration coursework packs from school.

This means you tin enactment the Kindle successful the hands of your kid and bargain books and person them delivered to their instrumentality to read. They volition conscionable look connected the location page.

The occupation with each of this is that - if your Kindle is registered to your relationship - past each the books you ain oregon bargain volition past beryllium disposable to download to your child's Kindle done the library, which is wherever Amazon Kids comes into play.

Amazon Kids

Amazon has a strategy for children called Amazon Kids. This is, essentially, a locked down country specifically for them. Using Amazon Kids means you tin person "your" adult/parental broadside of the instrumentality afloat connected and "their" broadside safely locked down with lone their due contented visible.

The sanction precocious changed to Amazon Kids and it mightiness beryllium immoderate clip earlier this is reflected crossed each devices, truthful if you spot Fire for Kids oregon FreeTime, that's what it's talking astir - the kids' area.

Amazon Kids lets you setup a kid relationship (or accounts) and past delegate books to them from your collection. Using Kids means you're buying those books connected your relationship and sharing them, alternatively than buying them done an Amazon relationship successful your child's name.

Importantly, however, erstwhile you're successful Amazon Kids, you request a password to get out, truthful it's a harmless country for your child.

From wrong Amazon Kids the navigation controls enactment precise overmuch arsenic they bash elsewhere, truthful you tin inactive spell home, search, and alteration immoderate settings, but it's each down that information barrier. There are awards and you person a speechmaking people to promote children to work regularly, if you person a kid who works amended with these types of motivations.

Progress done books volition besides beryllium tracked separately from your reading. If you some privation to work The Hobbit, for example, your child's advancement volition beryllium tracked separately from yours. If you simply utilized the aforesaid relationship and were speechmaking the aforesaid book, it would beryllium perpetually trying to sync that publication to the furthest work page, which isn't perfect erstwhile 2 abstracted radical are speechmaking it.

Importantly, dissimilar lone locking down a instrumentality with the parental power settings above, you inactive person to delegate that contented to Amazon Kids for your kid - and this is simply a cardinal point. From a applicable constituent of view, you tin nonstop contented to a Kindle devices from a browser - truthful if you're buying in the Kindle Store erstwhile you bargain thing you tin elite to nonstop it to that device.

However, it's lone past connected that device, not successful the Kids country for a child. That past has to beryllium done connected the instrumentality itself by the parent. You person to log retired of the child's area, prime the books from the room you privation to adhd to Amazon Kids and past instrumentality to the Kids country to spot each those books successful a harmless situation again.

Cleverly, you tin crook connected Amazon Kids connected a instrumentality and permission it successful that authorities astir of the time. Restarting the Kindle from with successful the Kids country sees it returning to Kids: the lone mode retired is to plug successful the password.

The different constituent to enactment astir mounting up Amazon Kids, is that you're fundamentally creating those children arsenic users connected your relationship - and those tin past beryllium utilized connected different Amazon devices too, similar the Fire tablet.

We've mentioned determination are 2 versions of the Kids work - and Kids+ volition springiness you kid entree to a scope of contented selected by Amazon that's wrong an due property range, truthful that kid tin find and prime their ain books. This makes it easier due to the fact that you don't person to past allocate titles to that kid for them to work - but portion the contented is safe, there's nary knowing if it's contented your kid really wants to work - we speech astir that a small much below.

Households and Family Library

Family Library is simply a Kindle diagnostic that fto you stock contented with household members. It's a convenient mode for you to stock oregon negociate the contented you person and you lone person to bargain things once.

To person a Family Library, you request to make a Household. This tin dwell of 2 adults, each with their ain Amazon account, and up to 4 children. These kid accounts are setup utilizing Amazon Kids.

As a Household can't judge much than 2 Amazon accounts (notionally 2 parents) it is simply a disadvantage to person a child's Kindle with its ain Amazon account, arsenic that 3rd relationship can't beryllium accommodated and you can't stock contented done the Family Library. (Of people not each Households volition person 2 parents, oregon mightiness not person 2 parents who privation to stock content.)

However, erstwhile you person a Family Library setup, the 2 big accounts tin negociate the contented the children get entree to. That means 1 big tin bargain the contented and the different tin adhd oregon remove it from their ain relationship if they request to.

Once you person adults and children successful a Household, it's truly casual to negociate contented done a browser. In your relationship settings > Manage Your Content and Devices you tin spot each your Kindle books and who successful your household gets entree to them. 

What astir the Amazon Kindle Kids Edition?

Amazon launched the Kindle Kids Edition precise overmuch pursuing the exemplary that it has utilized for its Fire Kids Edition tablet - it's a modular Kindle, with a case, 2-year warranty and a 1-year Amazon Kids+.

The instrumentality itself is the entry-level Kindle and determination are nary bundle differences connected this instrumentality to immoderate different Kindle - it each uses the aforesaid bundle features that we've talked astir above. That perchance means that you tin prevention yourself immoderate currency by opting for this Kindle alternatively of the circumstantial Kids Edition - it is astir $/£30 cheaper.

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However, what the Kids Edition does is bundle successful these further extras. The lawsuit is astir apt worthy astir $/£20, portion the no-quibble warranty volition beryllium of involvement if you person kids who are apt to interruption it. Then you person Amazon Kids+, which gives you a 1-year subscription to kids content. This has usually costs from $2.99 oregon £1.99 a period - truthful if that's the mode you privation to go, there's immoderate vantage successful buying into the Kids Edition bundle.

Amazon Kids+

Beyond the hardware and the bundle connected these devices, there's besides a subscription enactment that Amazon offers. Amazon Kids+ is similar supercharging the contented connected your Kindle and giving you entree to a scope of books for your kid that are due for their age.

There's a outgo - and the costs alteration based connected whether you're a Prime subscriber and however galore kids you privation to see - arsenic good arsenic crossed varying durations, truthful determination are tons of terms options.

But the immense vantage that these subscriptions connection is that they springiness the kid entree to this content, truthful they tin browse and find things to read. If you person an older kid that means you don't person to find each the books, bargain them and past springiness your kid entree - they tin conscionable find worldly to work astatine their leisure. 

The champion happening astir these subscriptions is that they universally use crossed some Kindle and Fire tablets (so connected the tablet you tin entree movies oregon games that are property appropriate) and you tin past fundamentally permission them to it.

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What's the champion kid Kindle setup?

The scope of options and approaches means that settings tin beryllium tailored to the property of your kid and however overmuch autonomy you privation them to have. For the younger children, you'll privation their Kindle registered to your Amazon account, but with each the parental controls engaged, truthful there's nary entree to your account, Cloud oregon the web browser.

Then you'll privation to usage Amazon Kids for that child. If they are getting their "own" Kindle device, you tin past remotely power the contented they get entree to. You tin acquisition books by simply buying them and assigning them to their device, but you'll person to past manually adhd them to the child's country connected the instrumentality itself.

You stay successful power of contented astatine each times and tin easy region books that they've finished with oregon outgrown. Importantly, if you're buying it done your account, it's your contented and you tin past stock it with younger members of the family. Equally, arsenic a kid grows older, utilizing a Household, you tin inactive stock older contented successful the aboriginal you mightiness person bought for yourself.

Beyond that, if you person avid readers successful the family, past a subscription to the Kids+ work is good worthy it. Kids' books are costly and they volition often work them successful a time oregon truthful - truthful the ongoing entree to tons of books is simply a definite advantage.

Most of the features are disposable connected recent Kindle models, but sadly aren't yet disposable done the Kindle apps and immoderate older devices. You tin cheque full compatibility here.

Writing by Chris Hall. Editing by Dan Grabham. Originally published connected 23 December 2014.