While we try not to let technology take over and devices rule our life- let’s face it, tablets can be a life saver. In the car, at the supermarket- they buy us a little bit of time and when it’s the right tablet- are educational also. We’ve seen many message board conversations where moms want to know the best tablet to invest in for their children and have seen quite a few recommendations. We often read the argument that a basic tablet is the most economical choice because it grows with the child, and can be used for years to come. And while we’ve noticed that while this is true, we still think an educational tablet is the way to go for the younger children who will get the most out of the age range of the tablet.
We recently had the chance to check out the Little Scholar School Zone tablet. Aimed at ages 3 to 7 to prepare children for pre-K through 1st Grade, this seemed like a great choice and we were excited to check it out. Here are some key facts about the tablet:
- 200+ preloaded educational apps
- Ready to play with or without Wi-Fi
- Reporting app for parents
- Google Android™ 4.4.4
- Free bumper included
From first glance, this tablet is super kid friendly. We love that the bumper is included so that it can be used as soon as it comes out of the box. The home screen is easy to navigate for little hands, but not too baby-ish for older users. We also love that the app store and browser are located within a secure section of the tablet. Front and back camera also makes for fun memory capturing during family outings.
Here in the secured portal you can also manage apps, which is a great way to keep the tablet customized to your child’s age without deleting apps that they can use at a later time.
Over the past week our three year old Gia has been really engaged and entertained with the tablet. She’s been working on letters, numbers, shapes, and even tracing shapes and lines to work on her hand-eye coordination. She figured out pretty quickly how to navigate to different categories, and loves going from games, to videos, to music.
Lastly, we love the reporting feature on this tablet! Parents can track and guide learning, measure performance, and view which apps are being used. Let’s face it, it’s also a great way to be accountable for ourselves too- limiting how much time we allow our little ones to take the tablet.
Overall, we really love this tablet. Gia is three, so she’s at the perfect age for her to truly get the most out of this tablet. Again, there is still a browser and ability to download apps when they are older- but it’s really age appropriate until then.
School Zone also features other great education materials, including flashcards and workbooks. We received a fun Go Fish pack of letter cards that has been perfect to play with our 3 and 9 year old. It’s helping our little one identify letters and animals, while our 9 year old enjoys playing along to one of her favorite card games.
For more information, visit www.schoolzone.com
We received product to facilitate this review. As always, opinions are our own.