I was lucky enough to get a Kindle Fire HDX at the Kindle Free Time event yesterday, but it was too late for Ethan to play with it when I got home.  So I set it all up last night and he got to play with it today!  I feel that learning to use technology is a big part of developing Ethan's Knowledge and Understanding of the World, but that being able to limit screen time is also important.

I wrote a bit yesterday about Kindle Free Time and how it works, but basically it's a way of keeping your child contained in an area of the Kindle that has apps and books that are just for them (they need a password to get out into the rest of the apps).  And you can also set time limits on how long they use the Kindle for (either a total time or a set time for apps and a set time for reading).  It is a great idea, as I find it really difficult to get the other tablet that we have away from Ethan when I feel that he's spent enough time on it, and have resorted to only giving it to him when it's charged a little bit so that it runs out of battery power and he has to stop playing.

I set up Ethan's profile in the Kindle Free Time last night, it was really easy to do, I just put in his name and age and choose which apps and books to make available to him.  I chose some free apps and books to get him started, and was surprised to find that Lego Duplo, Thomas the Tank Engine, Chugginton, and a few others were all free.  (Please let me know of apps and books that you find that are good for toddlers, I'm sure that Ethan would be happy to add to his collection).  I also put the Marware Swurve kid proof case on it and unwrapped the Chalkee Kids' Stylus ready for him to play with.  I love the case, it not only protects the Kindle, but makes it easier for Ethan to hold onto.  The Chalkee is really cute and Ethan can use it to move things around on the screen, without his other fingers getting in the way.

Of course Ethan absolutely loves the Kindle Fire, he chose the Lego Duplo app right away and got stuck right in building trains and watching them go.  I actually found that without the big tempting button that our other tablet has, he stayed within an app for longer instead of surfing around to different ones (although that may change over time as he gets more used to this device).  I won't lie to you, when Free Time told him that his allocated time for the day was up, he was not happy and threw a bit of a tantrum.  He was very determined to type in the password to make it work again!  I am hoping as well that after time he begins to understand that when time's up, it's up and he can choose other toys to play with.  

Overall I would recommend the Kindle Fire HDX for children, with these child friendly features it really does make a difference compared to other tablets.  I could see it being especially effective if you have several children as they could then each have their turn on it for equal amounts of time.  And hopefully they won't have a tantrum like Ethan did ;)


* This has been a review post, I was given the Kindle Fire HDX, the Swurve case and the Chalkee stylus for free to write a review for the blog.  To read more about my review process, please click here. *