If you’re looking for a childfriendly ebook reader, Amazon’s Kindle Kids models likely top your list. Given that you’re probably already accustomed to the performance and reliability of the best Kindles, it’s easy to see the appeal.
But, with both the standard Kindle Kids and the Kindle Kids Paperwhite available, how do you decide which one is best for a young reader? While both devices offer the same core experience – access to thousands of books, robust parental controls, and a kidproof design – there are differences in the display, size, durability, and price.
What is a Kindle Kids?
The Kindle Kids is Amazon’s childfriendly version of its popular ereader, designed specifically with young readers in mind. It features the same glarefree E Ink displays and extended battery life as other ebook readers.
It’s not a tablet, so a Kindle Kids doesn’t support apps, videos, or games. That makes it ideal for distractionfree reading. Parents can monitor activity and set time limits via the Amazon Parent Dashboard too.
Whether you pick the Kindle Kids or Kindle Kids Paperwhite, they both come with a protective cover, a sixmonth subscription to Amazon Kids+, and a twoyear worryfree guarantee. If it breaks, Amazon will sort you out with a replacement.
Like the Kindles made for adults, these are easytouse ereaders with backlit screens, space for thousands of books and weeks of battery.
It’s thanks to their kidfocused additions, though, that Kindle Kids ereaders are particularly good at getting children into reading. They go beyond the lovely illustrations adorning the covers.
Amazon Kids+ is essentially a library full of childfriendly shows, movies, books and games that’ll work across a wide range of Amazon devices including Fire tablets, Kindles, Fire TV sticks, and Echo devices.
With the relevant apps, content will also be available on Chromebooks, other Android tablets, iPads, or smartphones. It typically costs from £4.99 a month, so you’re getting loads of value by including it in the bundle here.
Kindle Kids vs Kindle Kids Paperwhite: Key differences explained
Amazon Kindle Kids (2024)
Key specifications
| Screen size | 6inch |
|---|---|
| Screen resolution | 300ppi |
| Waterproofing | No |
| Storage space | 16GB |
| Connectivity | Wifi |
| Backlight | Builtin light, warmth is not adjustable |
| Battery life | Up to 6 weeks based on 30 minutes of reading a day |
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids (2024)
Key specifications
| Screen size | 7inch |
|---|---|
| Screen resolution | 300ppi |
| Waterproofing | Yes |
| Storage space | 16GB |
| Connectivity | Wifi |
| Backlight | Builtin light with adjustable warmth |
| Battery life | Up to 12 weeks based on 30 minutes of reading a day |
While both the Kindle Kids and Kindle Kids Paperwhite offer a similar reading experience, there are a few significant differences that we think are important to keep in mind after trying them handson.
Size and display
The more affordable Kindle Kids features a 6inch, 300ppi display, which is a smaller size for younger readers to hold. Alternatively, the Paperwhite Kids boasts a 7inch, 300ppi display with a brighter backlight, better contrast and adjustable warmth for reading in all conditions. On test, we’ve found both displays impressive, but the Paperwhite’s will make text feel crisper and it will be more comfortable for extended reading sessions.
Waterproofing and guarantee
Worried about spills or accidents? The Paperwhite Kids may be the better buy for its waterproofing. It has an IPX8 rating, which means it can survive being immersed in two metres of fresh water for an hour. The regular Kindle Kids lacks this feature, making it better suited to the bedroom or living room than the poolside or bathtub.
Both models have a twoyear “worryfree” guarantee, though. Amazon says this covers “anything that happens to your Kindle Kids” and includes “electrical and mechanical breakdowns” – as far as we can tell, this is a very handy guarantee that would cover most damage that could happen to a Kindle.
Performance and features
The Kindle Kids Paperwhite has a faster processor and the adjustable warm light we mentioned above. This warmth can help to reduce eye strain during nighttime reading. It also has a longer 12week battery life compared to the standard Kindle Kids, which has a sixweek battery life.
Both models have an expansive 16GB of storage space that can, in theory, hold thousands of books. In practice, this will be more than you ever need, and will fit loads of audiobooks too. And, it’s worth saying that while the Kindle Paperwhite Kids is faster, especially for page turns, the Kindle Kids is a top performer too. It’s not slow by any means.
Parental controls
These are the same on both versions of the Kindle Kids. You use the “Amazon Parent Dashboard” to manage access to content on the Kindle. You can find the Parent Dashboard on your Amazon account. There, you can adjust age settings for a child’s profile, and control screen time limits, monitor activity, and search for ageappropriate books and content.
Price
At £114.99, the Kindle Kids is more affordable than the £169.99 Kindle Paperwhite Kids. This makes it a far better choice and our goto recommendation for younger children or casual readers. However, if you’re buying for a child who is an avid reader or you want a device that will grow with them, we think the Paperwhite Kids might be worth the extra investment in the long run.
Can you use a Kindle Kids as an adult?
Kids Kindles aren’t “locked” for use by kids only, and the protective covers aren’t built in, so they’re fundamentally the exact same devices as the standard Kindles. The Kids Paperwhite (2024) is an identical gadget to the regular Kindle Paperwhite (2024), while the entrylevel Kindle (2024) and the basic Kindle Kids (2024) are the same.
To use them as an adult, you’ll need to create a profile for a child during setup and accept the year of free Amazon Kids+. Then, once you’ve completed the setup, you’ll notice that there are two profiles: one for the adult and another for a child. You could share the device with a child if you wanted to or you can simply delete the kid profile.
Once you exit or disable the kid profile mode, the Kindle functions just like a regular Kindle.
What are the benefits? Well, you may not be using the free trial of the Kids+ subscription (you’ll want to make sure to cancel that before it autorenews) but you’ll still get the cover and the generous twoyear guarantee.
While the cases only come in childfriendly designs, we don’t think they’re objectionable and it may not be a big issue if your priority is protecting your ebook reader.
It’s worth noting that a Kids Kindle is adfree by default, but it will switch to showing you sponsored screensavers on the lock screen when used as an adult. You’re able to pay a onetime fee to remove these, though.
Verdict: Kindle Kids vs Kindle Kids Paperwhite
The Kindle Kids and Kindle Kids Paperwhite are both great options for young readers, but the best choice depends on their reading habits and age.
If you’re introducing a younger or beginner reader to ebooks, the standard Kindle Kids is the one we’d pick for an accessible, distractionfree experience. Its simple interface, combined with the bundled Amazon Kids+ subscription, makes it easy for children to discover new stories without the temptations of apps or games.
Plus, it’s more compact and light than the Paperwhite, the included protective cover comes in fun designs (“Space Whale”, “Unicorn Valley” and “Ocean Explorer”) and it has a twoyear guarantee so it’s covered for all those inevitable drops and mishaps.
For more enthusiastic or experienced readers, there’s a good argument that the Kindle Kids Paperwhite might be the better investment. Its larger, brighter display should offer more comfortable reading sessions, especially with the addition of adjustable warm lighting.
The Paperwhite’s waterresistance also makes it more versatile for use outdoors or by the pool. Compared to the standard Kindle Kids, its case comes in different designs (“Cyber City” or “Starfish”) that are slightly less evidently aimed at kids.
It comes at a higher price, though, so you’ll need to be sure that those performance improvements will make it worthwhile. We’d only recommend the Paperwhite model for kids who read frequently or for teenagers, and it’s worth remembering that the larger size can make it harder to hold for small hands.
Simon Cocks is Hearst UK’s Technology Ecommerce Editor, overseeing tech shopping content and strategy across a range of titles including Good Housekeeping UK, Esquire UK, Digital Spy, Men’s Health UK and Women’s Health UK.
Simon specialises in testing the latest smart gadgets, home entertainment gear, headphones, speakers, portable chargers, radios, ebook readers and smartphones. He’s reviewed top tech products from brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, JBL and Bose.
A magazine journalism graduate from Kingston University in 2014, Simon also worked on the Discovery and Silkroad inflight magazines. He then gained experience writing about entertainment at SFX and Total Film. He also contributed reviews and interviews to TwitchFilm (later ScreenAnarchy), CultBox and Frame Rated.
He joined Good Housekeeping UK as the Editorial Assistant for Special Projects and was part of Good Housekeeping’s Consumer Affairs Team between 2014 and 2019. In this role, he conducted price comparison research, wrote detailed household and moneysaving advice guides and edited thousands of indepth reviews for the Good Housekeeping Institute.
He has focused on technology and gadgets since 2020, where he started by testing out power banks and instant cameras. He writes reviews, roundups, news articles and deals updates, and also covers top tech deals during sales like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
When not testing out the latest gizmos, you’ll find Simon either catching up with the newest releases at his local cinema or out shooting with his beloved compact camera.You can follow Simon on Instagram at @simonrcocks, on Threads at @simonrcocks, and on Twitter/X at @simoncocks.
