
Restarting the Kindle from FreeTime sees it returning to FreeTime: the only way out is to plug in the password. This can be done on the device itself or through a browser, so you can easily buy books and assign them to children, but it’s a deliberate action.Ĭleverly, you can turn on FreeTime on a device and leave it in that state most of the time. Importantly, unlike locking down a device with parental control settings above, you still have to assign that content to FreeTime for your child. If you simply used the same account and were reading the same book, it would be constantly trying to sync that book to the furthest read page, which isn’t ideal when two separate people are reading it. If you both want to read The Hobbit, for example, your child’s progress will be tracked separately from yours. Progress through books will also be tracked separately from your reading. There are awards and you have a reading target to encourage children to read regularly.
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Importantly, however, once you’re in FreeTime, you need a password to get out, so it’s a safe area.įrom within FreeTime the navigation controls work very much as they do elsewhere, so you can still go home, search, and change some settings, but it’s all behind that safety barrier. Using FreeTime means you’re buying those books on your account and sharing them, rather than buying them through an Amazon account in your child’s name. Kindle FreeTime lets you setup a child (or number of children) and then assign books to them from your collection. Using Kindle FreeTime means you can have “your” adult/parental side of the device fully connected and “their” side safely locked down with only their content. This is, essentially, a locked down area specifically for them. However, Amazon has a system for children called Kindle FreeTime. This means you can put the Kindle in the hands of your child and buy books and have them delivered to their device to read. You can also send documents to the Kindle using the email address assigned to your Kindle device, for example coursework packs from school.

This is a better option that simply turning on Aeroplane mode, because books will still sync, and importantly, you can still send books to the Kindle from the Kindle Store on your computer’s browser. The Kindle is still connected to the internet, there just aren’t any access points from the device. You can shut everything off, so you know that your child only has access to the content on the device and can’t go exploring. Cloud is where your Kindle purchases are stored when not downloaded to a device – it’s your complete online catalogue of content. That means you can, for example, disable the web browser and Kindle Store on that device, but leave access to Cloud. If you’re giving your child a Kindle, you can opt to close off the major access points to the internet: web browser, Kindle Store and Cloud.Įach of these can be disabled, with parental controls getting password protection. Kindle has plenty of parental controls, which is good place to start.

If you opt to have the Kindle on your account (or have a child use your Kindle), then you’ll have to make sure you use parental controls to ensure they don’t spend on your account, or use the FreeTime function. You can always top up that pre-paid card for future purchases. Using this means, you can have a small value for some initial book purchases without having to worry about them emptying your bank account. You don’t want to hand over your credit card, so using a pre-paid card to setup the Amazon account is an option. If the child/Kindle gets its own account, then that account needs an email address, as well as a payment method. If you’re getting a new Kindle specifically for a child, then you need to decide whether you’re going have it linked to their own Amazon account, or to your account. Register an accountĪ Kindle needs to be registered to an Amazon account. Here we’re talking specifically about Kindle eBook readers, rather than Fire tablets, although in many cases, the same information applies. That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide on what to consider when presenting an Amazon Kindle reading device to your children for the first time.

Or you might just not know what’s involved. Setting up a Kindle for a child though can be confusing.
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And as they get older, they can use the device to buy and download their own titles, all without taking up space on shelves. Although it will never really replace paper books as a tangible alternative for a child, Amazon’s Kindle eBook reader has plenty of features that are ideal for younger readers.įor a start, you can buy and download large amounts of books to read to your youngest children.
