Updated May 5, 2021
Want to get tablets for your school or preschool, but not sure where to start? You’ve come to the right place! We’ve done an extensive review of tablets to come up with a list of the best devices for a classroom or preschool environment.
IMPORTANT! The ideal tablet for an educator should be highly portable, have a long-lasting battery life, and have a quality camera that can truly capture those special moments for parents. An operating system that is simple for educators to navigate and an affordable price point were also taken into consideration as important factors when deciding on a tablet.
The number of tablet options has gotten smaller and smaller over the years, but the few that are available are excellent choices and will mean an easier time making your decision!
What to look for when choosing a tablet:
Basic amount of memory
With most things stored in the cloud, no need to go overboard with memory.
It is recommended that you choose a tablet with at least 1 GB of storage space when using an app like HiMama. All the information recorded through HiMama is securely saved in Amazon Web Services’ cloud storage, so there’s really no need to get a tablet with more than 16GB of storage.
Sturdy device
After all, you are around young children all day!
You’ll want to choose a tablet that is sturdy and resilient to survive any drops (as this inevitable!) or other impact. Additionally, we strongly recommended investing in a case that can protect your tablet and provide further peace of mind if a little one gets a hold of it. Think of it as an insurance policy!
Long battery life
Important if you don’t want to be recharging your tablet all the time.
The ideal tablet will have an excellent battery life- lasting at least 6 to 8 hours when using the internet. Especially when in a classroom or preschool environment, there isn’t always time to stop and charge the device mid-day; it is unfortunate when you are in the middle of something important and your battery is dying!
Solid camera
Snapping and recording special moments and observations is important.
Picture time! Photos and videos are essential when considering tablets for a learning environment. With HiMama, parents frequently tell us that they love to receive photos and videos of their child throughout the day, so it’s important that these moments are recorded with reasonable quality. First off, you will want to ensure that the tablet you choose has a rear facing camera (so not every photo is a selfie!). For high quality photos that parents will want to share with the whole family, the rear camera should be at least 4 MP.
Easy navigation
Keeping distractions to a minimum is super important for educators.
It can be intimidating shifting from paper documentation to a tablet-based app. To make this transition as smooth as possible, you’ll want an operating system (OS) that is user-friendly. The major operating systems are iOS/iPadOS (Apple) and Android. Many HiMama users find either iOS or Android to be the easiest to use!
HiMama Tablet Recommendations for School & Preschool Programs
Please note that we do not support Amazon Fire tablets of any sort. The most important consideration is to have an Android or iOS device with the most up to date OS version (Android 11, iOS 14 or above).
iPad – 8th Generation
- OS: iOS
- Memory: 32 GB (2 GB RAM)
- Camera: 8MP rear camera
- Battery: Up to 10 hours
- Screen Size: 10.2 inches
MSRP: $329.99 USD/429.99 CAD
Samsung Galaxy Tab A
- OS: Android
- Memory: 32 GB (2 GB RAM)
- Camera: 8MP rear camera
- Battery: Up to 13 hours
- Screen Size: 8 inches
MSRP: $149.99 USD/248.99 CAD
Lenovo Smart Tab M10
- OS: Android
- Memory: 32 GB (2 GB RAM)
- Camera: 8MP rear camera
- Battery: 9 hours
- Screen Size: 10.3 inches
MSRP: $149.99 USD/169.99 CAD
We’re here to help
Purchasing a tablet can seem overwhelming at first, but we want to remove the stress from this process by providing you with some great device options. We’re always up to answer any specific questions about which tablet is right for you.
If you’re thinking about using the HiMama app and you have further questions about which tablet to purchase, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us at inbounds@himama.com or book a tour online with one of our early education specialists.
Happy Shopping!
