In our house the kids are very tablet savvy. Andrew can break any of our codes just by seeing us input it once. We’ve changed them a number of times and he still breaks in whenever he wants. He’s a smarty. The thing that our tablets do not do is limit the amount of time the kids get to use them. We do that on our own. We also set up the parental controls and we do work together with the kids on the apps that they enjoy. A new service called Samsung Kids that helps parents and children get the most out of their tablet experiences.

Intuitive and interactive tablets have a lot to offer in the way of educating children. With the launch of Samsung Kids – a new service that offers parents and their children a library of top quality educational content – Samsung is sharing tips for kids’ tablet use. Thought the tips below could be helpful as you’re working on holiday coverage, as kids use tablets during holiday travel or are given tablets as gifts.

• Don’t forget to set parental controls. If you opt for a tablet for your child, take some precautions to protect them when they’re using the device. Many tablets feature parental controls that enable you to block access to the Internet with a password or limit how much time your child can spend on the tablet and specific apps.
• Plan shared time with your child and their tablet. Children get the most from technologies like tablets when parents are involved with them. Spending time with your child and the tablet, including reading and playing games, is important for teaching safe tablet use. After downloading a new app, consider trying the app with your child, asking questions and explaining the options as he/she plays.
• Limit screen time and take a break every 20 minutes. Time with a tablet shouldn’t become any child’s full-time pursuit or take away from time spent reading storybooks or enjoying physical activity. For the sake of your child’s eyes alone, it’s important to take sufficient breaks away from the screen. To ensure your child doesn’t strain her eyes, try using the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, have your child take at least 20 seconds to look at an object 20 feet away.

Samsung Kids is currently available for $4.99 per month, exclusively on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite tablet for $79.99. However, with a tablet purchase, you’ll receive 3 months free of the Samsung Kids service!