How to Use Amazon Kids

Amazon Kids is a free service that lets you monitor and restrict content on your child's Amazon account. Amazon Kids+ is a subscription service that offers unlimited access to kid-friendly Amazon books, apps, and videos. Both services are accessible from any compatible Amazon, iOS, or Android device.

What Is Amazon Kids?

Amazon Kids helps parents to monitor, control, and set time limits on content through the Parent Dashboard. Select an age range, such as 3-5, and Amazon Kids will limit access to age-appropriate content.

The Amazon Kids Parent Dashboard provides a complete view of what kids have been watching, learning, and reading with historical analytics revealing the last content opened, and how much time kids spent on each one. The Dashboard lets you set time limits, schedule shut-down times, and set bedtimes. One of the best features is Discussion Cards, built around the content your kids have been accessing, with conversational prompts for open-ended discussions, and even interactive activities and crafts to go along with their new knowledge.

What Is Amazon Kids+?

Specifically designed for parents of children ages 3-12, Amazon Kids+ offers a convenient way for parents to give their kids high-quality, age-appropriate entertainment. In addition to e-books, Kids+ content includes ad-free and social media-free videos, movies, audiobooks, educational games, and digital music. 

Amazon Kids+ provides content that's entertaining, educational, and fun, pulling from popular networks such as Disney, Nickelodeon, and National Geographic. Younger kids will likely see more content supplied by Sesame Street and PBS Kids.

Amazon Kids+ requires a subscription that can be canceled at any time. A Family plan provides separate logins for up to four children, with a discount for Prime Members. You can try a free one-month trial before subscribing. Once you've purchased the monthly subscription, Amazon Kids can be accessed on compatible Amazon devices, including Alexa, Kindle, Fire TV, Echo devices, web browsers, and Android and iOS devices.

Amazon Kids on Amazon Devices

Once you've purchased your Amazon Kids+ subscription, the service is accessible from any compatible Amazon Device, including the Fire HD Kids Edition, and a Kindle e-reader. Compatible Alexa devices let you play music, listen to audiobooks, and even tell jokes. Amazon has also set up a dedicated Free Things to Try With Alexa page, giving kids plenty of innovative ways to have fun with Amazon Kids.

You can also access Amazon Kids+ through your web browser, which you can turn on for each specific child's profile. Enable or disable the Amazon Kids web browser in the Parent Dashboard.

Amazon Kids on Android

You can download the Amazon Kids app for free on the Google Play Store, but you'll still need to purchase a Kids+ subscription to access the premium service. If you purchase the service on the Play Store app after a free one-month trial, you'll pay less than if you subscribed directly on the Amazon site. In any case, Prime Members get a discount.

However, using Amazon Kids+ on an Android device is a bit more limiting than with an Amazon device. You'll have to download games and content separately, and you're unable to share books from your Amazon Audible or Kindle account on a Google device. 

Amazon Kids on iOS

Amazon Kids is available as a free download on the iTunes store with the option to purchase the Amazon Kids+ subscription after a free one-month trial. Prime members get a discount.

Many of the parental controls and time limit features are not available on iOS or iPadOS devices. Apple doesn't allow third-party apps to control an entire device, so parents won't be able to keep kids from leaving Amazon's kid-safe zone and browsing other areas on the iPad. You're also unable to share Audible or Kindle content on the iOS version, and games and content must be purchased separately.