While it’s true we are not exactly a traditional family, we still have lots of traditions. Especially around the holidays! We always stay home for Christmas, which we celebrate in a nondenominational, agnostic type of way. On Christmas Eve, the kids all get to open one present (which is usually pajamas)... just like both Biff and I did in our homes growing up. On Christmas Day, we have an “orphan’s Christmas,” where anyone in our community who doesn’t have a place to go can come and celebrate the holiday with us. Most importantly, the whole winter break is spent together as a family, reading books and watching movies and generally feeling merry.

This year, we’ve been able to accomplish a couple of those goals with ease using the new Fire HD 8 Kids Edition. Hailey got hers just a couple of weeks ago and it couldn’t have come at a better time for her development. As it turns out, the Parent Dashboard allows me to pick and choose exactly what games, movies, and apps she’s allowed to access, AND I can see what she’s played, watched, and read at any time. I’ve already been able to pull a, “Tell me about that game!” so she could explain the strategy behind one of her new favorite apps, a problem-solving puzzle based on Beauty and the Beast.

And I found some of our favorite Christmas books easily available to read aloud with her! She didn’t even notice that she’d been doing her reading time because to her, it felt like screen time. And to me, it felt like time spent together with my best girl.

Unlike when she’s carting our laptop around the house (😰), I don’t have to worry about her dropping or breaking it. Not only does it come with a foam kid-proof case, it also has a two-year guarantee that replaces any broken tablet for free... no questions asked. We put that guarantee to the test last year when Riley stepped on his and cracked the screen. Sure enough, we sent it in and had a brand new one within a week. I’ve set a daily time limit on Riley’s account so on weekdays he’s only about to read books, but on weekends he gets 90 minutes of free reign over the 20,000 age-appropriate apps, games, movies and books offered through Amazon FreeTime Unlimited... although his preference is to just play Subway Surfer for the whole time. 🤷‍♂️

We are on the road right now, having met my parents in Olympia, which is halfway between their house and ours. We are staying at a little Airbnb on Lake Summit, which is lovely. But I’ll admit it— the hours-long drive up here with two big kids and a crying baby was less than ideal. We were able to rely on their Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablets to distract them from the pouring rain, heavy traffic, and Leo’s frustration... so we all arrived at the cabin with our sanity intact.

Nothing replaces real play. But coming in a VERY close second is educational, fun, completely engaging time spent on the Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet!!!

Wanna learn more? Check out these additional resources!