Kindle Fire for Kids: Best Children’s Books, Apps and Child-Friendly Settings

The Kindle Fire is one of the most popular holiday gifts this year for adults and children alike.

The Kindle Fire can be used to read magazines, books and watch movies, but it can also be used for educational purposes to help kids learn to read interactively.

We took a closer look at some of the most popular children's books, top apps for kids and some child-friendly settings parents can use to protect their children.

Best Children's Books
The Amazon Online Store offers an impressive collection of colorful children's books and easy readers for young book enthusiasts (some Free!). With over 1,000 tiles, kids can enjoy reading the vibrant and popular books on the crisp Kindle Fire screen.

The Kindle Fire also offers special features to help children read the books including singsong text, a read-aloud option and "Text Pop-Up," which allows children to zoom into text over images to read the smaller font.

Some of the most popular children's books for the Kindle Fire include:

1. "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Eric Carle

2. "A Wolf Pup's Tale" by Rachel Yu

3. "Hooray for Fish!" by Lucy Cousins

4. "Curious George and the Firefighters" by H.A. Rey and Margret Rey

5. "Fireman Small" by Wong Herbert Yee

6. "Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed" by Barbara Park and Denise Brunkus

The children's books can be downloaded directly from the Kindle Fire by entering Amazon's Online store (UK).

Top Apps for Kids
There are an endless number of fun and educational apps that children will enjoy using. The most popular children's apps are iStoryBooks, Dr. Seuss books, Kids Place - With Child Lock and Angry Birds.

1. iStoryBooks: This free app allows toddlers and young children to interact with storybooks through pictures, text and audio. The app is targeted for kids between the ages of 2 and 8 with stories for different reading levels. Some of the popular books included are: Cinderella, Snow White, A to ZX Animals, The World of Trucks and Children's Ramayana.

2. Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Seuss: This app is $2.99 and gives children an interactive way to follow along with the Dr. Seuss classic. The app provides a book-like experience where children can read the book themselves, have the Kindle Fire read the book aloud, or use "auto play." The book includes the original Dr. Seuss illustrations. Other Dr. Seuss books are also available in app form, including: The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Dr. Seuss's ABC, and more.

3. Kids Place - With Child Lock: This free program is the dream app for worried parents who may not trust their children with the Kindle Fire. The app allows parents to block certain programs and capabilities on the Kindle Fire so parents can control what their kids see and which apps they have access to. The app also allows parents to set a password PIN to protect parental data through a Child and Toddler lock.

4. Angry Birds: The extremely popular "Angry Birds" game can be purchased for free in the Kindle Fire App Store. Users fling birds across the screen to try to strategically destroy structures and boundaries. This puzzle game is fun for people of all ages, but children will especially enjoy watching the colorful birds fly across the screen.

Child-Friendly Settings for Kids
In addition to the "Kids Place - With Child Lock," there are a number of other ways parents can make their child's Kindle Fire more secure.

A major complaint with the initial Kindle Fire software was the lack of privacy controls and security features that allowed children, for example, to browse the web freely giving them access to adult content. The new software update allows users to turn on "restrictions" to make their Kindle Fire more secure and prevent security breaches or wandering children.

The restrictions option can be found under the Kindle Fire's settings menu. Select restrictions and then select "turn on." Users will then be prompted to give a password and confirm that password. Once a password has been chosen, users have the option of whether or not to password protect web browsing.

If you have children using the device, the password protected Wi-Fi option will prevent your child from browsing adult content. Once your Kindle Fire is password protected, a small key icon will be located in the top right hand corner of the screen next to the battery.

*NB: The Kindle Fire is not avaialble in the UK until January 2012 at the earliest. 

Related Article: How-To Get The Most Out of Your Kindle Fire: Top 10 Tips And Tricks

6 Things You Need to Childproof

1. The floor.
I heard a child safety expert recommending that you regularly "take a trip around your home on your hands and knees," so you can "see it like a child." She very rightly says that you must check for;

• concealed paper clips (they hide in all sorts of places),
• strings, ties, and blind cords hanging at neck level,
• wood splinters in the hardwood,
• exposed or unprotected electrical outlets,
• power cords that can be pulled to bring a lamp down,
• tablecloths, napkins and stray hanging drapery that can be pulled down,
• nails, tacks and jagged things in carpet seams,
• seasonal hazards (pumpkin laanterns, easter eggs, Xmas tree decorations etc.)
• other (because the list of potential hazards is endless)

Also, best not to let your neighbours catch you doing this too often, they might get the wrong idea about how you spend your days and dressing up in a furry animal costume to do this doesn't help either, believe me.

2. The baby gate.
Never use spring-loaded baby gates at the top of stairs. You know those ones that are simply jammed between the wall and the stair post by a couple of springs and blind faith. They might hold back a crawling baby at ground level, but a determined toddler on his feet will soon push it over and down will come baby, baby gate and all. Wall-mounted gates are essential.

3. The fireplace.
Don't just block access to the fireplace to prevent serious burns and to foil attempts to escape by climbing up the chimney; the next most likely hazard is to the head via the hard, sharp hearthstone in front of the fireplace.

As children transition from crawling to walking to running, they fall a lot and it is essential that there are only soft things to bang their heads on. Fence off any hazards that will damage soft bones. A hearth gate can keep children away from the entire hazardous fireplace area and give you some peace of mind.

4. The television.
More than 15,000 kids are injured or crushed each year by falling furniture and most of those are caused by falling television sets. Children are naturally drawn to the bright lights of a TV. So, secure yours to the wall or the back of your entertainment center, especially those new smart flat-panel TVs, which tip very easily.

At this time of year you may also consider the Xmas tree as a hazard for small children. It is equally attractive to them as the TV and has so many things on it that they can grasp, prior to bringing it down on themselves.

5. The cat.
Cats and children are a constant source of amusement and disasters, sometimes one following on quickly from the other. Scampering and exploring felines can and do, step on toddlers while they are trying to sleep. So, if you own a cat, keep it out of the bedroom, away from the child and invest in a crib tent.

6. Yourself.
Toddlers are programmed to watch, learn and imitate what you do. So, don't let your child see you operate the baby gate, or because they will copy you. Likewise, if they see you step over the gate, they'll try to climb it, too.

Remember: A well-childproofed house is not a good baby-sitter. Constant adult supervision is the only way to prevent injury or at least greatly reduce the likelihood of injury.