Recently, we were given a very generous gift to get some of our kids ipads as learning tools. We do not own an ipad or anything of that nature. With this gift we should be able to get 2 possibly 3 ipads. My question for you all is how much should we plan for accessories, apps, etc.? How much do the apps typically run? These will ALL be special needs apps, developmental apps, brain apps, autism apps, etc. Just looking for an average price. Also, looking for suggestions. Everyone says definitely buy a case for them. Worth it? Remember, these are kids that will be sharing. Youngest children are 3yo. What do we need to get w/ these ipads? Trying to make sure I budget properly and get what we NEED. I've also heard it's worth investing in more memory. Is this true? What are some tips I need to know when purchasing these things? Husband will most definitely help as he does this sort of thing for a living (computers). However, I want opinions from folks who have these ipads and use them daily. Again, these will be used as learning tools for children w/ special needs. Guaging what is necessary w/ these things and what is not. If we could get three of these versus 2, that would be awesome. But, I also would rather just get two very complete ipads if all the 'stuff' that comes w/ them costs a lot. Hope I made sense. In other words, suggestions for purchasing ipads please. Opinions on what to have. Thanks in advance. Stephanie-- mom to 10 (soon to be 12)
Stephanie - We have two ipads in our home and the kids play on them all the time. DEFINITELY need a cover! I got the most sturdy one I could find in Best Buy two years ago and I think it was $30 or $40. Worth it for sure! I don't know on current prices for those, but I do belive the price is the same for the ipads and covers everywhere, so no need to shop around. There are thousands of apps for free, which is nice. Things like spelling, math, puzzles, etc. Then there are thousands more that are .99. However, I don't know about "specialty" apps like for autistic kids, etc. I would guess even those would be less than $5 each. Do you have an itunes account at all? Because you could just check them out on there to see what you like. Other than a cover, I don't really know what accessory you would need. There are screen covers as well, but we don't use them. They run about $20 I think (that's why I didn't get one) I've had mine for 2 or 3 years (whenever the ipad 2 came out, got it that day) and have never once wished for a screen protector. But that's up to you... Hope that helped! And have fun
I was looking for another one last week. You can save quite a bit of $ buying the older Ipads (ipad 2) instead of the new ones with retina display.
DEFINATELY get the newest version you can afford. Apple updates stuff really quickly and some of the newer apps won't work on the older iPads. You can always get the mini to save money. My daughter is 11 and likes the mini better. I would also say Otterbox cases are a MUST. Those screens are not cheap and shatter easily. I was at the apple store the other day and an employee dropped his and the screen shattered even though it had a case on it. The Otterbox will protect it from drops. Other than that the only thing you should need is apps.
Stephanie, I just saw this on FB http://www.smartappsforkids.com/2013/04/apps-free-and-reduced-for-autism-awareness-month.html
I prefer the mini. It's smaller, and easier to take in my purse. My kids loves using it too! There are tons of free educational apps!
When dealing with children, a good cover is a must. The sturdier the better. I second a previous post about getting the mini. We got my grandson a Nexus 7 for Christmas, which is about the same size as a mini, and he hasn't wanted to use either of his parents iPads since! I think it's because it fits in his hands better than the full sized ones. Did a quick search on google and came up with some info on apps for you: http://www.tuaw.com/2013/04/02/kindergarten-com-makes-apps-free-for-autism-awareness-month/ http://nspt4kids.com/parenting/usin...s-to-promote-speech-and-language-development/
Thank you all so much for your input! Really is helpful. Now a bit more excited to go to the store w/ info. Thanks for the help. Stephanie-- mom to 10 (soon to be 12)
The 16 GB version should be good unless you will be putting a lot of music on them. You can download apps and delete them as needed. Once you pay for an app, you can always download it again for free. Install iTunes on a PC and browse iTunes U. All of the content is educational and free.
I would get a Nabi for the three year old. If you go in the backdoor they can be tricked out with Amazon app store, kindle, youtube, netflix, etc and any other app you want. They are sturdy with a rubber bumper all around it. It has 2.4 gigs (more than my tablet), HDMI, etc. Is an iPad any different than another tablet? I have a Visio, it is less expensive and I love it - no issues whatsoever. If you went that route you could buy more than 2 or 3. No HDMI though, nor removable memory.
