Tablet tips for family trips

Traveling with kids in tow isn’t always a walk in the park, especially when you’re juggling itineraries, nap schedules, and toddler tears. Make family adventures easier and even more enriching with these device tips and apps designed with children in mind.

Note: Instructions and settings may vary by manufacturer and model.

Make your tablet age appropriate from the get-go by setting up Google Kids Space. Just tap “My Child” when prompted during device setup (you’ll first need to create a Google Account for your child, which you can do in the Family Link app), then follow the instructions on screen. When your device is in Google Kids Space mode, your child will be able to view and access only apps, books, and videos that are recommended based on their age and interests.

If your tablet doesn’t come with Google Kids Space, you can still find tons of Teacher Approved content in the Kids Home section of Play.

Got a long journey ahead? Avoid being stuck with a dead device by prolonging your tablet’s battery life: Go to your device settings and tap “Battery.” If you’re on a Samsung device, you can then toggle on “Power saving” (or just swipe down twice from the top of the screen to open the Quick Panel, then tap “Power saving” ). For Pixels, tap “Battery Saver,” then toggle on “Use Battery Saver” and select from the options below.

You can also preserve battery power by turning off your Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or data via the Quick Panel; tap the airplane button to activate flight mode and turn off all three.

You can reduce battery drain even further by deactivating notifications on your lock screen. If you’re using a Samsung device, just go to your device settings, tap “Lock screen and AOD,” then toggle off “Always On Display.” On a Pixel? Go to Settings > Display > Lock screen, and make sure “Always show time and info” is toggled off.

Make long travel days easier with fun games created by teachers and designed to promote independent learning. If your child’s more of a bookworm, bring storytime along for the ride with huge libraries of kid-friendly reads and audiobooks, which you can download to access offline and on the road.

Want to prevent your button-mashing toddler from closing the cartoon you put on for them? Just pin the app they’re currently using, making it impossible for them to exit what’s on screen without you first unpinning it.

To enable pinning, go to your phone settings, tap Security & privacy > More security settings (or “More security & privacy” on Pixels). Then toggle on “Pin app” or “Use app pinning.”

To pin an app on a Samsung, open it then tap the Recents button (the three lines on the bottom left). On a Pixel, tap the square Overview button on the bottom right. Next, tap the app icon at the top of the screen and select either “Pin this app” or “Pin.”