Email is becoming an ingrained part of our modern society and a wonderful way for people, including kids, to communicate. We’ve received a one-year subscription to Kids Email Safe Email for Kids by…you guessed it: Kids Email and we’re sharing our review with you (again) today.
Did I say again? I sure did, because we have twice before reviewed KidsEmail over the past two years and as the children get older I find that they use it more and more (you can read those reviews here and here), and I have also purchased a year’s subscription to keep the kids going.
My children weren’t quite sure what to do when they first had their accounts set up, but now that they are 10 & 8, they are using them more frequently. They email my family overseas, they email Phil while he’s at work to remind him to stop for milk on the way home, or to share something special that happened during the day, or to collaborate on a project they have going. With me, they will email me their thoughts about different reviews we work on, or send through parts of their homework. My son isn’t a fan of writing down his work (even though his penmanship is fine), but he will be more likely to do it through email, so that is a sneaky way to have children hand in assignments!
“I love Kmail! It is really cool that I can send emails. I even have penpals on Kmail now! I love making pictures on Kmail. I would recommend Kmail for all kids. Parents can control if you can email anybody or only people on your contacts list and, if they have to approve emails others sent to you before you can read them.”
~ Tristan, age 10
When the children receive a gift from someone and we’re not able to send a card out very quickly, they will write a thank you and draw a picture. If the person isn’t in their contact list they will send the email to me to forward on. This helps the children know it is polite and respectful to thank those who are kind to them, while at the same time letting the other person know that they are appreciated and not taken for granted.
The kids each have their own pen pals now and are enjoying getting to know others with similar interests thousands of miles away. Sometimes the emails back and forth are only a few words, but other times they go on for a few paragraphs while they ask each other questions and share parts of their own interests with each other.
Because I am home with the kids 99.98% of the time and I know what they’re doing, I don’t often receive emails from them, but just today I received a lovely email from Tristan for Mother’s Day, with a picture attached.
Giving your children access to their own email accounts can be a frightening thing with all of the issues you read about online and in the news. How do we allow our children freedom while keeping them safe at the same time? With KidsEmail, you are in control of the email account; giving your children as much or as little responsibility as you feel comfortable with. You can also set up each email with its own attributes so that each child’s account is the best fit for them.
There are three levels of account:
- KidsEmail is of course, an online program from which 4-6 email accounts can be set up (depending on the plan of monthly or yearly).
- Very Simple, which doesn’t have folders, contacts, or formatting so as to not over-complicate things for the young or inexperienced user.
- Standard, which is the default account.
- Teen, which has the features not included as above, as well as a shortened email address to make them feel less of a kid.
Kids’ Experience
- Kids can log in and use KidsEmail from a PC, Kindle, iPhone, iPad, iTouch, and more.
- Children can choose from 3 dozen styles of background to personalise their accounts and let their personalities show.
- There are no ads showing when kids use their accounts, which is a relief for so many reasons.
- Spam is automatically filtered out.
- Older children can create their own folders to organise their email.
- There is a drawing board so kids can draw fun pictures to send.
Safety Settings
You can choose to turn the following settings on or off:
- Allowing links, attachments, and images
- Filter offensive language
- Allow kids to change their contact list
- Allow kids to contact those not on their contact list
- Block and blacklist anyone you don’t want your children to have contact with (a good option if your child isn’t restricted to only mailing those on a pre-approved contact list)
- Set the account to have all incoming and outgoing mail sent to you to keep an eye on it, if needed or wanted
- Use the Mail Queue to have incoming mail be approved before hitting your child’s inbox. This can be for all mail, just those from people not in your child’s contact list, or those emails that have been filtered due to language.
Additional Options:
- You can set time restrictions for when your child is allowed to access their account, and you can ‘ground’ them from using their account for a set amount of time as well.
- KidsEmail logs when your child logs into their account; including when they attempt to log in during a restricted time.
As you can see, there are a plethora of options available that can be configured for each child’s account giving them the level of freedom and responsibility you find suitable for each child.
I really like kidsmail. I like having penpals to talk to and share about my life. It’s awesome, I love emailing!
~ Kallista, age 8
I’m not sure who enjoys KidsEmail more: the kids as a way of staying connected and having fun, or me because they can do these things while I know that they are safe and I don’t have to worry about anything untoward happening. At the moment I have the security controls tightened right up, but as the kids grow I can change them according to their needs and levels of maturity, and I have already done so in some fashion.
I love that KidsEmail can be used just as any other ‘regular’ email can be used, but it also has an element of fun in it with the backgrounds and drawing board. In fact, the drawing board element would probably be a good idea for many workplaces to have so employees could share design ideas and such without having to use separate programs and then have to upload files.
KidsEmail is releasing a new app within the next few weeks! If you use the promo code: Awesome18 it will give you 90 days totally free, so keep your eye out for it and give it a spin!
To read more reviews about KidsEmail by the Homeschool Review Crew, click on the graphic below and follow the instructions. You will find 55 honest reviews by the Crew. If you’d like to know more or would like to follow KidsEmail, you can connect with them through their website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+.
