Best device for online classes for kids: laptop, tablet, Chromebook or phone, what a 1-on-1 tutoring class actually needs (a camera, a microphone, a screen the whiteboard fits on, a way to write), what to buy at three budgets, the settings that stop a class breaking, and the accessories that matter more than the device

Most advice on the best device for online classes is written to sell devices. This page is written by a tutoring service that has taught several thousand online classes and has watched them break, and it starts from what a class actually needs, which is less than you think, and then says what to buy at three budgets.

What a live class actually needs

Four things, and a device that has them is good enough.

1. A camera at eye level. So the tutor can see the child's face and the child can see the tutor's. Every laptop and tablet has one; the problem is usually the angle, fixed by a stand or a stack of books.
2. A microphone that picks up a child. Children speak quietly and look down at their work. Built-in laptop microphones are adequate in a quiet room; headphones with a microphone are better in any room.
3. A screen the whiteboard fits on. A 1-on-1 class runs on a shared whiteboard with the tutor's video beside it. On a phone the whiteboard is unreadable; on a 10 inch tablet it is workable; on a 13 inch laptop it is comfortable.
4. A way to write that the tutor can see. This is the one families forget. In maths and science the child must write working and the tutor must see it as it is written. A mouse works but is slow; a stylus on a tablet is natural; a cheap graphics pad plugged into a laptop is the best of both; holding paper up to the camera is the fallback.

A device that has all four, a stable connection and a battery that lasts an hour is the right device, whatever it cost.

Laptop, Chromebook, tablet or phone

The best setup for maths and science tutoring from about age 9 is a laptop or Chromebook for the class with a tablet or a cheap graphics pad beside it for writing. The best setup for a child of 6 to 8 is a tablet with a stylus and a stand, with a parent alongside.

What to buy at three budgets (2026)

Prices are typical retail in 2026 and move; the point is the tier, not the number. If the budget is tight, buy the cheaper device and spend the difference on the accessories below, which matter more.

The accessories that matter more than the device

• Headphones with a microphone. The single biggest improvement to any online class: the child hears clearly, the tutor hears the child, and the room's noise disappears. Wired is fine and cheaper.
• A stand so the camera is at eye level and the screen does not wobble. A laptop stand, a tablet stand, or books.
• A stylus, for a tablet, or a cheap graphics pad for a laptop (about US$30 to $50). Writing by hand is how maths is learned, and the tutor needs to see it.
• A wired connection or a seat near the router. Most "the class kept freezing" problems are the connection, not the device.
• A charger within reach and the habit of charging before class.

Five settings that stop a class breaking

1. Updates done the day before, not at class time. Set the device to update at night.
2. Notifications off during the class: messages, games, app alerts. On a tablet, use the focus or do-not-disturb mode.
3. The browser the service uses, kept up to date, with camera and microphone permission granted once in advance. Test it before the first class.
4. Battery above 50% or plugged in. A device that dies mid-class costs ten minutes and the child's attention.
5. Other devices off the connection during the class if the connection is slow: a sibling streaming in the next room is the commonest cause of a frozen video.

By age

• 6 to 8: a tablet with a stylus on a stand, a parent beside the child, a 30-minute class. Writing on the tablet replaces paper; the parent handles the technology.
• 9 to 12: a laptop or Chromebook for the class with a way to write; the child manages the device with a checklist (charged, headphones, notifications off). A tablet with a keyboard case also works.
• 13 to 16: a laptop that serves for schoolwork too; a graphics pad for maths and science working; the student manages everything.

Mistakes families make

• Buying a phone-sized screen because the child has one. The whiteboard does not fit.
• Buying the most expensive device and no headphones or stand.
• A tablet with no stylus for maths. Writing with a finger is slow and messy.
• Letting the child use their own account with their own email. The parent's account, with the parent's email and phone, on every platform. Why this matters is in is online tutoring safe.
• A bedroom with the door closed. A shared space, door open, for a child under 12, whatever the device.

What a class looks like when the setup is right

The tutor's face in a window, the shared whiteboard taking most of the screen, the child writing on it with a stylus or a pad as the tutor watches each line, headphones on, nothing else open. Sixty minutes, no freezing, the recording in the parent's inbox afterwards. The device that makes this possible is nearly always already in the house, or costs about US$250. What the class does with the setup is what matters, and that is in does online tutoring work.

Where to get help

A free 30-minute 1-on-1 class on your child's own device, with you in the room, which is also the test of the setup: we check the camera, the microphone, the whiteboard and the writing in the first five minutes and tell you what, if anything, to change. The classes run on a browser-based shared whiteboard that works on any laptop, Chromebook or tablet. How a class is built is on the 1 on 1 online tutoring page.

Questions parents ask

See how we teach this, 1-on-1 online →