We'd wager that a lot of the extra time that children are spending at home is going to tablets, so it's convenient that Google is releasing a kids mode for Android tablets called Kids Space. It basically aggregates kid-friendly apps and videos, as well as 400 free books (in the US).

Kids Space is an educational playground of sorts. There are four tabs: Play, Read, Watch, and Make. After the child selects his/her interests, pertinent apps, books, and videos will be suggested. Google received input from academic experts and children's education specialists to choose which "teacher-approved" apps from Google Play would be applicable to Kids Space.

Google also worked with publishers to offer popular children's books for free; these are region-dependent, but in the US, Google says that over 400 free books are available. Videos will come from YouTube Kids, which ensures they're already child-friendly. If your child is left wanting more, you, as a parent, will be able to download more content from Google Play. Kids will also be able to customize their own character.

Lenovo tablets, including the new Smart Tab M10 HD Gen 2 (what a mouthful), will be the first to receive Kids Space. Select other Android tablets will receive it "soon," though Google does not specify which tablets will receive it or when.

Source: Google