Check out our top picks for best learning apps for kids.
For many parents, it’s a fact of life: kids just love screen time. Of course the downsides of lengthy stretches spent in front of a smartphone or iPad are well documented—research suggests that over 70% of parents worry that their kids spend too much time on electronic devices. Here’s the good news! The type of content your kids engage in while playing on the iPad makes a big (positive) difference.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) distinguishes between educational and non-educational screen time: kids who are learning while on their devices can actually benefit from it—as long as kids (and adults) don’t lose out on other important aspects of life as a result. You can find more on healthy ways to enjoy screen time with your kids in our post: Tech Time: Quality or Quantity?
Check out these recommendations. All rated 4+ stars on Common Sense Media)!
The Best Educational Apps for Kids
1. Khan Academy Kids
Khan Academy Kids feels like having your own digital preschool teacher! It has tons of different activities that are catered to your little one’s skill level so they can learn at their own pace. The app features a huge database of creative early-learning activities and educational games tailored to early learners. It focuses on diverse topics from math, phonics and executive function to creative expression and socio-emotional development.
What we love:
With content focused on developing language and math skills, cognitive thinking, and social-emotional learning, Khan Academy has tons of value for your little one. The mini games and activities for 3- to 7-year-olds are all introduced playfully with no disruptive ads.
Parents can create multiple user accounts with their kids’ names, avatars and ages. Each child has their own friendly “animal guide” who introduces activities, games, songs and digital books curated just for them. We love that parents can let their kids’ free play on the app, and give them opportunities to explore, experiment and even express themselves with drawing and narration games.
Possible downsides:
Some parents have reported that they have to reset their password every time they log in.
Ages: 3+
Price: Free
Available on: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire
2. PBS Kids Games
Whether your child can’t get enough of Dinosaur Train, Sesame Street, or Daniel Tiger, this free app choice is sure to entertain. PBS Kids Games has over 120 fun games to choose from for younger kids ages 2-8 that are all based on the shows kids know and love. Because there are so many app features, you may want to help your toddler find the kid games that fit their interest and ability level, but since the shows designed for older kids also have games that are well-suited for toddlers, it’ll be easy to get ‘em ready to play on this fun, versatile app.
What we love:
The app provides basic lessons featuring favorite PBS TV characters in an easy-to-use format. It keeps kids busy with videos, games and other activities they can do offline.
Possible downsides:
Though PBS Kids Games is a simple, safe first online experience for preschoolers, we recommend parent supervision to help them learn online skills and safety. You also can monitor your kids’ activities and receive updates with the app.
Ages: 4+
Price: Free
Available on iOs, Android
3.Thinkrolls Play & Code
Thinkrolls Play & Code offers a collection of logic puzzles and brain games that introduce little kids to the basics of coding logic. Kids can tap on the Help Monster for hints and guidance along the way or parents can turn the Help Monster off to boost independent problem solving. Kids can start at the basic, easy or more difficult levels, with games adapting to their skills and progressively offering more and more challenging activities.
If your kid loves this, they might enjoy Thinkrolls: Kings and Queens!
What we love:
The adaptive aspect keeps kids engaged as their skills grow. In addition to problem solving, the experience enhances logic, strategic planning, innovation and memory abilities. It also encourages traits like patience and flexibility while building confidence.
Possible downsides:
There’s no block coding or actual programming, so some parents might be looking for a more traditional block coding app, like Scratch. Building puzzles isn’t easy without the locked items, so if kids love that feature, you’ll probably need a subscription.
Ages: 5+
Price: Free to try, $6.99 for a monthly subscription, $46.99 for annual
Available on iOS
4.Duolingo
Bonjour! If your kids (and you) are interested in learning new languages, look no further. Duolingo is a leading program that helps kids and adults build skills and vocab in 35+ languages—including Spanish, French, Chinese, German and Italian. This fun, free app has helped millions of learners worldwide pick up new languages through learning games and flash cards. Whether your child wants to dabble in several or master just one, Duolingo is the perfect introduction.
What we love:
The app makes learning simple with an easy-to-grasp visual map. Many themes, immediate and gentle feedback, mini-lesson popups and hints keep kids motivated to maintain their progress.
Possible downsides:
Though the app is highly recommended by parents, it’s important to keep in mind that the best way to master a language is through actual practice and conversation. Some vocab words also allude to themes parents could consider inappropriate (i.e. “wine”).
Ages: 8+
Price: Free
Available on all platforms
5. Inventioneers (Full Version)
Full of imagination, STEM concepts, and social components, this engineering game was created by educators and has a lot of what makes a learning app fantastic. Users build up to 120 new inventions using creativity and kid-friendly physics. Afterward they can share their creations with friends who also play on the app. Although we recommend the full version because it’s ad free and doesn’t require in-app purchases, there is a free version you can try before you buy.
What we love:
This awesome physics puzzler gives kids an exciting intro to engineering while building valuable strategic-thinking and problem-solving skills. Getting the inventions to work successfully is fun and addictive, and the challenges increase in difficulty as kids progress through the game.
Possible downsides:
Some of the tasks can be a bit tough, even in the early stages of the game, which could be frustrating for some kids.
Ages: 9+
Price: $4.99
Available on iOs, Android
6. Dragonbox Algebra 12+
Dragonbox Algebra 12+ is one of the best learning apps for kids available. As the name suggests, this fun math game is all about building your algebra skills for older kids age 12 and above. Users enter a colorful and playful world that lets them learn at their own pace, so they can feel challenged without being overwhelmed. They can also spend more time on concepts that are more difficult for them while breezing through math areas that come easily.
Dragonbox is a leader in math apps, so check out other subjects and levels, too. Whether you have a 5-year old or a high school student, Dragonbox likely has an app for them.
What we love:
DragonBox Algebra 12+ is an addictive app that truly builds a conceptual understanding of algebra. Kids start by learning to solve a basic problem then progress to increasingly challenging equations, using skills like multiplication, expansion and combining like terms. It even has a practice mode to help kids who need extra support.
Possible downsides:
No issues as far as we can tell!
Ages: 12+
Price: $7.99
Available on all platforms
7. Epic
No list of best learning apps for kids is complete without Epic! With a selection of thousands of popular, high quality titles, our digital library is filled with opportunities for kids of all ages to become strong, confident readers.
What we love:
Epic Basic has tons of great books for kids to enjoy, and with Epic Unlimited, kids can choose from 40,000+ books, audiobooks, Read-To-Me books and animated storybooks. With a huge variety for every age, interest and reading level, Epic is truly an app that grows with your kid.
Ages: 2+
Price: Free on Epic Basic, Epic Unlimited for $9.99/month or $71.99/year
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Chromebook
Find your own favorite learning apps.
Still not sure where you should start? Don’t stress! There are a lot of great options and these are just a handful of the best learning apps for kids available. If you want to explore other interactive programs, read reviews on the Apple Store, Google Play and Amazon, or look them up on Common Sense Media. Seeing what other parents and experts are saying is the best way to figure out if an app is worth your child’s time.
That’s it! Hope you enjoyed our list of best learning apps for kids.
