With millions of people using apps every day, these handy programs are a big part of our every day lives. Instead of trying to keep our kids from using apps, it’s much more beneficial to incorporate them in the right way.
Many cool apps for kids have the unique appeal of being both fun and educational, ranging in topics all over the learning spectrum. From math to problem-solving skills, apps are a great tool for kids to use alongside their classes.
There are so many apps on the market, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Which ones are the best ones? The ones that mix together education with excitement in a rewarding way?
Keep reading to find out!
Duolingo
Chances are high that you’ve heard about this particular app before. It’s loved all around the world for its language learning techniques. You might even use it yourself.
But it’s not only adults who reap the benefits of this amazing app.
It’s also one of the best apps for children. Learning a new language at a young age comes with a huge range of benefits. It’s never too early to start teaching a child a new language.
Duolingo works with many lessons cut up into small sessions. Each session is short enough to not feel cumbersome and rewards you with exp. It’s sort of like a game with all of its sounds and experience bars that keeps you wanting to do better than last time.
And who doesn’t love that cute little green owl?
This app teaches:
- Values of continued practice every day
- New languages (French, Swedish, Spanish, Japanese, German, and more!)
Toca Tea Party
If you look up any app made by Toca Boca, you’re bound to find something great. They focus on apps for kids that explore many different aspects of learning.
Toca Tea Party, in particular, is unique in the skills it helps develop. It guides children to learn the tools to work with others and develop solid relationships.
Kids have free reign to design and execute a tea party on their own. Through this playful environment, they learn how to socialize with their fellow children. It also helps in developing manners.
This app teaches:
- How to follow directions
- Socialization skills
- Friendship building
Touch and Learn – Emotions
Understanding emotions and how they affect other people is an important part of any child’s life. Socializing with people is all about reading their emotions and knowing what they mean.
This app takes great strides in teaching children those small and subtle cues. It’s no true substitute for true personal connections with face-to-face interaction, but it’s a great starting point.
If emotional empathy is something you want your kids to value, this app is the right one for you.
This app teaches:
- Recognizing emotional cues
- Empathy
Moose Math
This app has kids in mind from the beginning to the end. It’s colorful and fun shapes matched with its funny moose mascot make it a joy to play. Plus, it has parental controls available to keep kids from fumbling into the menu and other behind the scenes sections.
This app takes the chore of developing a strong mathematical foundation and makes it enjoyable. Math is often a struggle for many people growing so this app strives to give kids an early love for working with numbers.
Soon your child will run their device low on batteries while playing with this fun math app all the time.
This app teaches:
- Recognizing shapes and numbers
- Simple arithmetic (such as addition and subtraction)
Cut the Rope
The name of this app tells you what to expect from this educational game, but it undersells the power behind its premise.
This is one of the best apps for children that continues to challenge them to think outside the box. Each level progresses a little more in difficulty, forcing kids to think on their feet to move on.
It’s a puzzle game at its heart, requiring kids to figure out which rope to cut in order to reach the goal. The nice thing about this is that its range of difficulty makes this game great for many different age groups.
This app teaches:
- Problem-solving
- Creative and critical thinking
Drawnimal
This app brings a lot of fun creativity to the table. Instead of relying on cute and flashy graphics, they let children do the magic instead.
After choosing a letter from the game, children then draw an animal that matches that letter using the prompt given to them by the game. It’s a fun way to develop motor control and a love for drawing while practicing the alphabet at the same time.
Plus the stylistic animals have a charming appeal that makes the entire exercise adorable.
This app asks kids to use pencil and paper to extend the playability. Make sure to teach your child the importance of screen protection beforehand!
This app teaches:
- Developing a love for creativity
- Alphabet practice
- Recognizing animals
Endless Alphabet
With the aid of some colorful little creatures, kids learn all about the alphabet and the sounds of the letters. Not only that, but it also delves even deeper to jumpstart children’s vocabulary with a list of 50 simple words.
The best part is that these exercises use videos and animation to give a greater understanding of what’s on screen. All of this working together makes this one of the best apps for children to learn the building blocks of reading.
This app teaches:
- Alphabet
- Simple vocabulary
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox
Fruit shapes and vibrant colors are at the heart of this app. The monkey mascot helps kids with the activities. These include things like collecting different fruits and then puzzling fruits back together.
The range of exercises keeps this app from feeling stale over lengthy time periods. It challenges children without pushing them too hard too early.
Plus, it allows children to move on through the app at their own pace without any pressure. It’s a great way to begin a child’s education.
This app teaches:
- Colors
- Shapes
- Counting numbers
- Following directions
PBS Kids Video
PBS is a big name when it comes to children’s learning. Now kids have these entertaining and educational cartoons available to them whenever they want.
Unlike other video streaming apps, PBS caters every single video to be for kids. There’s no fear of your child stumbling upon something they shouldn’t watch as every video is parent approved.
PBS goes the extra mile to include goal trackers along with the videos. These trackers show you all of the different skills the video teaches. This way you know what they’re learning every step of the way and can raise or lower the difficulty as needed.
This app teaches:
- Huge variety of different topics (simple math, shapes, colors, problem-solving, and more!)
Musical Me
This app makes great use of its adorable animal sidekicks as it teaches children all about the wonders of music. From underwater adventures to open green pastures, there’s a lot of visual interest to keep things interesting.
The songs used in this app are all the great children’s classics such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Old Macdonald. A variety of different exercises take kids by the hand to teach them the different notes on a sheet of music and how to recognize the tones that go with them.
Children even have the chance to create some music of their own using the knowledge they’ve gained.
This game has a lot going for it and it’s all presented in an easy-to-use way. If you’re curious about what makes a game so unique and complex, discover more here.
This app teaches:
- Pitch recognition
- Reading musical notes
- Creating music
- Rhythm
Khan Academy Kids
This app is unique in that it doesn’t try to teach children only one skill set. It’s a database of a wide range of topics, each catered to children and their development. Even better is the fact that this app is free to use, making it great for parents on a budget.
All of the exercises include cute animals and interesting colors to keep the app feeling fun and exciting. With so many skills to choose from, it’s possible for kids to spend hours upon hours working through the exercises.
The neat thing about Khan Academy is that there’s also a more adult version available. So, as your child ages, they’re able to keep working alongside Khan Academy as they continue to learn more and more.
This app teaches:
- Huge variety of different topics (critical thinking, math, reading comprehension, and more!)
Make Learning Fun with These Cool Apps for Kids
As long as there’s a balance, apps are great ways for kids to learn new skills. The bright graphics and fun gaming aspect make children want to pick up their device and start learning on their own.
It’s not hard to find cool apps for kids that are both engaging and educational. The list above includes some of the best, but there are even more out there that have potential.
When in doubt, download the app yourself and give it a go to see if it has your parental approval or not!
Kids aren’t the only ones who enjoy playing. Check out these fun apps that are perfect for when you find yourself with a bit of downtime.