There are a lot of games out there. How to sort out those that can become a nice influence for your kiddo and those that are pure trash and be better run away from? This list of the most age-appropriate and mind-boggling kids’ apps for Android and iOS will help you set your mind on those that really deserve your attention.
Our primary goal is to provide parents with all the information, enough to bookmark and use any time you’re:
- Meeting with your friend, trying to single out a word through your child’s constant screaming.
- Feeling exhausted convincing your child to dock the phone.
- Thinking about how to make their phone addiction at least a bit contributes to their development.
Let’s assume — there are more than just “a few” repeating situations where we need our kids to get distracted here and now. Besides, in our digital era, kids are growing up with smartphones in their hands: we cannot change the way it is. Nevertheless, it’s our responsibility to arrange things in a way they “stumble across” only useful and learning apps and games.
We’ve compiled a list of the most interesting learning kids apps for Android and iOS that have been launched during previous years, sorting them into groups according to the child age they’re designed for.
Informative, easy-to-use, fostering creativity, and, most importantly, violent-free and, yes, trash-free as well — here they all are. Use them to make your child busy with learning, not purposeless wandering through the Internet, and carve some room for yourself whenever needed.
Best apps for kids of 2-4 y.o., according to parents
The best games for toddlers are, surely, those focusing on exploration and encouraging creativity. From 2-3 years, the language is beginning to develop, so apps introducing simple words and mimicking sounds would be perfect. Double-cool if they would have a pleasant and firm design, so your kid finds it not difficult and will enjoy playing!
Further, at this age, it’s important to spark your kid’s creative thinking. Make them arrange things and paint, and encourage them to make mistakes and fail so they can learn and improve.
Here are some apps that, in our opinion, possess a needed wow effect to engage your kid:
Android, iOS
Free trial
A simple, cute early-reading game with four separate “islands” to explore and learn from reading, phonics, letters, and words.
2. ABC phonics
iOS, Android
Free
Fun alphabetic songs that you can just launch, and your kid will watch as a cartoon, learning the alphabet in a funny and engaging way.
iOS
In-app purchases
A puzzle-like game that keeps kids busy for at least an hour. You should try to unblock the dinosaur from the block of ice, earn gifts, and a lot more. If your little one is fond of dinosaurs, give it a try!
iOS, Android
In-app purchases
The next level game after “Dinosaurs” with cool sound of game characters.
Android
In-app purchases
A cool game for a 3-year-old kid: matching, arranging, and moving things, all colorful and bright!
Android
In-app purchases
A cool game for a 3-year-old kid: matching, arranging, and moving things, all colorful and bright!
iOS, Android
Free
Colorful puzzles for kids that even adults find amusing. A charming design and cute music will help your kid learn with delight.
iOS, Android
Free
Perfect for future artists. Accompanied by calm music. The pictures are big enough for a kid to draw conveniently and let their mind spin. Very intuitive and calmful.
iPad
Free
A fun educational app ideal for a 2-3 y.o kid. The app develops attention, visual memory, and fine motor skills.
10. Be-Be-Bears: Painting for kids
iOS, Android
In-app purchases, ad-blocking
Another cool app for keeping your kid busy by trying to stay in borders while painting. Cute characters from favorite cartoons and hints along the way.
Best apps for preschoolers
Games for preschoolers must contribute to the intellectual, emotional, and social changes in a child that help them grasp a sense of the world. Don’t forget that at this age, kids need to burn off excess energy too. So, games must be fun, energetic, exciting, and educational at the same time.
iOS
In-app purchases
Covers phonics, reading, and writing. Create enjoyable challenges for kids using different game types.
2. AnimalMath
iOS, Android
In-app purchases
Simple equations for those who just started learning basic math. Featuring cool cartoon characters, it offers more than 100 fun math games.
iOS
In-app purchases
Stretch your logical thinking along with your kiddo! Modes for logic, speed, memory, and concentration.
iOS
In-app purchases
Math — boring? No way!
5. Fun English Reading: First Book
iOS
In-app purchases
Your kid’s perfect first e-book!
iOS, Android
In-app purchases
A cute snail character will entertain your kid in-between learning. Let your kid dive into a point-and-click puzzle adventure as a short break.
iOS
$6,99
Free trial
A bunch of fun activities for preschoolers: from designing a robot to different adventures, like flying over the forest & diving into the ocean, along with whimsical superheroes.
8. Study Cat: Fun English for kids
iOS
In-app purchases
Let your kid learn English faster with the help of Study Cat: 165 lessons of basic English grammar & vocabulary accompanied by different contexts to assist with memorizing & retention.
9. Faces iMake
A great tool to express your talent. Available on iOS. Kids relax, have fun, and, most importantly, use their imagination.
iOS, Android
Free
Let your child learn about nature subject from an early age. Raise a science-minded kid. Spend some time over fun activities with your little one: choose the location, go outside, and point your phone at living things. The app will identify wildlife & plants!
Best apps for children of 11-15 y.o.
Third-fifth graders are so enthusiastic about everything! “You want me to learn how to dance? All right! Do you want me to try singing? No problem!” Let them discover & try out as much as they want.
From a linguistic perspective, things are about to get quiet: the majority of children have already learned how to speak, read, and write. However, the vocabulary still needs to be enriched.
The major struggle here is to make a child think abstractly. Up to this point, they know how to deal with a problem if they can physically see or touch it. Right now, it’s crucial to let them evolve in another dimension — where they’ll learn how to connect the dots and find the reasoning for things. Encourage your child to ask questions and identify what interest them most.
Besides, don’t forget about the academic realms; there are plenty of apps that can turn learning into fun activities!
Here’s our list of best kids’ apps for Android and iOS suitable for 11-15 y.o. (games, tools, online platforms).
iOS, Android
$9,99
Free trial
The game allows learning capitals, states, and landmarks through different fun activities: interactive flash cards, 3D graphics, a fast-paced environment, and a lot more.
2. Edmodo
iOS, Android
Free
While social media only contributes to kids’ procrastination and generally create more harm than good, Edmondo engages students in collaborative projects to develop creative thinking & team spirit.
Need help with improving your child’s grammar? Grammaropolis is a far land where grammar lives: each part of the speech is a separate animated character. The unique content, along with style and quiz-based assessment, creates a cool interactive environment to visualize and memorize grammar rules.
iOS, Android
Free
Help your child to make it a habit to train their brains on a regular basis with one of the most popular apps for a mental workout!
Don’t forget about Parental Сontrol
Content filtering and limiting time spent online is crucial if you’re a responsible parent: once kids get engaged in numerous online activities, it’s hard to prize them away. Besides, the Internet is full of harsh and developmentally unsuitable content (encouraging eating disorders, cruel movies, sexual content, obsession with trends, etc.).
What you should know about parental control if you’re a total digital newbie:
- Entering their territory inevitably leads to a fight over access to the password, which kids are usually not fond of at all.
- Some of the websites allow setting up viewing restrictions, while others don’t.
- You can limit your child’s access to the Internet via Screen Time.
- If you’re a tech-shy parent or don’t have much time to learn the ropes of digital parental control science, leave it to professionals: a new generation of parental control apps is already on the market, able to cover you up wherever needed.
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