Skip to content

Top Navigation

Parents Parents
  • GETTING PREGNANT
  • PREGNANCY
  • BABY NAMES
  • BABY
  • TODDLER
  • BIG KID
  • FUN
  • HEALTH
  • PARENTING
  • FOOD
  • HOLIDAY
  • News
  • THE STAY AT HOME GUIDE
  • SHOP
  • OUR MAGAZINES
  • MORE

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Your Profile
  • Your Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Parents

Parents Parents
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 22 Chore Ideas for Every Type of Kid

      Find a chore your kid loves to do, and start a habit of wanting to help out that'll last a lifetime. Read More Next
    • Top 5 Mom Friend Problems—And How to Fix Them

      Parenting is so much easier with good pals. Learn to overcome friendship hurdles and bond with women who get you. Read More Next
    • How to Sleep Train Toddlers and Big Kids

      I’m a pediatric sleep specialist who has seen it all, and I’m here to tell you that it’s not too late to get your child to (happily) stay in his own bed all night long. Read More Next
  • GETTING PREGNANT

    GETTING PREGNANT

    See All GETTING PREGNANT

    Your Chances of Getting Pregnant Every Day of the Month

    When sex coincides with your most fertile ovulation days, you'll increase your chances of getting pregnant. Get to know each phase of your cycle to make conception faster and easier.
    • Ovulation
    • Reproductive Age
    • Maximizing Your Fertility
    • Pre-Pregnancy Health
    • Trying to Conceive
    • Dealing With Infertility
    • Genetics
  • PREGNANCY

    PREGNANCY

    See All PREGNANCY

    Signs of Approaching Labor: How to Tell Your Baby is Coming Soon

    Anxiously awaiting your baby’s arrival? Learn to recognize the first signs of labor approaching, which signal that your little one might make an appearance soon.
    • Signs of Pregnancy
    • Pregnancy Week-by-Week
    • Giving Birth
    • Labor & Delivery
    • Pregnancy Symptoms
    • Due Date Calculator
    • Pregnancy Complications
    • Fetal Development
    • Gender Prediction
    • Baby Showers
  • BABY NAMES

    BABY NAMES

    See All BABY NAMES

    These Are the Most Popular Baby Names of 2020

    Curious which baby names stole the show this year? From new classics like Noah to tried-and-true faves like Ava, here are the top boy and girl names of the year so far, plus more naming trends to consider.
    • Baby Girl Names
    • Most Popular Names
    • Names by Origin
    • Twin Names
    • Baby Boy Names
    • Names by Religion
    • Celebrity Baby Names
    • Baby Name Quizzes
  • BABY

    BABY

    See All BABY

    How to Decode Your Baby's Cough

    Caring for a baby with a wet or dry cough? Listen for wheezing, hacking, or barking first, then read on to find out what's normal and when it's time to worry.
    • Newborn Care
    • Crying Baby
    • Health
    • Baby Development
    • Safety
    • Gear
    • Breastfeeding
    • Diapers
    • Sleep Issues
    • Feeding
    • Nursery
  • TODDLER

    TODDLER

    See All TODDLER
    • Preschool Activities
    • Behavior & Discipline
    • Toddler Development
    • Milestones
    • Potty Training
    • Starting School
    • Health
    • Safety
    • Childcare
  • BIG KID

    BIG KID

    See All BIG KID

    How to Deal With Bullies: A Guide for Parents

    Mean kids aren't just a middle-school problem. The trouble has trickled to the youngest grades. Learn how to spot it—and how to protect children of all ages from bullies at school.
    • Education
    • Health
    • Food & Nutrition
    • Bullying & School Problems
    • Child Development
    • Safety
    • Manners & Responsibility
  • FUN

    FUN

    See All FUN

    17 Budget-Friendly Kids’ Birthday Party Ideas

    A fun celebration doesn’t need to cost a pretty penny. Throw a memorable bash with these clever cost-cutting kids’ birthday party ideas.
    • Birthdays
    • Indoor Activities
    • Outdoor Activities
    • Arts & Crafts
    • Printable Coloring Pages
    • Kids' Entertainment
    • Best Toys
    • Holidays
    • Family Vacation Ideas
  • HEALTH

    HEALTH

    See All HEALTH

    All About Coronavirus COVID-19: A Concerned Parent's Guide

    Here’s everything you need to know about the disease that originated in Wuhan, China.
    • ADD & ADHD
    • Allergies
    • Autism
    • Cold & Flu
    • Coronavirus and COVID-19
    • Cough
    • Down Syndrome
    • Emergency Aid
    • Fever
    • Medication & Vitamins
    • Obesity
    • Rashes
    • Stomach Aches
    • Vaccines
  • PARENTING

    PARENTING

    See All PARENTING

    The Stay at Home Guide for Parents

    Everything you need to thrive at home as a family.
    • Positive Parenting
    • Parenting Style
    • Celebrity Parents
    • Family Dynamics
    • Divorce
    • Home
    • Adoption
    • Just for Mom
    • Money
    • Toy Recalls
    • Stroller Recalls
  • FOOD

    FOOD

    See All FOOD
    • Family Recipes
    • Baby Food
    • Toddler Finger Food Recipes
    • Hints & Tips
    • Healthy Eating
    • Birthdays
    • Holiday Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Meals
    • Food For Pregnant Women
  • HOLIDAY

    HOLIDAY

    See All HOLIDAY

    6 Easter Egg Science Experiments for Kids

    Smarten up your annual Easter tradition with these easy, educational egg dyeing ideas.
    • Christmas
    • New Year's
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Father's Day
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Hanukkah
  • News
  • THE STAY AT HOME GUIDE
  • SHOP
  • OUR MAGAZINES

    OUR MAGAZINES

    See All OUR MAGAZINES
    • Parents
    • Parents Latina
    • Ser Padres
  • MORE

    MORE

    • Newsletters
    • Contests
    • ParentsIRL
    • Adulting
    • First Year Playbook
    • Celebrate Your Way

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Your Profile
  • Your Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Fun
  3. Entertainment
  4. Gadgets
  5. The Best Learning Apps for Kids

The Best Learning Apps for Kids

By Karen Cicero
Updated October 12, 2020
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Priscilla Gragg

We tapped tech and education experts for their picks in the crowded kids’ app space, then gave a panel of junior testers permission to play. What we discovered: Great learning apps are almost as hard to find as disinfectant wipes—but they do exist. Here are some gems to help you out this school year.

Start Slideshow

1 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best App For Skill Building

Credit: Courtesy of Khan Academy

Khan Academy Kids

Five animal characters guide kids in hundreds of games, lessons, and stories vetted by early-childhood education experts. Whether your child needs to learn how to print their name, take measurements, or count backward, there’s a lesson in the app’s well-organized “library.” Beginning readers will also score a robust set of e-books. “I like that there’s an option to read the story aloud or listen to it,” says Dominique Pompey, a kindergarten teacher in San Diego. Ages 2 to 7

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

1 of 23

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best App for Toddlers

Credit: Courtesy of StoryToys

Hungry Caterpillar Play School

A calming intro to the digital world, this app features familiar characters from Eric Carle’s books, along with clear directions and slower-paced play. Many activities focus on math or reading, but the relaxation techniques, like using a Brown Bear to encourage mindful breathing, come in handy. Ages 2 to 5

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

2 of 23

3 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best Educational Videos

Credit: Courtesy of BrainPOP

BrainPOP Jr.

After watching a few of these three- to five-minute animated videos about famous people, places, or concepts, you’ll realize two things: You forgot a lot of what you learned in third grade, and these “movies” are really well done. “One video introduced my 8-year-old to the Alamo,” says Jeanette Leon Go, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. “He likes the whole collection because he thinks Moby, the robot cohost, is funny.” Ages 5 to 9

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

3 of 23

Advertisement

4 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best Counting App

Credit: Courtesy of Duck Duck Moose, LLC

Moose Math

The Pet Bingo game and making smoothies are disguised counting lessons. Rewards entice kids to keep playing. “During quarantine, my kindergartner took on increasingly difficult levels so she could expand on the town she had begun building,” says Tenaya Winkelman, of Dallas. Ages 3 to 7

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

4 of 23

5 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best App For Learning Shapes

Credit: Courtesy of Little 10 Robot

Little 10 Robot: Goodness Shapes

The fun games work on all components of shape recognition: matching, identifying, and naming. Our preschool testers felt proud when they loaded ten shapes (including a hexagon) onto a Ferris wheel. Woo-hoo! Ages 2 to 4

  • Download in Apple App Store

5 of 23

6 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best For Math Facts

Credit: Courtesy of Ignacio Schiefelbein

Number Run

This brainy twist on Temple Run helps kids master math drills that advance from single-digit addition to division. For each of the more than 50 levels, they have to quickly solve problems so their avatar can jump over cliffs and dodge monsters to reach a treasure chest. Our testers liked earning coins to “buy” new avatar outfits, including—we kid you not—a Santa suit. They also repeated levels to shave seconds off their time. Ages 6+

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

6 of 23

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best For Logic Building

Credit: Courtesy of Kahoot DragonBox AS

Dragonbox Numbers

Focusing on “number sense” rather than memorization, this app’s coolest feature is puzzles mode. That’s where kids drag Nooms, various-size characters that represent different numbers, into spaces to complete a picture. They can also feed or slice Nooms to watch numbers grow or shrink. For instance, when cut in the middle, the Noom for the number six breaks into a pair of threes. Kids’ minds blown. Ages 4 to 8

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

7 of 23

8 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best For Telling Time

Credit: Courtesy of Edoki Academy

Tic Toc Time

This Tic Toc deserves more than a 15-second shout-out for making it easier for kids to grasp how to read an analog clock, says Wendy Hilton, co-owner of HipHomeschoolMoms.com. After a beaver shows kids how to read and set a cuckoo clock, the app challenges them to press a button when the ticking clock displays the same time as the digital readout. Ages 6 to 10

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

8 of 23

9 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best For Learning To Read

Credit: Courtesy of Google LLC

Read Along by Google

Thanks to advances in speech recognition, this new app can tell which words kids are stumbling over as they read one of 500-plus globally minded stories. It underlines a word that’s skipped and awards stars for ones spoken correctly. Kids can click on a word they don’t know and a “reading buddy” will help. You can set the app for Spanish, French, Chinese, or other non-English options. Ages 5+

  • Download in Google Play Store

9 of 23

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best For Spelling

Credit: Courtesy of L'Escapadou

Montessori Crosswords for Kids

Using picture clues and phonics sounds, our testers moved around letters to spell short words like jog and dog. At higher levels, kids do crosswords with longer fill-ins (think turkey). Kids can even focus on certain types of words, like those with a silent e or a long i. Ages 4 to 8

  • Download in Apple App Store

10 of 23

11 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best For Storytime

Credit: Courtesy of Audible, Inc

Audible

Let the pros take care of doing the voices for kids’ books. This app offers exclusive collabs, like Laura Dern’sĀ Little Women and Scarlett Johansson performing Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Now you can sit back and listen together. All ages

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

11 of 23

12 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best For E-Books

Credit: Courtesy of Epic! Creations Inc

Epic!

Your bookworm will never run out of material. More than 40,000 options—from popular series like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate to Newbery Medal winners such as Hello, Universe—are smartly organized by age, genre, and even passion. There are also sections on dinosaurs and comics (shriek!). And the app logs reading time. Ages 2 to 12

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

12 of 23

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best For Creative Writing

Credit: Courtesy of RSA Group, LLC

Write About This

Hundreds of writing prompts, in categories ranging from food to feelings, give kids inspo. Our testers wrote about fave artwork, what they’d like to do upside down, and who makes the best pizza. Older kids typed out their response on the virtual loose-leaf paper while younger ones recorded it. Ages 7+

  • Download in Apple App Store

13 of 23

14 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best For U.S. Geography

Credit: Courtesy of Dan Russell-Pinson

Stack the States

Kids answer multiple-choice questions about capitals, flags, and other trivia, earning states they can pile on top of one another like Jenga pieces. “During quarantine, my soon-to-be 5-year-old learned all the shapes and locations of all the states using this app,” says Mike Dawson, a dad of three in State College, Pennsylvania. “The other day, I showed him a particular tortilla chip and asked him which state it looked like. He nailed it with his response: Alabama.” Ages 4+

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

14 of 23

15 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best Atlas

Credit: Courtesy of Barefoot Books Inc.

Barefoot World Atlas

It’s so much more than a map. Kids zoom across a 3-D globe, playing games such as dropping world flags on the correct country. “We’ve had this app for two years, and it still holds my 6-year-old son’s interest,” says Katie Caruso, a teacher in Vacaville, California. “Our family likes that it contains historical elements, such as the location of the Titanic, as well as landmarks and cultural facts.” Ages 4+

  • Download in Apple App Store

15 of 23

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best For Presidential Trivia

Credit: Courtesy of Dan Russell-Pinson

Presidents vs. Aliens

In this high-stakes election year, we can’t think of a better time for kids to learn about government. After choosing one of 45 presidential avatars, kids answer multiple-choice trivia questions about nicknames, important dates, quotes, and events. For each correct response, they receive a president to fling at an alien. Ha! When all the aliens are off the screen, kids advance to the next level. “My 6-year-old loved the questions that asked to match the names of the presidents to their photos,” says Janelle Knight, a mom of two in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. “She also found it super-fun to collect the presidents after correctly answering a certain number of questions. I learned right along with her.” Ages 6+

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

16 of 23

17 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best For Beginning Coders

Credit: Courtesy of Scratch Foundation

ScratchJr

You’ll probably have to help your kid read through the instructions at first, but soon they’ll get the hang of dragging and dropping pieces of programming script. “The app’s open-ended nature allows kids to create their own animated story,” says Monica Cardella, Ph.D., a program director with the National Science Foundation and director of the INSPIRE Research Institute for Pre-College Engineering at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana. Ages 5 to 7

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

17 of 23

18 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best Intro To Science

Credit: Courtesy of PBS Kids

PBS Kids Play and Learn Science

Know how your kid gravitates to the water-play area at your local children’s museum? Here’s a virtual, germ-free version of those experiments. Preschoolers can play games that explore what happens to water when it flows over and through objects of different shapes and sizes. Our testers also love the game that lets them predict whether objects sink or float in the water. Ages 2 to 8

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

18 of 23

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best Intro To Animals

Credit: Courtesy of Night & Day Studios, Inc.

Peekaboo Barn

Toddlers learn the names of animals and the sounds they make as they pop in and out of a barn. “My 18-month-old gets excited to press the door and reveal a new animal,” says Caitlin Ultimo-Pereyra, of New York City. “Overall, the graphics are cute and the sounds aren’t irritating, as is the case with some apps.” Ages 1 to 3

  • Download in Apple App Store

19 of 23

20 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best Intro To Space

Credit: Courtesy of Learny Land

What’s in Space?

With activities for a range of ages, this is an app that siblings can share. Toddlers can build rockets and dress astronauts, while older kids can connect the dots to form constellations and see how the sky changes between the northern and the southern hemisphere. Ages 4 to 10

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

20 of 23

21 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best For Nature Walks

Credit: Courtesy of iNaturalist

Seek by iNaturalist

Imagine Pokémon Go for plants. This app offers badge-earning nature challenges you can complete as a family. It will also I.D. pictures of unfamiliar flowers, leaves, bugs, or birds. So when your kid asks you what something is, take a snap and let the app figure it out. The app will even tell you facts about your find and whether other people have noticed it in your area. Ages 4+

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

21 of 23

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best Musical Basics

Credit: Courtesy of Mazaam Interactive Inc.

Mazaam

More than a dozen games teach preschoolers through first-graders (a time when their ears are easiest to train) about musical concepts such as pitch, tempo, and harmony, using 140 classical pieces. If you wind up with the next Ben Platt, we expect a concert ticket. Ages 4 to 6

  • Download in Google Play Store
  • Download in Apple App Store

22 of 23

23 of 23

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best Intro To Instruments

Credit: Courtesy of Melody Jams Inc.

Melody Jams

Kids choose monster characters, each playing a different instrument, to rock out with in a garage band, during a big show, or at the Mars Disco. Our testers loved adding their own piano, drum, and xylophone sounds to the mix. Ages 3 to 6

  • Download in Apple App Store

23 of 23

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Karen Cicero

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 23 Best App For Skill Building
2 of 23 Best App for Toddlers
3 of 23 Best Educational Videos
4 of 23 Best Counting App
5 of 23 Best App For Learning Shapes
6 of 23 Best For Math Facts
7 of 23 Best For Logic Building
8 of 23 Best For Telling Time
9 of 23 Best For Learning To Read
10 of 23 Best For Spelling
11 of 23 Best For Storytime
12 of 23 Best For E-Books
13 of 23 Best For Creative Writing
14 of 23 Best For U.S. Geography
15 of 23 Best Atlas
16 of 23 Best For Presidential Trivia
17 of 23 Best For Beginning Coders
18 of 23 Best Intro To Science
19 of 23 Best Intro To Animals
20 of 23 Best Intro To Space
21 of 23 Best For Nature Walks
22 of 23 Best Musical Basics
23 of 23 Best Intro To Instruments

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Parents

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Cozi Family Organizer this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • From Our Sponsors this link opens in a new tab
  • Affiliate Program this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Parents.com is part of the Parents Network. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.parents.com

View image

The Best Learning Apps for Kids
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.