Best Apps for Kids
Children are able to use and understand technology at an early age. That's why you typically reach for tablets, phones, or other electronic devices for your kids to play with when they're bored. As you browse the App Store and Google Play, there are a sea of apps available, but not all of them are appropriate for children. We spent countless hours testing all of these amazing apps so you can be sure you’re downloading the best apps for your kids. From alphabets to coding, word games to problem solving, english to maths and phonics, music to drawing, and storybooks to pretend play, dive in with this kids app list. These best kids apps are tried and tested by actual kids at home.
We have previously talked about our favorite free apps for kids, but if you are willing to spend a little bit extra there are some amazing apps for kids that will really help them develop their skills.
Here, we’ve rounded up the best apps for kids because they each offer something fun, unique, and interesting for kids.
Best Kids Apps 2023
- 1. PBS Kids Games
- 2. Smart Tales
- 3. Crayola Create and Play
- 4. Kidovo
- 5. Bimi Boo Kids Academy
- 6. Drawing Games for Kids
- 7. ABCmouse
- 8. Applaydu
- 9. Kids Academy
- 10. Epic! Books
1. PBS Kids Games
PBS Kids Games is one of the best apps for kids that includes more than 25 games with popular PBS Kids characters.
This mini-game collection will entertain and hopefully educate kids for hours on end with some of their favorite animated TV personalities. The app provides a safe, child-friendly playing experience for all ages. Kids can learn math, creativity, weather, sea creatures, patterns, shapes, painting, and tools, among other things.
They can also practice strategy, build reading skills, and test out their theories. The app is meant to be dynamic, with new games being added, so the body of learning will grow over time. Overall, PBS Kids Games is a solid, free selection of learning games featuring your kids' favorite PBS Kids characters.
Rating:
Price: Free
Devices: iPhone, iPad and Android
2. Smart Tales - ABC Kids Learning
Smart Tales is a fun and entertaining introduction to the world of STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) for young children. It uses a story-based structure with interactive elements. Both combine to encourage children to think about STEM topics.
Smart Tales is a richly presented app crammed full of interactive stories that encourage young children to think about technology in a smart way.
Rating:
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iOS, Android
3. Crayola Create and Play
Crayola Create and Play builds a digital play and learning experience for preschool kids around the popular Crayola art materials. Kids can practise colouring, learn to draw, care for virtual pets and play games in the continually expanding content of the app.
Crayola Create and Play is full of creative and entertaining activities to inspire kids' creativity, build in some learning and entertain them in a safe and kid-friendly digital world.
Rating:
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
4. Kidovo: Fun Learning for Kids
Kidovo is a very comprehensive app aimed at children that has a wide library of content to keep children engaged. It offers an interactive learning and watching experience which can be tailored to each individual child by creating a personalised profile.
Kidovo is designed for children to encourage them to actively participate and learn through play with the content and characters they are watching.
Rating:
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
5. Bimi Boo Kids Academy
Bimi Boo Kids Academy helps develop preschool knowledge and skills in kids. Its 1,700+ games cover curriculum-type topics such as numeracy and literacy and provide more general thinking, creativity, and knowledge development activities.
Bimi Boo Kids Academy addresses skills kids need to learn for school, such as math and literacy. It also has activities to help kids grow their vocabularies, encourage creativity, develop motor skills, and think about daily life.
Rating:
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
6. Drawing Games for Kids
Drawing Games for Kids is a guided drawing and colouring app for young kids. Kids trace elements of a picture until it is complete and then colour it in. The coloured-in image then animates as a reward.
The app helps kids stay within the lines by only allowing digital ink to flow in the first section touched. Kids choose from various colours and effects to colour in the pictures. Completed pictures come to life in an animation where the subject of the drawing, still displaying the young artist's creative choices, begins to move.
Rating:
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
7. ABCmouse.com
ABCmouse is one of the best apps for kids that focuses on the four main curriculum subjects of Reading, Math, World Around Us as well as Art & Colors, establishing a foundation of knowledge for young children that they can build upon with confidence and success. ABCmouse.com is available both as an app and a website.
ABCmouse.com features hundreds of interactive fun games, videos, quizzes and activities, each designed to teach a specific concept. All of the games include voiced instructions, so even very young children will find it easy to learn and play. This preschool app teaches letters, letter sounds, counting, math, art, science, music and phonics. that are super fun.
Rating:
Price: ABCMouse subscription costs $9.95/month ($79.99/year). This fee can be paid monthly, yearly, or in 4 installments with a credit card, PayPal or Amazon Pay
Devices: iPhone, iPad and Android
8. Applaydu
Applaydu is a fun app that brings Kinder Joy toys to life through augmented reality in a world of discovery and imagination.
The app has mini-games that help children build skills such as organization, memory, rhythm and motor skills, and teaches them information about subjects such as mathematics, geography and music.
Rating:
Price: Free
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
9. Kids Academy
Kids Academy is a top children’s app and one of the best apps for kids because it has over 5000 preschool learning activities that include educational games and videos, interactive and printable worksheets, songs, puzzles and flashcards.
Their unique learn-through-play program combines the most advanced in adaptive technology, artificial intelligence, personalized learning, and gamification to help kids put their best foot forward and get the education they deserve. They cover the key subject areas of Math, Reading, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies.
Rating:
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iPhone, iPad and Android
10. Epic!
Epic! is one of the top apps for kids with an e-book library that contains over 35,000 children's books in variety of formats including picture books, early readers, chapter books, Read-to-Me, and Audiobooks. With Epic! your kids will never complain they have nothing to read again. It’s truly all-you-can-read, and new books are being added every week.
Epic! is aimed at children between ages 2 and 12, and each child receives personalized recommendations based on their reading level and interests which means new books to discover and less opportunity for frustration from choosing books that are too hard or too easy. Epic! keeps a reading log for each profile so you can see which books your child has read and for how long. You also get a weekly email sent directly to your inbox with the same info to keep you up-to-date with their progress.
Rating:
Price: The first month of Epic! is free, followed by a monthly cost of $7.99/month and includes up to 4 individual child profiles per account.
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android, Web
11. Reading Eggs
Reading Eggs is one of the best learning apps for kids that helps children learn to read. The app makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with great interactive reading games, guided reading lessons, fun activities and over 2,000 digital story books. The app is ideal for children who are preparing for school or struggling with their reading.
Reading Eggs is based on solid scientific research and focuses around the five essential keys to reading success – phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension and fluency. The app makes learning to read fun and highly motivating for children – nurturing a lifelong love of reading, straight from the family home.
Rating:
Price: Try a free trial of Reading Eggs before you buy. If you love the product you have 3 pricing options. Yearly Family Plan (2-4 accounts): $89.00, Yearly: $59.00, Monthly: $9.95
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android, Web
12. Teach Your Monster to Read
Teach your Monster to Read is an award winning app that teaches children to read in a fun and simplistic manner. The app covers the first two years of reading, from matching letters and sounds to enjoying books. The app has been designed in collaboration with academics at Roehampton university. The app teaches kids phonics and alternative spelling of sounds. It is no wonder we believe it is one of the best apps for kids!
Rating:
Price: $3.99
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android, Web
13. LetterSchool
LetterSchool is a fun and easy app for kids to learn the alphabets with tracing, puzzles, videos, and songs.
LetterSchool does a great job of teaching letter writing with a three-step process: learn the starting points for each stroke, trace the letter, and write the letter without hints. LetterSchool is a beautifully designed handwriting app that will teach your children how to write letters (both upper and lower case) and numbers (from 1 to 10) in an animated and fun way. Letter School is a fun app designed to help young children learn letters and develop their handwriting skills.
Rating:
Price: Monthly Membership - $9.99, Annual - $49.99
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
14. DoodleMaths
DoodleMaths is one of the best apps for kids to help them learn math. . DoodleMaths is an easy-to-use and engaging math app for children with different math games that feature fundamental math skills and concepts. DoodleMaths is a maths programme that supports maths learning in homes and schools. It identifies each child's level, strengths and weakness and adapts a programme to that child.
Children are motivated by earning DoodleStars which can be used to buy accessories for their robot, pet, or coach. You can get involved with your child's maths and help motivate them every step of the way through the Parent Dashboard, which includes a weakness analysis, email reports, plus more.
Rating:
Price: Free to try; Monthly: $5.99, Annual: $55.99, Lifetime: $169.99
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
Related: Math Apps
15. Toca Hair Salon
Toca Hair Salon is a good app for kids that encourages creativity. Kids can cut, comb, or color the customer’s hair any way they like using various tools such as scissors, electric hair trimmer, and color sprays. Kids have new characters to choose from, new tools to use, new hair types and textures, more coloring options and more accessories.
Kids can learn to use their imagination to create hairstyles digitally on Toca Hair Salon. The characters will laugh, smile, and make other facial expressions and sounds as kids work on their hair.
Rating:
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
Related: Educational Games
16. Coding Games For Kids To Play
Kidlo Coding is a fun coding game to teach kids the very basics of programming, an essential skill in today's world. Coding Games for kids introduces coding concepts to young children through the use of sequential visual coding. The app teaches coding with 50+ fun games and encourages children to solve problems, improve logical thinking and increase their memory in a fun and interactive environment.
Games for kids introduces coding concepts to young children through the use of sequential visual coding. The app teaches coding with 50+ fun games and encourages children to solve problems, improve logical thinking and increase their memory in a fun and interactive environment. The app has over 1000+ levels to teach the basic programming concepts, however, this is the paid version and not the free version which has its limitations. The app covers the following coding topics: sequences, loops, functions and arrays.
Rating:
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android
17. Mussila Music School
Musilla Musical School is one of the best app for kids to learn the basics of music.
This beautifully presented app explores the adventures of the Mussila band on a musical journey. Kids can help them find instruments, costumes and create their own music. The app is based on a music curriculum and the kids progresses through skill building levels such as recognising instruments, instrumental sounds, rhythm and melodies.
Kids can learn and hone beginning piano skills as they practice simple songs and hone their sight-reading skills. They can practice techniques as they play with each hand and then both hands together, and they can ramp up to more intermediate skills such as chords and arpeggios. Kids can also learn consistent practice habits as they earn stars and level up based on their performance.
Rating:
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Devices: iPhone, iPad, Android