Do you know which are the best learning apps for your kids? How about the worst? Today we’re going to review 9 popular kids learning apps and decide which one is the best and which is the worst. Read on to find out!
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Kids Learning Apps – Khan Academy Kids
First up, a very popular kids learning app for kids ages 2 to 8 called Khan Academy Kids. This is a completely free kids learning app with no ads. To get started you just enter your email address, put in your child’s name and age, and they’re ready to go.
The lessons are short and easy to follow and guide your children along a learning path that adapts to your child as they complete the activities. At the end of the lessons your child picks a “prize” which is fun for little kids to keep them engaged.
Your child will learn about math, reading, writing, colors, sorting, and all the early learning skills you would expect from an early learning app. If your child doesn’t want to do the learning path, they can also choose any activity they want from the library. You can also access a library of free printables on the Khan Kids website.
Khan Academy Kids is available for Apple, Google and Amazon devices. The app is very easy for a small child to follow, and they switch up the activities to keep kids interested in learning. The learning path is always available to start the next lesson by tapping the play button on the home screen. If they tap the library button, there are books, videos, drawing, letters, reading, math, logic, and some offline activities. You can sort a lot of these by grade level as well.
This app seems like a lot of fun, but my children all seemed less interested in it than some of the other kids learning apps. It gets great reviews from other parents though, so it might just be my kids. I like the simplicity of it, the fact that it’s completely free, and that there are no ads to worry about. We also didn’t notice any glitches and the app did not crash while we were using it, which cannot be said for all of the apps on this list!
Kids Academy
Next on the list, a kids learning app you may not have heard of called Kids Academy. Kids Academy is a learning program for kids from age 2 to 10. It’s a great program to consider if you’re interested in giving your kids a head start on learning, but it doesn’t come free.
This program is $19.99 a month, although like most subscription programs, you can save by signing up for quarterly or annual billing. They are offering a free 7 day trial right now, and you can get that by visiting their website. If you want to go directly to the app, it’s called Kids Academy Talented and Gifted, and is available for both IOS and Android devices.
The lessons consist of videos, in-app worksheets, games and quizzes. They offer lessons in math, reading, science, social studies, and even chess. Your child will complete the lessons and progress on the learning path where they will develop their skills. The company claims just 15 minutes a day is all your child needs to remain on track with their learning.
It’s very simple for the parent to set up, and you can change your child’s grade level at any time. You can also have multiple profiles so that different kids can play it at the same time on different devices. You will also get updates by email about your child’s progress.
I didn’t think we were going to like this app because it seemed kind of complicated at first especially for my little ones. I also noticed it crashed quite a few times and my kids kept asking for help when that happened. And the price is probably the highest on this list of kids learning apps. However, it seemed to be one of the favorites for my twins, which is unfortunate because I really do not want to have to spend that kind of money to keep this app. I’m hoping they forget about it!
Kids Learning Apps for Reading – Duolingo ABC
Next up, a free app to help kids learn how to read. Duolingo ABC is an app that teaches phonics, handwriting, sight words and vocabulary in a fun app for kids that is 100% free and available to download for both IOS and Android devices. If your kids watch A for Adley on Youtube, they might have seen the family trying this app out in one of the episodes.
You can set up multiple child profiles so your kids can all use this app at the same time, and just like Khan Academy Kids, this kids learning app is completely free and has no ads. Unlike some of the other apps on this list, Duolingo ABC is just for reading. That makes it pretty simple to use because it focuses on just one thing. Setting it up is very simple, just put in your child’s name and age and they’re ready to go.
Since Duolingo is a learning to read app, you can assume it’s for the younger group of kids. The app is recommended for kids from PreK through 2nd grade, which was perfect for my 3 year olds to try out.
I liked this app because my kids needed minimal help with it. My 3 year old twins definitely do not know their letters yet but that’s kind of the whole point of the app. I didn’t have to help them, because the app is helping them the way it’s designed. And its very simple so they didn’t need help figuring out what to do next. My daughter Willa really liked this one and wanted to play it over and over, which is great because it’s free, so it’s definitely a keeper!
Prodigy Math
If you’re looking for a fun way for your 1st through 8th grader to improve their math skills, here is a really neat app for you that can also be played on a computer – Prodigy Math. This is sort of an adventure, Pokémon type game that incorporates math into it. And it can be played completely free, although they do encourage you to have a membership to unlock certain benefits.
Your child plays this like an actual adventure or RPG type of a game, traveling through a virtual world and battling different creatures. During battles, math questions will pop up that your child needs to answer in order to get more battle points. It’s a pretty cool concept, and it’s even used by schools. The game is really fun, I even enjoyed playing it.
If your child ends up loving it and you want to buy a membership, you have 2 options, level up or ultimate. The level up membership is $9.95 a month or $74.95 a year and includes exclusive gear, additional pets, and additional game areas for your kids to explore, plus parent upgrades such as goal setting, and progress tracking. The ultimate membership is $14.95 a month or $99.95 a year and includes everything in the level up membership, plus additional in game rewards and goals.
Related – https://eschooled.com/online-homeschooling-programs/
This kids learning app is really fun and different, and definitely grabbed my 8 year old daughter’s attention. It wasn’t long before she was asking me for the upgraded membership, which I was happy to pay for because she can definitely use some extra math practice! Like some other kids learning apps, this seemed to be more playing than learning, and more math practice than teaching, but it’s definitely a keeper for us.
It did have one glitch where if the phone screen locked while my daughter had the app open, we had to close and re open it, which was a pain. We got around that by extending the time until the screen locks, but I’m not sure if that is an issue with the app or just our device.
Kids Learning App With Familiar Nick Junior Characters – Noggin
If your kid watches any shows on Nick Junior, you may have heard of Noggin. This is a learning app designed for kids from ages 2 to 7, and includes some of the characters from popular kids shows like Peppa Pig, Blues Clues and Paw Patrol.
Noggin includes games, books and shows with no ads, but unfortunately it isn’t free. They do have a 30 day free trial. After that it’s $7.99 a month, or you can get 25% off by signing up for a full year. We were already paying for this app because it has some of the older Nick Junior shows that my kids still like to watch and can’t find on other streaming services, but I didn’t realize it had learning games as part of it too.
They have several learning games for kids to learn about shapes, numbers, letters, animals and more, all featuring familiar nick junior characters. They also have a section called “big hearts” with a focus on teaching empathy, problem solving and feelings.
As for me, I like that this has all the Nick Junior characters because my kids do like watching these shows. And I’ll keep the app simply because it has a lot of those shows that are no longer available on our regular streaming service. As for learning, the games seem engaging and fun, but they don’t have a learning path like some of the other apps. So your kids can pick a game to play or a show to watch, but there’s not really any order to it. So overall it’s a very nice app, but I wouldn’t put it at the top of the list for an actual kids learning app.
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ABC Mouse
No list of learning apps would be complete without mentioning ABC Mouse, so here goes. Unless you have no access to technology yourself (which you must if you’re reading this article) you’ve heard of ABC Mouse. This was actually one of the first educational programs that I used with my oldest daughter, and she used it for quite a while. Definitely longer than she stuck with most other homeschooling apps or websites that we’ve tried over the years.
ABC Mouse is an educational program for kids ages 2 to 8 that teaches reading, math, science, art and colors in a fun and interactive learning environment that can be accessed on computers, tablets and smart phones. They are offering a one month free trial which you can get here, and after that the cost is $12.99 a month, which really isn’t bad for what they offer. Or you can save a lot by purchasing a full year for only $45, which is a really good value.
ABC Mouse is a little more complicated than some of the other apps on the list because there is so much included in the app. Your child will progress on their learning path and earn tickets for each activity, which can be redeemed for items, such as furniture and pets. One of the things I remember most about it is my daughter spending hours playing with the virtual pets and not doing so much learning. But you need to complete the learning activities in order to get more tickets to spend, so it’s a good concept that motivates kids to learn.
Remembering how much my oldest loved ABC Mouse, I really wanted the twins to love it too, and I was willing to pay for it. Unfortunately, I think they may just be a little too young for it just yet. It didn’t seem to hold their attention like some of the other apps. Maybe we’ll try again in another year, because I really do believe this is an excellent learning program.
Homer Kids Learning App
Next on our list, an app you may not have heard of called Homer. This is an early learning program for kids ages 2 to 8 that teaches skills in all the areas you would expect from an early learning app. This is another safe and add free app, but this one is not free to use.
It costs $12.99 a month with the option to cancel at any time, or $79.99 for the yearly option. They do have a 30 day free trial that you can get by visiting their website, which is better than most of the other free trial offers out there.
The Homer app includes video lessons, over 1000 activities and a printable workbook for offline activities. The lessons are personalized based on your child’s age, and is designed for your kids to be able to play independently without assistance from parents. They also have a parent insights section where you can see your child’s time spent on the app and their progress
I really like this app a lot. It’s a good price point and it’s simple for the younger kids to use. I’m hoping my twins will start using this one exclusively and I can get rid of some of the other kids learning apps.
Code Spark
Most of the kids learning apps on this list focus on learning math, reading, and the other basic subjects that are normally taught in school. But there’s a kids learning app called Code Spark that teaches coding skills for kids ages 5 to 10. This app offers a 7 day free trial, and after that it’s either $15 a month or $90 a year, with access for up to 3 kids.
My oldest daughter is really into playing games like Roblox and Minecraft, so I figured a coding app would be perfect for her. I’ve actually been looking into getting coding classes for her. So I had her test this app out. I tried to sit with her and understand what was going on, but I have to admit I really couldn’t follow it. Maybe if I started it from the beginning. But it seemed to be holding my daughter’s interest just fine. After a short time she was already showing me little games she made. I think this one may be a keeper.
The app is designed to teach basic coding skills which will allow them to create their own games and share them with other kids. If your kids like to play video games and are interested in how games are created, this could be the app for you!
My daughter really liked this app and I’d rather have her learning something if she’s going to be playing games anyway. I’m happy to pay to keep this subscription as long as it keeps her interest. I think in todays world, coding is a great skill to have, so why not start early and make it fun? We didn’t notice any issues with this app, and my daughter couldn’t wait to show me and her dad the games she was making.
Lingo Kids
Finally, the last app on our list is called Lingo Kids. This is a game based learning app for kids ages 2 to 8 and is available on the App Store, Google Play and Amazon. There are over 1200 activities for kids in math and science, reading and literacy and even engineering, technology and life skills. They offer a free trial after which this app will cost $13.49 a month, or you can save by purchasing the yearly option.
This app is very similar to some of the other early learning apps on this list, with a mixture of videos, games and songs all designed to help your child have fun while learning. The learning games are short and they change it up to keep your child’s interest. They also allow you to set a screen time limit for the app. Just like the other apps on this list, you can add multiple children to the same account.
They also offer printable worksheets so your child can engage in some offline activities. There’s a progress center where you can keep track of your child’s learning and progress in the different areas. Even though from the main screen it looks like there’s not really any rhyme or reason for the activities that are chosen, you can see in the curriculum section that they do have a plan.
I like the Lingo Kids app a lot for the younger kids, but I’m not crazy about having to pay for it, so we will see if the kids keep playing it or not. One thing I noticed that might appeal to some parents is they include a neurodiverse content section, which I did not notice on the other kids learning apps. This app did not have any glitches that we noticed and didn’t crash while we were using it.
Which Were the Best and Worst Kids Learning Apps?
So there you have it, 9 popular kids learning apps that you may or may not have heard about. So which is the best and which is the worst? Let’s talk about it.
For an all inclusive learning app for the younger kids, I really liked Homer the best. It didn’t crash, the twins stayed interested and didn’t need my help, and I like that they have the reports for parents. The price is the same as ABC Mouse and they have the same 30 day free trial which is really nice. The app is just a lot more simple to use than something like ABC Mouse, and that was important to keep my 3 year-olds engaged.
For a learning to read app, Duolingo ABC was great. It’s totally free, has no ads, and did not crash at all. It was very simple and that made it easy for my twins to use without help, and I think I was my daughter Willa’s favorite out of all the kids learning apps we tried.
For older kids, Code Spark was the best one on the list, because it teaches something different and interesting while still being a lot of fun to play. I think we will be keeping this for my daughter Peyton for sure.
Now let’s talk about the worst kids learning apps. Unfortunately, even though it was probably my son Trey’s favorite, I can’t recommend Kids Academy, simply because it crashes a lot, which you would not expect from an app that costs almost $20 a month. It’s the most expensive on the list. They also are supposed to have reporting for parents, and while they do send you an email, there is no way to check progress in real time. It just says “coming soon” in the app. So I think they have some work to do before I would be able to recommend this app.
Hopefully this helped you learn something about these kids learning apps. Have you tried any of the apps on this list? I’d love to hear about your experiences!
