Top Educational Apps for Kids in 2023 — A Dad’s Guide
The best learning, reading, math, creativity, and just-for-fun apps to supplement your child’s development
This dad’s guide covers the top best educational apps for kids of all ages in 2023. Find reviews of the best apps for learning, reading, math, creativity and just plain fun.
As a dad, I know how important it is to find good, educational apps for my kids. In today’s digital world, apps are a great way to keep them engaged and learning new things. But with millions of apps available, it can be hard to find the right ones.
That’s why I’ve put together this guide on the top app picks for kids. These apps are parent-approved and kid-tested. They cover a range of ages and interests. Whether your child loves science, reading, creativity or just having fun — there’s an app here they’ll enjoy.
Educational Apps
Educational apps are a great way for kids to learn new concepts while having fun. Here are some of my top picks:
Khan Academy Kids
Khan Academy Kids is perfect for preschoolers. It covers reading, math, science, social awareness and more. The app uses cute characters and fun games to keep kids engaged. It also tracks progress so you can see what they’re learning.
Endless Alphabet
Endless Alphabet helps kids learn letters and new words. As they trace letters, adorable monsters appear with words and definitions. The app speaks each word aloud too. This makes it fun for young readers to expand their vocabulary.
Bloom: Build Skills
Bloom covers math, reading, science and more. It uses mini games and rewards to motivate kids. The app adjusts questions based on their skill level. So it keeps them challenged but not frustrated. It’s great for building fundamental skills.
Reading Apps
Fostering a love of reading is so important. These storybook apps make it fun by bringing books to life through animation and interactivity.
Epic! — Kids’ Books and Videos
Epic provides unlimited access to 35,000 high-quality books and videos. Kids can read alone or follow along with narration. There are books covering a wide range of topics to appeal to all interests.
Hooked on Phonics
Hooked on Phonics uses engaging games to teach reading skills. Lessons cover letter sounds, sight words, pronunciation and more. As kids progress, stories become more complex. There are even ebooks available to practice reading.
The Cat in the Hat
Bring Dr. Seuss classics to life! This app features animated, rhyming stories like The Cat in the Hat. Kids can read themselves or follow along as the text is highlighted. The zany characters and rhymes make reading delightful.
Math Apps
Learning math basics early helps ensure kids have a strong foundation. These apps teach concepts like counting, shapes, patterns and more in a hands-on way.
Todo Math
Todo Math offers math lessons for kids ages 2–7. It uses interactive number lines, ten frames and counting games to build skills. The carefully designed curriculum follows math standards for early learners.
DragonBox Big Numbers
Big Numbers helps kids grasp larger math concepts through visuals and puzzles. Kids hatch and combine dragons to build an understanding of place value, addition, subtraction and more. The app scaffolds lessons to avoid frustration.
Prodigy
Prodigy is a fun math game for grades 1–8. Kids battle monsters by solving math problems and get rewards. The app is aligned to curriculum standards. So it reinforces what they learn in school. Parents can track progress too.
Creativity Apps
Apps that spark creativity allow kids to explore and express themselves. They’re also a great outlet when kids have lots of energy to burn!
Toca Life: City
Toca Life is an open-ended app where kids can create their own world. They can build homes, open stores, decorate vehicles and more. Kids can tell imaginative stories with fun characters. The possibilities are endless which makes it engaging.
Draw and Tell
Draw and Tell lets kids make artwork and record narration to create stories. They can use colors, stamps, textures and stickers to turn their ideas into images. It’s a great way for budding artists to express themselves.
PicCollage
PicCollage provides tools for kids to make photo grids, cards, scrapbooks and more. They can add stickers, captions and frames to photos. It taps into their creativity and helps make cherished memories into mementos.
Just-for-Fun Apps
Sometimes you just need an app that will keep your kids happily entertained. These options provide hours of amusement with their cute graphics, silly sounds and light-hearted fun.
Talking Tom
Talking Tom is a virtual pet cat that kids can tickle, poke and play with. He repeats what kids say in a funny voice. There are also mini games and videos to make the app varied and high-energy.
Go Boo!
Go Boo! uses augmented reality to bring a cute ghost into your home. Kids can dress him up, decorate his home, play pranks and more. The 3D graphics look like Boo is bouncing around your house.
Fish School
This app is an underwater adventure that’s fun and relaxing. Kids can learn about sea creatures, play games, decorate fish tanks and more. The soothing setting and low-key gameplay create a nice screen time break.
Choosing the Best Apps
With so many options, choosing the right apps can be tricky. Here are my top tips for picking apps your kids will learn from and love:
- Find parent reviews — Other moms and dads will tell you the pros and cons. Common Sense Media is a great site for these.
- Check the developer — Trusted brands like PBS Kids, Tinybop and Duck Duck Moose have high standards.
- Consider your child’s interests — Will the content appeal to them? This ensures they’ll actually use the app.
- Look for adjustable settings — Ability levels, time limits and sounds/music controls are useful features.
- Confirm it’s age-appropriate — Make sure content aligns with your child’s developmental stage.
- Establish limits — Setting rules around usage time prevents it from becoming a distraction.
The right apps can be a great learning supplement for kids. Hopefully this dad’s guide gives you a head start on finding the top app picks for your children.
Let their interests and creativity lead the way to keep them engaged. And be sure to test apps yourself beforehand so you can feel good about them using it
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