With multiple learning apps in the market, finding the best from the lot becomes challenging. So, here is the list of best learning apps for kids on iPhones and iPad.
1. ABCmouse.com – Editor’s Choice
Learning does not follow a linear path that is universal for all. Each child has their way of looking at things. ABCmouse.com understands this and offers a dedicated learning path for every child based on age and academic prowess. This learning app gives an exhaustive online curriculum for pre-K, kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. The portal adopts an intuitive learning pedagogy to educate your tiny tots about different subjects. In addition, the curriculum involves learning through online books, puzzles, songs, games, art projects, and printables. Each lesson path is set in a different ecosystem and includes 10 levels and more than 850 lessons. Also, ABCmouse.com lets your kid create an avatar with an exciting appearance. As your child completes a task, they get rewarded with tickets, redeemable for digital prizes. Besides learning, ABCmouse.com houses sections where children can immerse themselves in over 10,000 fun games and activities. Moreover, the app records the trajectory of your child’s learning. So you can easily understand your kid’s strengths and weaknesses. Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $7.99)
Step-by-step learning paths Multiple subjects, including science, maths, etc. Virtual rewards boost confidence Create virtual avatars
Incentives can distract kids
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2. Google Arts and Culture – Learn as you explore
Is your little one a globe trotter? Then, surprise them with the gift of the Google Arts and Culture app. This popular app hoards a valuable treasure of stories and rich knowledge of more than 2,000 cultural legacies from across 80 distinct countries. From stories about women’s rights to performing arts at the Paris Opera to NASA’s collection of panoramic images- you get everything on Google Arts and Culture. The app lets your child run their artistic dreams wild. For instance, they can transform any random photo into an art piece using classic artwork. In addition, with the Google Arts and Culture app, your kid can visit the most renowned places across the globe virtually. This becomes possible because of the virtual, expert-guided tours. Watch your kid travel through time and enjoy art and places up close. Apart from all this, Google Arts and Culture let you save and group your artwork into dedicated galleries. You can then share your favorite galleries with friends and family. Also, with the translate option, you can help your kid access text about exhibitions in your native language. Further, the app lets you find information about museums or exhibitions near you. Price: Free
Virtual tours to famous landmarks Create classic art pieces 360-degree videos supported Provides information about nearby exhibitions
Complicated app functionality
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3. Duolingo – Go multilingual
Duolingo shines as one of the best language-learning apps for kids. The online platform has been in the market for a long and currently enjoys unbelievable popularity among language learners. With its kid-friendly interface, Duolingo can help your kid gain expertise in 40+ languages of their choice. The app gives plenty of opportunities to gain an edge over a language. The learning methodology adopted by Duolingo is designed by experts and is very effective. You can learn to speak, read, listen, or write any language in a fun-filled way. Additionally, the quick, bite-sized lessons offered by the app play an essential role in building vocabulary and polishing knowledge of important grammar rules. Scientific teaching practices will help your kid to retain the knowledge for a long. Visual learning support on Duolingo makes it a perfect pick for children. This comes from the fact that children easily understand visual content compared to audio lectures. Further, the platform lets you track your kid’s progress as they participate in learning goals and earn juicy rewards. Also, you can keep your kid motivated by encouraging them to join Leaderboards. Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $4.99)
Bite-size learning games The scientific method ensures retention Easy progress tracking Strong global community
More focus on English
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4. LEGO DUPLO WORLD – Learn with games
Learning while having fun is the core ideology working behind LEGO DUPLO WORLD. By offering intuitive learning experiences, the app encourages your kid to keep learning. The open-ended activities featuring human characters, vehicles, animals, buildings, etc., unravel the creative side of your little one. All the activities target the most important learning goals for toddlers and preschoolers. The portal works with the Headstart Early Learning Outcomes Framework, ensuring age compliance and the development needs of 2-to-5-year-olds. Your kids can actively participate in multiple scenes, learn how things work, and play with them. Moreover, by creating interesting structures using 3D bricks, the kids can give wings to their creative skills. LEGO DUPLO WORLD supports a collaborative learning experience where parents can actively participate in games and learning adventures with their kids. The Multi-Touch feature offers a perfect solution for some quality family time. The app provides an array of play packs like number train, doctor doctor!, animal adventure, market fair, cars, family camping, and others. Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $3.99)
Intuitive learning experience Perfect for kids aged 2 to 5 Creative activities involving 3D bricks Learn as your play
Monotonous content
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5. Quizlet – Learning through flashcards
Quizlet offers the simplest way to learn, practice, and gain expertise across multiple fields. The platform uses flashcards to help your kid hone their knowledge and skills in their area of interest. Your child can create flashcards or pick one from the pool of over 500 million flashcard sets available on the app. FYI, all the in-app flashcards are designed by teachers and students. With Quizlet’s scientific study tools, your child can retain the vocabulary and develop knowledge of the main concepts from their course. Moreover, they can practice questions or problems before the test day to boost their confidence. The app comes packed with intuitive features and supports images, diagrams, languages, and audio uploads. It is perfect for self-paced and rote learning practices. The content library on Quizlet is full of material related to important subjects like medicine, law, math, language learning, etc. In addition, the Quizlet Learn feature, limited to paid users, helps you set goals for your kids and guides them in achieving them systematically. There is also a feature named Quizlet Live which allows educators to create games for a group of learners to play together. Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $7.99)
Effective learning through flashcards Scientific study tools Over 500 million flashcard sets Quizlet Live for educators
Encourages rote learning
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6. Montessori Preschool – Practical life learning app
Kindergarten is one of the foundation years for any child. The Montessori Preschool app can be your best pick if your kid is in this stage. This app is designed for kids aged 3 to 7 years and has a strong portfolio of interesting activities across multiple realms. There is specialized content in math, language, art, and practical life aligned with the kids’ interests in the said age category. Kids can quickly learn basic mathematical concepts, geometric shapes, practice handwriting and spelling, and do other fun activities. The app houses mini-games like I Spy, cards to match letter sounds, learning maths with golden beads, and preaching life skills in the classroom. In addition, the kids get nursery rhymes, reading lessons, drawing/coloring options, AR/3D play activities, etc. Everyday activities like dusting, petting, plant care, etc., also form a part of the curriculum. There are rewards for every achievement of your kid to keep them motivated. Though created by certified Montessori teachers and focused on the Montessori way of learning, this app benefits even those who are new to this concept. Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $4.99)
Montessori way of teaching-learning Activities related to practical life Multiple intuitive activities
Misleading subscriptions
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7. Smart Tales – Stories for educating kids
As the name suggests, Smart Tales revolves around stories. Yes, the app is designed to expose the kids to STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) using engaging stories and animations. The methodology focuses on helping the kids develop their critical skills, problem-solving expertise, and understanding of scientific concepts — everything in a fun and kid-friendly way. Within the Smart Tales ecosystem, topics are in the form of interactive lesson pages. In addition, a voiceover guides the children at each step and encourages them to participate in activities. With a simple tap, the app unlocks a magical world of learning that uses storytelling and games. FYI, the games change every time the kid plays them, so they would never feel bored. All the stories are written by educational experts, teachers, and speech therapists, ensuring they align with the mentality of kids. Further, the content also covers important social themes like friendship, empathy, environmental protection, etc. The tiny tots will like the fun learning experience on this platform. Price: Free
Focused on STEM subjects Voiceover support for guidance Fun games after each lesson Animations for better understanding
Less innovative content
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8. Hopscotch – Perfect app for young coders
If your child is a tech-lover, they are going to like Hopscotch. With this child-friendly programming app, your kid can create interactive games they can play or share on the app’s community. The app allows them to code everything they want – games, art, stories, etc. Moreover, the Hopscotch coding app works for everyone- beginner or advanced programmers. The platform has a collection of video tutorials that your child can use to ace their coding game. Each lesson is taught interactively by experts. Just play the video and learn to create quickly from it. Additionally, your child can explore the projects created by other kids and seek inspiration. They can tap on any project to play or remix it to create something new. Further, sharing content on Hopscotch is very easy. Whenever your kid creates something unique, you can publish them on the in-house community portal. From there, your kid’s product will be accessible to play and use for all. Your kid can start their coding journey from this app and soon create applaud-worthy projects. Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $7.99)
Good for first-time coders Millions of projects to explore Animations help in concept understanding
Issues in managing parental controls
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9. Endless Learning Academy – Age-focused learning plans
Endless Learning Academy is one of the best education apps for kids offering an interactive educational experience. Designed for 2-6-year-olds, this app provides a cluster of lesson modules, animations, and engaging learning activities. The content available on the app covers important domains, including vocabulary, maths, reading, emotions, music, art, counting, sequences, coloring, and many others. The portal offers a detailed video lesson list to ensure your child understands every concept easily. In addition, the customizable lesson plans work in sync with your child’s progress. For instance, the next level or advanced lessons are unlocked only when the learner is ready. For this, parents can review individual lessons or all the lesson plans. The strategically planned learning saves your kid from mental stress. Through interactive lessons, the kids experience a new side of learning that does not rely on rote learning. Further, a Freeplay mode allows kids to keep their focus on the most essential subjects by practicing them more. Also, you can use this app offline. Price: Free
7-day free trial Multiple subjects covered Progressive lesson modules Animations for interactive learning
Limited new content
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10. Swift Playgrounds – Programming made easy
Swift Playgrounds gives your child a fun way to learn to code and create real apps. The little one can experiment with intuitive challenges and samples that rekindle their interest in coding. Apple makes all the lessons to guide the learners through the main programming concepts. Your kids will love the cool 3D space they can control with their fingers. While many apps require you to have the foundational knowledge of coding as a pre-requisite, Swift Playground does not have such requirements. The app adopts an easy-to-learn strategy to expose the kids to coding and programming. For instance, animations introduce the learner to a new concept. They are then moved to higher levels through puzzles and immersive activities. Moreover, interactive coding shows the outcome of the code simultaneously as your kid enters the commands. This helps them to make corrections instantly. In addition, Swift Playgrounds lets your child turn their ideas into real-life apps using the SwiftUI. The app offers a glossary and help pages whenever the child gets stuck in a code. They can even share their creations with friends. Price: Free
Interactive puzzles for coding and programming Suitable for beginners Guided assistance through animations
Constant crashes
Download Wrapping up Online learning has become quite popular, with easy access to resources. Kids today like experimenting with technology and gadgets. So, this list featuring the best learning apps for kids might unravel a new side of your little genius. Do share your experience with these apps in the comments section. Read more:
Best iPhone and iPad games for kids Super cool interactive iPad game apps for kids Best Kids Apps for iPhone and iPad