I am always looking for fun and motivating ways to get the kids involved in learning and one thing that has helped are the numerous available free educational apps in today’s technologically driven world! The kids surely don’t get to sit on my phone or iPad all day, but I have found many apps that have helped to incorporate some learning in downtime. As I see times that the kids struggle with a different concept, it’s always helped to use a different spin by using an app that focuses on their struggle. On the flip side, with my son being in PreK and being exposed to a ton of new concepts, it’s great to reiterate some of the things he’s learning through not just workbooks and printables, but interactive apps I have found as well! When it seems like a game while the kids are learning, they love to keep pushing themselves. And that makes this Mommy happy!
Top FREE Educational Apps for Kids
Arcademics is a mix between Arcade and Academic fun! Originally a great website, they now also have an app available for iPhones or Androids, which you can find on the website. Find wonderful games including math games, language arts games, and geography games that are broken down by grade. It’s so customizable for each of your children!
Endless Readers (which also provides the apps Endless Numbers and Endless Letters) is SO much fun. It is one of my son’s favorite apps and he loves to see which word is going to come up next for him to work on. Introducing sight words for younger kids, it’s such a fun way with monsters to get them familiar with the words that will help them establish reading success!
Sight Words for Reading is another great sight word app to help your kiddos with reading comprehension. Set up with fun graphics and videos, it will keep them interested and excited about learning to read and understanding what the different words mean!
Everyone remembers Reading Rainbow from their childhood, right?! Well I do, and I remember loving that show so much while it taught me to read and be excited about it! Now, there is a Reading Rainbow app to do that same thing for our own children! Find an unlimited library of great books to read with your kids or to set them off on their own adventures.
Math 42 helps students from 5th to 12th grade with a multitude of math problems. I love how students can have this help at their fingertips now! It includes step-by-step solutions, along with different practice tests kids can take to boost their confidence before the real deal. I know lots of parents who aren’t too comfortable with the math homework their kids are bringing home, so what a great app to help our kiddos!
Video Science is such a SUPER fun way for not only your kids to get excited about science, but for you to work hand-in-hand with them on creating some pretty cool science experiments with the videos of this app leading the way! Check out tons of fun different ways to bring science into your kid’s life and to teach them some pretty neat stuff in the process!
Who doesn’t love Bill Nye The Science Guy?!?! Bill Nye is an excellent science teacher who really knows how to bring science topics to life for kids. This app is no exception. From cool optical illusions woven into a storyline about alien invasion to a video game-like planetary adventure to DIY at-home science experiments, kids will find something to love about science on this app!
I don’t know about you, but I have a little guy who is absolutely obsessed with robots! Actually, he is obsessed with building different things from any kind of material he can get his hands on. So this Robots for iPad app is totally right up his alley! He can check out the most advanced robots on the planet with 360 degree views, interactive images, detailed specs, exclusive articles and hundred of photos and videos. He gets to learn how robots work and who knows… it might just have him develop into that engineer he may just become in the future!
This Hooked on Phonics app is based on the award-winning Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read system. Millions of kids have learned to read using Hooked on Phonics. With music, games, lessons, and stories, HOOKED ON PHONICS: LEARN TO READ is the simplest, most effective and most fun way to learn to read. Kiddos will enjoy songs, games and interactive entertainment in a style that has never been seen before in an educational app. Best of all, at the end of every lesson there is a story that kids will be able to read to their parents!
Practice English Grammar is a great app to help your kids improve their English grammar now with more than 1000 questions, 750+ flashcards and 100+ games. They can learn by doing & tracking their progress! This is perfect for your older kids who need some help but aren’t into the younger games and images that other reading and grammar apps have. It’s also a perfect app for you to stay up-to-date on their progress so you can help them focus on the areas that they may need a little extra help in. Awesome!
The Kids Numbers and Math app is free right now for Androids with a small fee on iPhones. Help your preschool and early elementary school children learn their numbers and master basic arithmetic skills. Made with brightly designed, pleasantly narrated number recognition and math games made with little hands and budding mathematicians in mind it promises to keep your child’s attention with kid-friendly backgrounds including hot air balloons, orchards, and an old-fashioned black board.
The ABC Ninja app is an exciting educational game that helps kids rapidly learn their letters by sight, sound, and touch. The interface is so easy to use that even smaller children will delight in using this app and I’m always happy to get my 2-year old exposed to things that will be coming up quickly for her!
This Periodic Table of the Elements app is great for the higher grade student you may have who struggles with learning all of the elements. I’m honestly so jealous that kids get to use these great tools to help them learn in different and exciting ways. I sure wish these types of items would have been available when I was in high school! Not only does this show the entire table, but it also color codes items, and when you click on an element, all of the information regrading that element is displayed for further learning potential. There is even a temperature feature that can be used! Just change the temperature on an element and watch to see what happens in the different states. How cool!
Check out this fun Madagascar Math Ops that is available for Androids! I have a big Madagascar fan in my house and he absolutely loves having familiar characters walk him through different math concepts. Explore thousands of math problems ranging from 1st grade to 4th grade, consistent with the core educational standards for Mathematics. Practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with 3 difficulty modes. This one will be around for a long time!
Sight Words is great for toddlers and Preschoolers, of which I have two, so trust me, I know! They love this one! It’s an exciting educational game that helps your child rapidly learn to recognize and read words by sight, sound, and touch. You can even use your own voice recording on this app so they are learning different words with Mommy and Daddy’s voices! I love that! You can also add different pictures around the house or items that your kids love into the games, and they’ll stay engaged through the fun and personal additions! What a great app for my little beginning readers.
This Phonics Genius app has over 6,000 words grouped into 200 categories by phonics sounds. This app is awesome to teach phonic awareness! One of the best ways to rapidly learn how to speak, read, and recognize words is through phonic awareness. This app is specifically designed to help students recognize and distinguish words by sounds!
The Duolingo app is great for learning Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, and English. What a great resource for your child who may be learning a different language! And what a great way for you to catch on and help them as a parent, as well! Learn side-by-side and have fun 🙂
Starfall is a great app for a child who may be struggling to read. Looking for something to ensure your child has additional resources available that can help? Look no further! With books, puzzles, songs, and seasonal activities, this is going to keep your child motivated to keep pushing through those hard times!
There you have it! No matter what type of device you use, this list will get you started on keeping your kids interested in learning and having fun while doing it! The key is moderation and to always be involved in how your kids are spending time on devices. With that in mind, the sky is the limit on helping your child move forward in their educational goals!
Do you have additional suggestions for Free Educational Apps that you have used in your family and absolutely loved? If so, please comment below and share the good! 🙂
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