The Best Free Kids Learning Apps
We live in the information age, where people of all ages with an Internet connection can access increasingly popular online learning opportunities. With more and more educational content available every day, it can be hard to find the best kids learning apps. With the right learning apps, kids can learn a foreign language, cognitive skills, or even programming languages.
Forty-four percent of adults believe that kids learn the same or better with online learning compared to physical classrooms. Once you find the best kids learning apps, you will never run out of educational resources for your kids. This guide has all the information you need to help kids learn effectively online, including the best free kids learning apps.
What Is a Kids Learning App?
A kids learning app is an online educational program with a collection of activities for kids to learn a variety of subjects. Learning apps for kids use interactive games, cute animals, and catchy songs for a learning style appropriate for kids. You can use learning apps for kids on a computer, mobile phone, or tablet.
Why Do People Use Kids Learning Apps?
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Parents, guardians, and classroom teachers use kids learning apps to give kids an individual learning experience. The average classroom size in some states is over 30 students, and some kids require additional attention. Learning apps can help kids learn basic vocabulary, reasoning skills, math skills, and critical thinking skills through educational videos and fun games.
How the Best Kids Learning Apps Can Help Your Child Learn
The best kids learning apps have unique features with adaptive learning paths targeted to different skill levels and learning styles. Most apps use interactive games tailored to different child developmental stages to make learning fun for kids. For older kids, a high school coding or data camp might be more appropriate.
Educational games
Kids learning apps help kids learn through interactive games. Educational games foster emotional learning and social skills and improve student participation. Kids learn key skills and are encouraged to take risks.
Bite-sized lessons
Kids learning apps are great at teaching basic concepts in an easy way for kids to follow. Apps teach concepts through engaging methods like interactive stories. Lessons are designed for different ages and grade levels.
Endless resources
With kids learning apps you’ll never run out of new content. There are apps for art activities and apps to learn about the periodic table. Whatever your kid is interested in, there is a lesson available.
The 10 Best Kids Learning Apps: Overview
| App | Availability | Notable Features | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABCmouse.com | iOS, Android, Amazon App Store | Educational videos, quizzes | $12.99/month |
| Busy Shapes | iOS, Android | Colorful, engaging games | $2.99 |
| Duolingo | iOS, Android | Many language options, audio and oral exercises | $0 – $9.99/month |
| Epic! | iOS, Android | Contains over 40,000 digital books for learning how to read | $0 – $9.99 |
| Google Arts and Culture | iOS, Android | Virtual travel and sight-seeing to museums, access to in-depth information on subject matters | Free |
| Hopscotch | iOS | Coding lessons, progress tracking | Free |
| Khan Academy | iOS, Android | Wide variety of subjects for kids of all ages | Free |
| Prodigy | iOS, Android | Math games, progress tracking | $0 – $9.95/month |
| Quizlet | iOS, Android | Creates study flashcards, true or false and multiple-choice tests | $0 – $35.99/year |
| Stop, Breathe, and Think | iOS, Android | Social-emotional learning tools, ADHD-specific content | $0 – $9.99/month |
The Best Kids Learning Apps to Make Your Life Easier
Parents want the best learning experiences for their kids, which is why we have compiled the best kids learning apps available for every age range and skill level. These apps have different specialties and features, giving you a wide variety of options.
ABCmouse.com | $12.99/month
- Best Feature of Paid Version: Progress tracking
- Biggest Downside of Paid Version: Can be too easy for children
ABCmouse.com offers quality interactive lessons for kids two through eight years old. Super simple songs and interactive stories with cute animals keep kids engaged in math, reading, and science lessons. Kids can track their own progress, which is great motivation for them to keep learning.
Busy Shapes | $2.99
- Best Feature of Paid Version: Interactive learning
- Biggest Downside of Paid Version: Long loading time
Busy Shapes is a highly intuitive app for toddlers and preschoolers to learn the names of shapes and colors. Kids drag and drop shapes and colors in the right spaces, triggering an audio narration of the correct name. Busy Shapes is available on the Apple app store for $2.99 a month, while the basic version is free for a month.
Duolingo | $0 – $9.99/month
- Best Feature of Paid Version: No ads
- Biggest Downside of Paid Version: Only for beginners
Duolingo is a language learning app where anyone can learn a variety of languages in a fun and interactive way. The basic version of Duolingo teaches grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation through lessons and quizzes. The premium version of Duolingo gives an ad-free experience and lets you continue learning with unlimited mistakes.
Epic! | $0 – $9.99/month
- Best Feature of Paid Version: Thousands of books and added features
- Biggest Downside of Paid Version: Reports of some age-inappropriate content
Epic! is a subscription-based platform where kids can learn to read. Epic! contains over 40,000 digital books, audiobooks, and videos in different subjects to help kids learn to love reading. Epic! is designed for ages 12 and younger, and you can try the first month for free.
Prodigy | $0 – $9.95/month
- Best Feature of Paid Version: Exclusive game areas
- Biggest Downside of Paid Version: Excessive screen time
Prodigy is an interactive program with simple games that help kids learn math from first to fifth grade. The app uses an algorithm to create an individualized adaptive learning path for each child. The paid version of Prodigy allows parents to track their kids’ progress and improve the immersion of the learning experience.
Stop, Breathe, and Think | $0 – $9.99/month
- Best Feature of Paid Version: Guided journaling
- Biggest Downside of Paid Version: Excessive screen time
Stop, Breathe, and Think is an app for kids with anxiety and ADHD, designed to help with emotional development. The basic version offers guided meditations, and the paid version includes guided journaling and yoga sessions to help users stay calm and develop emotional regulation skills.
Quizlet | $0 – $35.99/year
- Best Feature of Paid Version: Offline access and no ads
- Biggest Downside of Paid Version: Only learning through memorization
Quizlet is an app that helps students learn self-directed study as one of the most effective platforms for reviewing materials that students have tests on. Quizlet offers a personalized study experience that helps students track their progress and identify their weak areas. There are millions of study sets by other users made available to match your study needs.
The Best Free Kids Learning Apps
Many kids learning apps are totally free to use while still offering great content. Here are some of the best free kids learning apps.
Google Arts and Culture
- Best Feature: Intuitive search engine
- Biggest Downside: Requires internet access to view galleries
Google Arts and Culture is a powerful search engine that helps users virtually visit museums all over the world. You can browse artwork or cultural exhibits. Google Arts and Culture partners with museums to provide beautiful images and in-depth information about each exhibit.
Hopscotch
- Best Feature: Drag and drop commands
- Biggest Downside: Available only on iOS
Hopscotch is a free coding app that teaches kids ages 10 to 16 how to code in bite-sized lessons. Kids learn to program so they can make games and share them with the world. This approach builds confidence in kids to attempt more challenging programming.
Khan Academy
- Best Feature: Wide range of subjects for all school-age kids
- Biggest Downside: Less interactive than face-to-face tutoring
Khan Academy is considered the gold standard of educational apps for its wide range of subjects, quality of content, and wide age range. Khan Academy is popular among classroom teachers, students, and parents for its in-depth, digestible videos that focus on visual learning.
Which of the Best Kids Learning Apps Should I Choose?
Khan Academy is quite possibly the best online learning platform available, with several commendable qualities. Teachers, students, and parents trust Khan Academy for in-depth lessons accessible for all ages. Khan Academy offers numerous lessons covering a wide variety of subjects, which is why it is a go-to learning app for anyone.
On top of all these qualities, Khan Academy is also completely free to any user with Internet access. Another free platform worth getting is Google Arts and Culture. It is a great way to learn more about other cultures worldwide through immersive visuals.
Best Kids Learning Apps FAQ
A disadvantage to kids learning apps is that it increases screen time for children, which is a concern for many parents. Learning apps are a great way to supplement classroom learning, but they aren’t a substitute for in-person learning.
Online classes connect teachers and students in an online environment without the need for in-person communication. Online learning is one part of the future of education, and it is important to understand how online classes work to get the most out of the experience.
While some kids learning apps are free, most of them have a download cost or monthly subscription fee. Initial download costs typically range from $1 to $4, while subscriptions range from $5 to $20 per month.
Most learning apps have parental control apps that give you the ability to monitor your child’s activity on their learning devices. Parents can use these apps to control screen time and limit the use of apps that might not be age-appropriate.
