We’re back with this list of best apps for toddlers for healthy screen-time fun! While it is true that according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) tablets and smartphones aren’t the first choice for learning, research shows that even kids as young as 15 months can benefit from the right kind of digital content in moderation. So if you feel the need to pass over your iPhone, iPad or Android tablet to your toddler, you can feel comfortable with the quality of their screen time with these educational apps.
What makes a high-quality toddler app?
There’s a wealth of learning apps on the market today that can teach toddlers and preschoolers vocab, phonics and basic problem-solving. The best apps for preschoolers use simple designs and offer content tailored to their age groups. Many on this list have learning games aimed at developing cognitive skills and knowledge like numbers, shapes and ABCs. And all of them are rated 4+ stars on Common Sense Media.
Best learning apps for toddlers.
1. Busy Shapes
A fun app designed for kids aged 2-5 years old, Busy Shapes was built to be a simple, digital playground for toddlers.
What we love:
Kids can freely explore shapes, drag them to different holes and spaces, and learn how objects relate to each other. The app responds to the child’s actions, presents harder challenges and motivates them to find solutions through experimentation.
Busy Shapes has a great parent feature where adults can review the concepts their child explored. With the app’s clean and elegant design, kids can explore and learn without navigating a confusing screen. Busy Shapes is not about memorizing shape names, but rather about supporting cognitive development, spacial reasoning and basic logic skills.
Possible downsides:
Some parents report that the app doesn’t load as well on new iOS systems. Gameplay can lag and the audio doesn’t always work consistently.
Price: 1.99
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
2. Khan Academy Kids
This free app is one of the best learning apps for toddlers out there. It feels like having your own digital preschool teacher! The Khan Academy Kids app features a huge database of creative early-learning activities and educational games.
What we love:
With content focused on developing language and math skills, cognitive thinking, and social-emotional learning, Khan Academy has tons of value for your little one. The mini games and activities for 3- to 7-year-olds are all introduced playfully with no disruptive ads.
Parents can create multiple user accounts with their kids’ names, avatars and ages. Each child has their own friendly “animal guide” who introduces activities, games, songs and digital books curated just for them. We love that parents can let their kids’ free play on the app, and give them opportunities to explore, experiment and even express themselves with drawing and narration games.
Possible downsides:
Some parents have reported that they have to reset their password every time they log in.
Price: Free
Available on: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire
3. Breathe, Think, Do With Sesame Street
This adorable app is one of the few created to teach toddlers how to manage their emotions. It’s a fun way to help kids learn to slow down, problem solve and tackle everyday frustrations, all through a Sesame Street baby monster. The blue monster has five different challenges to work through.
With animated video clips and clear narration, kids can help the monster calm down and choose a strategy to help him solve his problem.
What we love:
We love that this app teaches kids 2-4 years-old to move through obstacles, handle stress and practice mindfulness while letting you take a breather, yourself.
Possible downsides:
Toddlers can easily switch the language from Spanish to English by accident and can get frustrated when they don’t understand the instructions.
Price: Free
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
4. PBS KIDS Video
Who says you need full episodes of your kid’s favorite shows? With the PBS Kids Video app, you can let them watch shorter, snackable video clips from over a dozen of the top PBS Kids shows.
What we love:
The videos run on autoplay so there is no need for parent involvement to keep the fun going. Because the clips are short, they can hold the attention of the wiggliest toddlers. This no-frills app is simple and easy to navigate for even the youngest of users.
Possible downsides:
It may be too easy for young kids to purchase a full-length video. So if you have a credit card linked and don’t keep a close eye, you could end up with a surprise purchase.
Price: Free
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire
5. Silly Street Learn & Play
Silly Street is one of the best learning apps for toddlers to flex their imaginations. It lets ’em build their own characters through gameplay both on and off the screen. The games include content that teaches empathy, curiosity and situational adaptability.
What we love:
This unique app comes with a physical game that kids play off screen in real life. They can complete certain tasks in the physical game, using the narration and sound within the app. We love that this is a digital learning tool that promotes kinesthetic movement and embodied play off screen.
The physical game comes with cards and activities to teach emotional development and creative expression. The activities in the app and game have kids telling jokes, developing storylines and singing songs. Kids will love the group-play element that allows up to six players to play together and track progress on a scoreboard.
Possible downsides:
While the app is free, you need to purchase character card decks and have other players to play the game. And if you’re looking for an easy way to let your kid learn on screen, there are more simple apps out there for that. There are also in-app purchases that are a bit too easy for a child to download.
Price: Free
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
6. Toca Doctor
All Toca Boca apps are among the best learning apps for toddlers, but we chose to feature Toca Doctor. It’s kid-safe and super fun! This app features a fun collection of puzzles and challenges based on medical aid and healing. The games and activities can help ease a young toddler’s fears about visiting the doctor while also teaching some basic reasoning skills. If they love animals, they can also try Toca Pet Doctor!
What we love:
Toca Doctor has the perfect combination of learning and pure fun. There are no written words in the app. It relies almost entirely on smart visuals and sound effects to target even the youngest of users. The design is simple and easy to navigate without distracting buttons for a 2-year old to push.
Possible downsides:
While this app is perfect for young toddlers, many of the activities lack a strong learning component.
Price: $1.99
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
7. Homer Learn & Grow
Want to fine-tune your kid’s reading and language skills? Homer Learn and Grow is the perfect app for that! This research-based reading program lets kids personalize their learning preferences as it teaches phonics and reading comprehension.
What we love:
The focus of Homer is on reading, but the app also incorporates other learning themes like foundational math and creative expression. If your child isn’t reading yet, you can still find value with Homer. This app lets pre-readers play independently thanks to verbal instructions and clear visual prompts.
Parents can help customize their child’s learning path within the app by answering questions about what your kids already know. You can also select your child’s interests and favorite topics so the games feel personalized and engaging.
Possible downsides:
There are more in-app purchases than many parents would like as well as ads. The app also takes up a lot of space and has some glitches that can frustrate little ones.
Price: 9.99/month or 59.99/year
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire
8. Bedtime Math
The Bedtime Math app delivers a new story-based math problem each night for you to do with your child, making math a fun, nightly habit!
What we love:
This app encourages real-life interaction with your kid, giving you an easy way to connect AND learn at the end of each day. Together you can bond over a simple, 2-minute ritual each night before bed. With math problems ranging from pre-K all the way to high school, this is an app that can grow with your child’s skills. And hey, you may get to brush up on your own math along the way! All answers are included in case you get stuck.
Possible downsides:
Some may feel the word problems lack variety.
Price: Free
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
9. Tiggly Chef
This app is a great way to introduce math to any toddler who loves to play chef or cook up imaginary foods! Tiggly Chef lets preschoolers play in the digital kitchen, cook up silly recipes and learn foundational math and counting.
What we love:
If you’re in need of some guilt-free screen time, it’s easy to whip out Tiggly Chef while your toddler whips up new recipes and math skills. You can choose to play with your fingers like a traditional app, or buy a $29.99 Tiggly Count hybrid toy for more realistic cooking fun.
Possible downsides:
Some games require multiple fingers in use at the same time, which might be too complicated for some users.
Price: Free
Available on iPad, Kindle Fire
10. Sago Mini Babies
Let your child step into your role as caregiver in this playful app for tots 2 and up. This app is full of adorable character-based games that teach toddlers empathy and social development. Kids will love playing caregiver to cute, baby-like animals. Within the game, toddlers can feed, clothe, change diapers and play with the animal characters, which interact with your kid.
What we love:
The design is simple and realistic, with characters giving emotional responses based on your child’s actions. This helps kids better understand the impact of their actions on others, and read facial cues and emotional expressions.
Possible downside:
The app has only eight activities and can get repetitive fast for older toddlers.
Price: $3.99
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
What we love:
Epic Basic has tons of great books for kids to enjoy, and with Epic Unlimited, kids can choose from 40,000+ books, audiobooks, Read-To-Me books and animated storybooks. With a huge variety for every age, interest and reading level, Epic grows with your kid.
Price: Free on Epic Basic, Epic Unlimited for $9.99/month or $71.99/year
Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Chromebook
That’s our list of best learning apps for toddlers! Next time you need a little help occupying your kid for a bit, you can hand over the tablet with these apps and feel confident your toddler has quality digital media that will help them learn and grow.
