Best Apps For Infant Learning

One of the most popular apps for infants is a simple rattle app. Keep your baby engaged with these top 5 rattle apps in the market today: 1. Baby Rattle Me 2. Bird Sounds with Rattle 3. Dancing Baby 4. Baby Rattle & Shake 5. Musical Rattle

Best Apps For Infant Learning

How we chose the best educational apps
With all this in mind, we started our hunt for the best educational apps in BabyCenter’s Community, searching through millions of posts from moms and dads to find out what education apps they’re talking about. We gathered a list of well-regarded apps, then funnelled these recommendations to our expert editorial team to find which ones met the criteria set out by experts. Keep reading to find the best educational app for preschoolers, the best educational app for toddlers, and more.

IN THIS ARTICLE
Best educational app overall: Khan Academy
Best educational app for preschoolers: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Play & Explore
Best educational app for toddlers: Busy Shapes
Best educational app for 4-year-olds: Edoki Academy Montessori Preschool
Best educational app for 5-year-olds: ScratchJr
View more
Best educational app overall
Khan Academy
Best educational apps – Khan Academy
Photo credit: Khan Academy
BUYING OPTIONS:

Free
Buy at App Store

Free
Buy at Google Play
Created by Sal Khan, who started by using Yahoo! Doodle to tutor his cousins in math, Khan Academy is now perhaps the best-known and beloved educational non-profit in America, and its free (supported by charitable donations from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation amongst others) is top of the line in educational apps.

Khan’s free app has short lessons, short form videos, and comprehension quizzes to help students covering most subjects (math, science, engineering, arts, history, social studies, economics, AP courses, and test prep) at a variety of levels from kindergarten to college. If you have an even littler little, Khan Academy Kids is a junior version for kids ages 2-7.

Heads up

English Language Arts is a weak area, although it is a work in progress. Content is available in a variety of languages, but Khan’s videos don’t cover foreign language instruction.

Specs

Available in iOS and Android versions
Recommended for kids age 4 and up
Free; no in-app purchases
Available in 19 languages
Best educational app for preschoolers
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Play & Explore
Best educational apps – The Very Hungry Caterpillar Play & Explore
Photo credit: StoryToys Entertainment Limited
BUYING OPTIONS:

Free
Buy at App Store

Free
Buy at Google Play
Kids ages 4 and up will love the app connected with the Eric Carle classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar, with its colorful illustrations, diverting games, and familiar characters that have won many awards from tech and parenting media companies. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Play & Explore helps kids practice counting, sorting, and memory skills with games like a forest maze in which kids help Brown Bear find her bear cub, and a caterpillar garden gambol that encourages players to choose healthy foods. This app is available in English, Spanish, Japanese, French, and German too. Note that the text of the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar is not included on this app.

Parents say

“If you have the book, the Very Hungry Caterpillar app is well worth it.”

“My kids love the Hungry Caterpillar app, and the Toca Boca Pet Doctor.”

Specs

Available in iOS and Android versions
Recommended for kids up to age 5
Free; in-app purchases are $1-$5 per item
Available in 5 languages

Best educational app for toddlers
Busy Shapes
Best educational apps – Busy Shapes
Photo credit: Edoki Academy
BUYING OPTIONS:

$3
Buy at App Store
Kids as young as 2 can decipher puzzles by handling simple shapes and figuring out how and where to place them to complete a picture. Kids tend to stay engaged because the app refreshes frequently, so they aren’t working the same puzzles that they just completed, and the app tracks your childs’ ability to complete the puzzle, making the next one more difficult if they finish one with ease.

Parents say

“Some of my favorites that keep my son interested are the Endless Learning apps (Endless Reader, Endless Spanish, Endless Math, etc), the Toca Life apps, Dr. Panda apps, some of the LEGO apps (some are garbage though), Wonster Words, Nature simulator apps (these teach weather, cause/effect, clothing choices, etc.), and one weird little app called Busy Shapes which is interesting but hard to explain.”

Heads up

This app is best for young children, as older kids and adults tend to find it repetitive.

Specs

Available for iOS devices
Recommended for children age 2-5
App is $3; no in-app purchases
Available in 22 languages

Best educational app for 4-year-olds
Edoki Academy Montessori Preschool
Best educational apps – Edoki Academy Montessori Preschool
Photo credit: Edoki Academy
BUYING OPTIONS:

Free
Buy at App Store

Free
Buy at Google Play
This app is great for young, curious learners, with a wide gamut of topics including numbers, shapes, letters, nursery rhymes, coding, and more. Designed by Montessori educators with actual classroom experience, this app is intended to give children practice in four areas of Montessori learning: self-confidence, adaptability, self-correction, and autonomy.

Heads up

You’ll need to sign up for a monthly or annual subscription in order to use this app, though there’s a free trial week available.

Specs

Available in iOS and Android versions
Recommended for kids ages 3-8
App requires subscription at $7 monthly or $25 a year
Available in 8 languages

Best educational app for 5-year-olds
ScratchJr
Best educational apps – ScratchJr
Photo credit: Scratch Foundation, Inc.
BUYING OPTIONS:

Free
Buy at App Store

Free
Buy at Google Play
Designed by a team of researchers and educators, ScratchJr encourages kids to learn the basics of designing, creating, and coding games with this childhood version of the popular MIT-developed coding app Scratch. Kids between the ages of 5-7 can learn to code and create their own personal games and even stories. The design element of this app is easy for kids to use so that they are actually learning from what they code. Katie Bearman is a fan: “The folks at Scratch created this app for early learners to begin algorithmic coding, and students can make pretty advanced animations and games with simple arrows and movement.”

Parents say

“Scratch and ScratchJr are good pre-coding apps.”

Heads up

You can only create 4 frames per project.

Specs

Available in iOS and Android versions
Recommended for kids ages 5-7
Free; no in-app purchases
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Best free educational app
Duolingo
Best educational apps – Duolingo
Photo credit: Duolingo
BUYING OPTIONS:

Free
Buy at App Store

Free
Buy at Google Play
This app is ideal for teaching kids the basics of understanding and reading in another language while preparing them to use the language in conversation. Using the owl mascot, kids can listen and learn a foreign language, watch mini-lessons, and explore vocabulary all while having a good time. All the games and languages in the basic Duolingo version are free, though you can expect ads targeted at your Duolingo user.

Heads up

If you want to use the app advertisement-free, there is an option to upgrade for $7 a month or $84 annually.

Parents say

“Duolingo is a fun app; it’s got a ton of different languages and is free.”

“Duolingo is an awesome free app.”

Specs

Available in iOS and Android versions
Recommended for kids age 13
App is free; Duolingo Plus subscription $7 monthly or $84 a year
Available for learning 38 languages

Best educational app for reading
EPIC
Best educational apps – EPIC
Photo credit: Epic! Creations Inc.
BUYING OPTIONS:

Free
Buy at App Store

Free
Buy at Google Play
EPIC is one of the top reading apps on the market, allowing you to personalize your child’s reading. This app has over 40,000 books available (for a subscription fee), which can be sorted by age and by reading level. Whether your child is an avid reader or struggles with reading, there are books to keep children engaged, entertained, and learning. In addition to books, there are also audiobooks and interactive videos.

Heads up

The app is free to download but you will need to pay to access books: $10 monthly or $80 annually.

Parents say

“We have been using the app Epic and it’s been really great!”

“We do Epic read alouds and I turn on the controls so they can’t play anything else on the iPad but Epic.”

Specs

Available in iOS and Android versions
Recommended for kids age 4 and up
App is free; subscription to access books is $10 monthly or $80 a year
Available in 7 languages

Best educational app for math
Quick Math Jr.
Best educational apps – Quick Math Jr.
Photo credit: Shiny Things
BUYING OPTIONS:

Free
Buy at App Store
Beloved by parents and teachers, Quick Math Jr. is an easy-to-navigate app that helps kids develop number sense and has a cool monster/spooky stuff theme that appeas to kids. This app is useful because it fluctuates in difficulty based on what kids answer correctly, and adjusts to continue challenging them at an appropriate level. There are 12 different games that are aligned to various math curriculums around the world focusing on place value, addition, subtraction, skip counting, and other crucial elementary mathematical concepts.

Heads up

This app is free to download, but limits content in the free version. Unlocking all the content costs $5 for each of three more collections, or $10 for all three.

Specs

Available for iOS devices
Recommended for kids ages 3-7
App is free; fee to access more content is $5-$10
Available in 15 different languages

Best educational app for math facts
Number Run
Best educational apps – Number Run
Photo credit: Number Run
BUYING OPTIONS:

$3
Buy at App Store

$3
Buy at Google Play
Aligned to Common Core standards and designed by graduate students from Stanford and USC, Number Run features 52 levels of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Kids can chase down Baron von Count to bring him to justice for stealing mathematical crystals without which humanity would be stuck counting on their fingers forever.

Heads up

There isn’t a way for parents to log in and see their kids’ progress. There are two avatars to choose from, male and female, but both are White.

Specs

Available in iOS and Android versions
Recommended for kids age 4 and up
App is $3; in-app purchases are $2 each
Available in 6 languages

Best educational app for writing
Write About This
Best educational apps – Write About This
Photo credit: RSA Group, LLC
BUYING OPTIONS:

$4
Buy at Google Play
Getting your kids to sit down and write can be pretty challenging. With Write About This, kids are engaged with hundreds of creative writing prompts that include fresh idea-joggers like “Who makes the best pizza?” and “What would the world be like upside down?” Younger children can audio-record their responses, while older kids can write on the virtual notebook paper.

Heads up

You cannot save unfinished work, which can be particularly frustrating for younger creators.

Specs

Available for Android devices
Recommended for kids age 4 and up
$4; no in-app purchases

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Best educational app for skill building
Prodigy Math Game
Best educational apps – Prodigy Math Game
Photo credit: Prodigy Education Inc.
BUYING OPTIONS:

Free
Buy at Google Play

Free
Buy at App Store
Explore new worlds, go on heroic quests, and win battles to collect prizes while kids practice and strengthen their math skills. Kids create their own characters to represent themselves as they begin an adventure that turns math into a fun, engaging romp.

Parents say

“My girls love Prodigy.”

Heads up

This app is designed to test kids’ knowledge rather than introduce new concepts.

Specs

Available in iOS and Android versions
Recommended for kids age 6 and up
Free; subscription for more content $9 monthly or $60 a year
Best educational app with videos
BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week
Best educational apps – BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week
Photo credit: Brainpop
BUYING OPTIONS:

Free
Buy at Google Play

Free
Buy at App Store
Filled with easy to absorb educational videos, BrainPop encourages young learners tol explore the world around them. The video topics rotate weekly and relate to current events, historical moments, holidays and more. Each movie has a quiz to let your kids test their newly learned knowledge. The movie of the week and a few related videos are free weekly; with a subscription, your child can watch any movie from the archive.

Heads up

The in-app subscription is on the pricier side: $119 for a year, no monthly option available.

Parents say

“BrainPop is great for science and social studies.”

“My kids have learned so many things on BrainPop and they enjoy it.”

Specs

Available in iOS and Android versions
Recommended for kids ages 6 to 8
Free for limited content; yearly subscription for all content $119

What are educational apps?
Educational apps are downloadable computer programs for children to learn, engage, explore, and have fun. Some of the best are designed by various experts in the field to help develop specific skills while keeping kids entertained.

What devices are educational apps used on?
Educational apps are designed to enhance the learning experience for children and can be used on the go. They can be downloaded on IOS (iPhones, iPads), Androids, Amazon Fires, or Google devices. The best educational apps are user-friendly, age appropriate, and are usually for a mobile device, although some are functional on a desktop computer.

What ages are educational apps meant for?
Educational apps are designed for a variety of ages and academic abilities, from early childhood (once it is safe to be on a screen for small chunks at a time) all the way to adulthood. We are focusing on children in this article, but our piece of advice is always do a bit of research before downloading a mobile app. You’ll want to know who the target audience for the app is and what is the intended learning of the app.

Do children need to use educational apps?
Katie Bearman says “Students should have access to a variety of learning modalities that help them acquire knowledge, be that apps, books, videos, experiences. Apps can be used fully, supplementally, or not at all depending on their learning style.”

Apps are, however, a great way to supplement classroom learning and add value to screen time. While you are on the go, maybe on a long road trip or at a doctor’s appointment, educational apps are a great way for kids to be learning while they are occupied on the screen. Most schools use educational apps in the classroom too, so they are a great way to piggyback on what they are already learning in school.

What are some common types of educational apps?
The educational apps on the market today range from simple to extremely complex. There are apps designed for every content area (history, science, math, etc). There are also apps designed for children to use their creativity and logic (think puzzles, games, brain teasers, etc). Apps can read stories to your children and help them with reading comprehension, they can even help with homework.

Educational apps are visually engaging with lots of color, videos, animations and interactive components. We love apps that can track data, and build upon a student’s skill level, but know that not all apps will have those capabilities. Educational apps really can enhance a child’s learning experience. If your child is struggling to master something in school or simply needs reinforcement, educational apps are great for presenting information in another way.

Best apps for babies under 12 months free

You might have noticed it too, but kids these days tend to develop and mature a lot faster. And while it’s not recommended letting small children spend long periods of time interacting with smart devices like tablets and smartphones, exposure to such gadgetry might help them develop their budding learning skills quicker.

A small child’s brain is like a sponge for information, so giving your toddler access to an educational app for a few minutes a day should not interfere with his/her natural growth cycle. So we have complied a list of child-friendly application for kids ages 1 or younger which have been specifically designed to help parents assist their little bundles of joy acquire lots and lots of useful information.

Even Monsters Get Sick
01-even-monsters-get-sickHere’s an app which was designed with an ingenious idea in mind. It’s always hard to get kids to take their (yucky tasting) medicine, so the folks behind the app thought children might relate to the characters in this storybook who like children get sick and need medicine to fight off the sickness.

The Even Monsters Get Sick e-book features full-color illustration, interactive animations and a custom soundtrack. The story can be read out or children can read by themselves, but parents of smaller children will probably go for the former variant.

Baby Zoo Piano
02-baby-zoo-pianoParents who would like to see their child develop an interest in music, could try loading up the Baby Zoo Piano app on a tablet or a smartphone with a larger screen. The app gets kids acquainted with piano music accompanied by sounds of various domestic animals. Baby Zoo Piano is a bright and colorful game with an intuitive interface that’s easily accessible by any child beyond the newborn period.

Baby Zoo Piano will introduce your toddler to the realm of music by presenting him or her with three claviers with eight colorful keys each. All children have to do is press the keys to hear the sound, so it’s quite simple to get started. The app is free for download form the Google Play Store.

Fisher-Price Shapes & Colors Music Show
03-fisher-price-shapes-colors-music-showFisher-Price is a household name when it comes to children entertainment, so of course they are offering a few baby apps. Like the Shapes & Colors Music Show which is completely free for download from the Play Store.

The first things a child learns when it comes into the world is how to identify shapes and colors. The app teaches the little one all about shapes and colors though interactions with animations, sounds and sing along song.

Fisher-Price offers a large selection of baby apps, but some are paid. Check the whole collection here, if you are curious.

Baby Sleep Instant
04-baby-sleep-instantThis is not an education app, but one that will prove very useful for parents of really small children. Unable to get your baby to go sleep? This app will help the child fall asleep instantly by playing a classic monotonous sound (lullaby) proven to be effective in these situations.

According to the creators of the app, sounds made by a shower, fan, music box or hairdryer are more effective than tones, music or sing. To get started, put the phone in vicinity of the baby’s crib, choose one of the available sounds and set the timer. Goodnight, baby!

Nursery Rhymes
05-nursery-rhymesOk, so maybe the Baby Sleep Instant app did nothing for your infant. Then it’s time to go back to good old nursery rhymes. The Nursery Rhymes app delivers a collection of classic nursery rhymes including Old MacDonald, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Itsy Bitsy Spider (in video format). The fun videos will teach children the basics of ABC phonics, first words, numbers, fruits, animals and much, much more.

However, keep in mind that only 24+ nursery rhymes and toddler games are free. If you want to unlock more features and games, you will need to purchase a subscription to the app.

Baby Phone
06-baby-phoneAnother way you can teach your child nursery rhymes and lullabies is the Baby Phone app. The application will turn the parent’s Android smartphone into a kiddie-friendly handset to teach the child about numbers, animal sounds, songs and lots more.

The game aims to develop important skills through musical stimulation such as development of memory, motor skills and linguistic capabilities.

If you like Baby Phone you can go ahead and explore all the apps offered by App Quiz. Most of them are free, however you might want to be careful because some titles support in-app purchases.

Baby Night Light
07-baby-night-lightDon’t let your child develop a fear of the dark with the Baby Night Light app which accompanies your kid’s descent into slumber. The app lets you choose between 14 different nightlights complete with a cute, animal companion of your choice.

Baby Night Light turns your smartphone into a night lamp that makes your child feel safe. Parents can adjust lighting effects, rotary motions and light intensity to give create the perfect sleeping environment.

Conclusion

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