Updated: Nov 24, 2023
Do you ever feel guilty when your child is having screen time? We are told over and over that screen time can negatively impact children’s development, but it is nearly impossible to remove all screen time in this day and age. Rather than trying to remove it completely (and feeling guilty when you need to bring it out to save your sanity!), here are some apps that are fun AND educational. We’ve also included some suggestions for apps that are great tools for day-to-day life!
Khan Academy Kids: Learning (Khan Academy)
Available on: iOS, Android
Price: Free
Designed for: Toddler, Preschooler
This is one of the best comprehensive children’s apps. It has a wide assortment of activities, including games, videos, and stories. It also includes lessons on math, reading, and logic. The app is completely free (which is very rare to find nowadays), but you do need to make an account.
Epic! Kids’ Books and Reading (Epic! Creations Inc.)
Available on: iOS, Android
Price: 7 day free trial, $80/year subscription or $14.99/month
Designed for: Toddler, Preschooler, Pre-teen
This app contains thousands of books, including picture books, short novels, audio books, and educational videos. The app offers the option to read the book yourself or have it read aloud to you. There are also quizzes available for each book to test reading comprehension. Children can browse content freely or caregivers can assign specific readings through the parent dashboard. Books are available in 4 languages which is a bonus for multilingual families! Content can also be downloaded for access offline.
Joy Doodle (Doodle Joy Studio)
Available on: iOS, Android
Price: Free
Designed for: All ages
If you’ve got a budding artist, this is a great app to add to your collection. Users can select from 25 different brush strokes to create fun neon drawings. It offers the option to save and view the drawings when you’re done.
Dexteria Jr. Fine Motor Skills (Binary Labs Inc)
Available on: iOS
Price: $6.99
Designed for: Preschooler (but activities are appropriate through to pre-teen)
This is an app rated highly amongst Occupational Therapists for its development of fine motor skills. Practice tapping by squishing the pumpkins, using a pincer grip to squish the peppers, and tracing lines and shapes. The app offers the ability to track progress and accuracy as well.
Say it… Or not? (Janine Toole)
Available on: iOS
Price: Free, in-app purchases available
Age: Pre-teen
This app presents written situations in which your child must identify how another person is feeling. The free version provides 30 different scenarios and over 100 more can be unlocked for $7.99. The app defaults to providing 2 answers between which your child can select, but we prefer to change the settings and leave it open-ended for discussion.
Time Timer (Time Timer LLC)
Available on: iOS, Android
Price: Free
Age: All ages
A useful tool for those who do well with a visual representation of how much time is remaining for an activity. You can set the timer for anywhere between 1 second and 99 hours and watch as the red circle slowly disappears. The app also allows you to cast the timer to another device, such as a smart TV. For a timer that offers a more fun image to watch slowly appear, check out…
Little Timer Hatch Countdown (Biscuit Games)
Available on: iOS
Price: Free, in-app purchases available
Age: Toddler, Preschool, Pre-teen
Set a timer for anywhere between 1 second and 60 minutes and watch as the egg slowly begins to crack open to reveal a surprise animal! You have the option between a dog and cat in the free version, but can purchase all additional animals and the option of adding your own photos (like an image of the thing for which your child is waiting) for $2.99.
First Then Visual Schedule (Good Karma Applications Inc.)
Available on: iOS
Price: 19.99
Age: All ages
This is our top pick for the most comprehensive visual schedule app. This app allows you to program an unlimited number of schedules with an unlimited number of steps. You can imbed video models within each step (e.g., a video of how to tie your shoes within a morning routine), set timers for open-ended activity steps, and program reinforcement breaks within a routine using a choice board. For a free version of a visual schedule, check out…
Kids ToDo List (Litalico Inc.)
Available on: iOS, Android
Price: Free
Age: All ages
This free app has no advertisements! You can program an unlimited number of routines with an unlimited number of steps. Use a selection of over 100 different pre-programmed icons or create your own. You can record your (or your child’s) voice for the various steps as well which is a nice feature.
We hope you find some of these apps fun and helpful! For more information about how you can use any of the tools described above, contact us at kmaisels@kerrymaisels.com.