If you’re like many people, you’re working from home. The bad news? Your kids are learning from home. Even in the best of times, this would be a less than ideal situation. You probably never thought you’d be homeschooling, but you don’t have to do it alone. In fact, there are many educational apps for kids, whether you need early learning programs for toddlers or more advanced tools for grade school students.
To help you sort out the good from the bad, we’ve put together a list of the best learning apps for kids. Some of them are free, some of them are paid. Some are meant to be supplements for traditional learning, while others are designed for comprehensive homeschooling. Depending on your situation, at least one of these educational programs for kids should be right up your alley.
Top 10 eLearning apps for kids — 2020
Kids Academy
Kids Academy is a kids online learning program developed by iTechArt group. It uses gamification to ensure that your kids will have fun while they’re learning. With an emphasis on English and math, it provides a solid foundation for pre-K students through 3rd-graders.
An AI algorithm will determine your kids’ proficiency in different subjects, and adjust the difficulty accordingly. In addition to online videos, Kids Academy also includes offline worksheets to provide more value. All of the material is created by professional educators, and you get periodic reports on your kids’ progress.
Pros:
● Plans for pre-K, kindergarten, and 1st through 3rd grades
● Lessons designed by real teachers
● Fun, engaging content
Cons:
● Month-to-month subscriptions can get pricey
Pricing:
Varies based on plan duration. Normally ranges from $10.83 to $19.99 per month, but currently discounted 50% due to school closures.
ABCmouse
ABCmouse isn’t just an eLearning app; it’s an immersive virtual world. Your experience starts in a virtual classroom, complete with a cartoon teacher. From there, your child can navigate to virtually any classroom subject. Lessons can be taken in or out of order, but your child’s project is always tracked regardless.
The world is highly gamified, and is designed for children aged 2 through 2nd-grade. In addition to the classroom experience, your child can also explore a wider virtual world. They can visit a farm to learn about agriculture, or visit a virtual zoo to learn about animals.
Pros:
● Age-appropriate content from age 2 through 2nd grade
● Innovative ticket and reward system
● More than 850 lessons
Cons:
● No discount for annual subscriptions
Pricing:
$9.95 per month with a 30-day free trial.
Rosetta Stone
If you watch TV or listen to the radio, you’ve probably heard of Rosetta Stone. This software, developed by Five Software, is designed for one purpose: to help people learn new languages quickly and efficiently. What you might not know is that Rosetta Stone also offers a version of their software for kids.
Rosetta Stone uses the immersion method, which means your child learns the language naturally, just as they learned to speak English by being immersed in it. Another benefit of this method is that you don’t need to speak the language yourself. And if you want to get involved, you can even learn along with your child!
Pros:
● Uses the immersion method for natural learning
● Designed by PhDs in linguistics
● Reinforces areas where students are struggling
Cons:
● Only teaches language
Pricing:
Starts at $5.99 a month, up to $10.99 a month depending on subscription duration. Optional $199.00 lifetime subscription.
Readers Rescue
Readers Rescue isn’t technically an app at all. It’s a complete reading program, developed by Konstant Infosolutions. The goal is to help young students who are behind grade level is reading. It begins with an assessment by an actual teacher, so they can determine what areas your child needs to bone up on. Follow-up sessions can help track their progress, and adjust the program accordingly.
The program comes in two parts. The first is online learning, where your child can develop their reading skills. The second involves offline sensory-motor activities, which can help with physical issues that might interfere with reading proficiency.
Pros:
● Begins with an assessment by a professional educator
● Helps get students up to grade level in reading
● Includes online and offline activities
Cons:
● Only helps with reading
Pricing:
$70 for initial 45-minute assessment and enrollment. $45 for each additional 75-minute session.
Starfall
Starfall is a web and app-based program that’s designed to supplement traditional classroom learning. There are two versions of the program available: one for pre-K through kindergarten, and another for 1st through 3rd grade. If your child is already getting distance learning from their school, it’s a solid supplement.
Starfall charges a low annual membership fee for their content, which covers all subject areas including reading, math, music, and science. In addition to online learning, a membership also earns you discounts for offline learning supplies.
Pros:
● Content for pre-K through 3rd grade
● Covers all content areas
● Provides discounts for offline learning
Cons:
● Online learning content is limited in scope
Pricing:
$35 per year per household. Some app content available for free as a “sample”.
National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Kids provides much of the same content as the National Geographic magazine we all know and love. It’s just more fun, more colorful, and better suited for children. The online site is entirely free, and includes a variety of games, quizzes and videos that are made to be fun and engaging.
As you might imagine, National Geographic Kids puts a heavy emphasis on nature, science, history, and geography. Keep in mind that your kids will need to be able to read to use the site. The good news is that if your kids love it, you can subscribe to the print magazine to help them develop their reading skills even further.
Pros:
● Lots of free content
● Web-based interface works on PC, iOS, or Android
● Emphasis on science and nature
Cons:
● No pre-K content
Pricing:
Website is free, but magazine subscription is $15 for 10 issues annually.
Khan Academy Kids
Khan Academy is known worldwide for their quality test prep services, from the SAT to graduate school admissions exams. But they also offer learning resources for kids. You can access their services through their free iOS or Android app, or through your browser on a PC. All of this is 100% free.
Khan Academy Kids provides learning resources including daily schedules, printable activities and worksheets, and daily “circle time” YouTube videos. These resources are generally geared towards grades 1 through 3, but they also have some material for later grades. Keep in mind, though, that these aren’t actually lessons. They’re learning resources to help teachers and homeschoolers stay on track.
Pros:
● 100% free content
● Hundreds of printable learning resources
● Appropriate content for all grade levels
Cons:
● Designed primarily for teachers and homeschoolers
Pricing:
100% free.
Quick Math Jr.
Quick Math Jr. is a fun, gamified app that’s designed primarily towards students in second grade or earlier. It’s available only on iOS, but the base package or free. You can order additional lessons with affordable in-app purchases.
The content consists of fun math games with cute cartoon monsters. Your kids won’t even know they’re learning! Unfortunately, the app has not been updated in awhile, and some people have found that it gets glitch with certain iOS versions. Then again, since the download is free, it doesn’t hurt to give it a shot.
Pros:
● Fun, gamified design
● Great for younger students
● Automatically adjusts to students’ learning level
Cons:
● Only available on iOS
● Hit-or-miss performance on newer devices
Pricing:
Free with in-app purchases.
Hungry Caterpillar Play School
Hungry Caterpillar Play School is an iOS and Android app developed by StoryToys, a developer who’s known for their high-quality educational content. It’s available for free on iOS and Android, although much of the content requires a subscription.
Most of the content is focused on pre-K subject matter, with games based around learning shapes, colors, and numbers. In addition, there are also several fun art projects to keep your child engaged.
Pros:
● Fun, engaging content
● Age-appropriate content for 2–6 year-olds
● Teaches shapes, colors, and numbers
Cons:
● No grade-school level content
Pricing:
Some free content. Subscription version costs $60 a year or $8 per month.
BrainPOP
BrainPOP is designed specifically for distance learning, with activities and games that are geared towards replicating a complete learning experience. As such, they cover all major school subjects, including science, social studies, English, math, arts & music, and health.
The content covers grades K-8, so all students older than pre-K are going to be covered. There are also daily focus topics, where students of all ages can learn about particular famous people or important events.
Pros:
● Covers all subject areas
● Covers all grades
● Designed specifically for distance learning
Cons:
● A bit pricey
Pricing:
$150 a year with 30-day free trial. Free for households affected by COVID-19-related school closures.
Conclusion
So, which one of these eLearning apps is the right choice for your kids? It depends on their age, their school situation, and their learning requirements. As their parent, you know best. But we hope at least one of these options will give you the help you need.
