A child will often use electronic devices such as an iPad instead of a computer. This will require more motor skills that aren’t developed yet. For example, rather than having your child watch videos, you could implement the use of games as interactivity. This will be vital in a child’s early development.
We selected thirty iPad games and apps to help you with the education side of parenting. This will be helpful whether as preparation for preschool or to keep their brain in tip-top shape during the break. The games covered here are free to play and subscription-based services with trials available on the App Store.
Coming from the same creators of ABCmouse, Adventure Academy is a subscription-based learning platform for children to help improve their skills in preparation for elementary and middle school. Education experts curate the educational materials, so you are assured of high-quality and fun learning experiences for your kid.
Topics include elementary and middle school level science, mathematics, and more. Kids will be immersed in this game as they can create and customize their avatar, representing them in a virtual school environment.
Adventure Academy has a 30-day free trial available, so you may assess if the learning platform fits your child. A monthly subscription starts at $12.99.
Mad Libs is a fan favorite among games to play among children. This game is about filling the blanks of a story template with words you come up with and helping kids practice their vocabulary and speech. Tons of laughter are guaranteed with the kids’ silly and fun stories.
Mad Libs is available for free on the App Store, with options to purchase additional stories inside the app ranging from $2 to $5 for twenty-one stories on average.
When mobile games and apps started to boom in the early 2010s, ‘Where’s My Water?’ was one of the most popular puzzle games. The player helps guide the water so that the crocodile can take a bath, all with realistic physics and water movement. In addition, the game introduces more mechanics and a storyline progression.
Kids will be engaged and have fun with this game as the art style and gameplay are very fun and relaxed. ‘Where’re My Water’ costs $1.99 on both the app store and google play.
4. Cut the Rope
Another one of those games that helped get mobile gaming where it is today, Cut the Rope, is a game with a simple concept: you help feed the monster by ‘cutting’ the rope. Kids will learn all about physics in this game and will be further challenged as they progress through its levels.
Cut the Rope costs free on both the app store and google play. If you can’t get through a certain level, you may choose to buy hints or puzzle solutions inside the game.
Another highly acclaimed educational game on this list is Reading Raven. This game focuses on creating a solid foundation of reading skills for your child, all at their own preferred pace. Reading Raven will build your child’s confidence, reading, and English language skills.
Reading Raven is available on both the app store and google play.
ABCmouse is similar to Adventure Academy in terms of the subscription-based model. Furthermore, the game is also an award-winning learning program that features learning math, art, music and reading for the young ones. ABCmouse is even used by schools and public libraries for academic and educational purposes. You can even learn basic Spanish!
ABCmouse is free to download and has a 30-day free trial to get a feel for the learning program. Afterward, it will cost you $12.99 per month or $59.99 per year.
Sushi Monster is a game where kids can practice their basic arithmetic skills while engaging and fun. Kids will have to add, subtract, multiply, and divide to feed sushi to the monster. The art style for this game is enjoyable and engaging for children, and the level progression feels rewarding while delivering a good challenge.
Sushi Monster is available on the App Store for free.
8. My Very Hungry Caterpillar
The famous children’s character, the very hungry caterpillar, is also a character in the app, My Very Hungry Caterpillar. This app is for most preschoolers, emphasizing developing their skills in various facets. This includes playing games to match shapes, solving puzzles, and taking care of plants and animals.
My Very Hungry Caterpillar is free to download but requires in-app purchases to unlock some of the learning activities and content.
This educational game is pretty straightforward, with no cartoon characters or subscription models. Instead, the World Geography Quiz Game will develop and test your child’s memorization and geography skills. They will learn about various countries’ flags, capitals, cities, etc.
The World Geography Quiz Game is available for free on both the app store and google play.
Slice Fractions is an award-winning game developed to help children learn about fractions in a super fun way with little to no reading involved or lengthy explanations. The activities inside the game include learning and working with fractions with ease and various physics puzzles.
Slice Fractions is available for free on both the app store and google play.
TinyTap is one of the best learning games for kids, ranking number one in learning apps for kids in 24 countries. TinyTap is an all-in-one powerhouse with its subject variety and over 200,000 interactive learning games. This game also includes developing creative skills such as writing and drawing on top of the usual subjects.
You can also create interactive learning games for parents and teachers and earn from them, all without needing to learn to program or code.
TinyTap is free to download but it requires a subscription to access most of the content once the free trial ends. A year’s subscription is going to cost you at least $49.99.
It is essential to have your kid be knowledgeable about science and math and develop hobbies and interests. This could be in the form of music!
Learning how to play a musical instrument will develop patience and dedication in your kid. GarageBand could be the door to open that interest for them before splurging on a physical instrument. GarageBand lets you create songs with various instruments in a virtual sound studio setup.
GarageBand is completely free on the App Store and includes no subscription fees or in-app purchases.
Tappity is a science-focused educational game with a mascot named Haley to help your child learn and understand various science concepts and conduct basic science experiments. Science topics include biology, earth science, and outer space. Additionally, all of these fun experiences are fully interactive.
Tappity is available to download for free and try for 14 days. Afterward, you can choose to continue and unlock all the content with a subscription plan. It will cost $14.99 per month or $24.99 for three months, or $74.99 for a year’s subscription.
14. Coco – Educational Game
Coco – Educational Game is an educational game app for kids that covers the usual science and math concepts and essential soft skills such as memory, logic, and reflex tests. Another cool thing about the game is its art style, including primarily soft colors that appeal to children. All of these help in keeping your kid entertained.
Coco – Educational Game is available on the app store and google play.
Endless Alphabet is a highly acclaimed educational game from the creators of an educational Sesame Street-based game. It is a passion project developed to help kids have a blast while learning about the Alphabet and expanding their vocabulary. The game has a lot of interactivity and is well animated to help engage the children.
Endless Alphabet is available on the app store and google play.
Dino Tim is an educational learning game that helps your kid focus on learning colors, shapes, and even other languages such as Spanish and French. It is a perfect companion when getting your child ready for preschool. The art style is fun and appeals to children who like dinosaurs and other animals.
Dino Tim is available on the app store and google play.
Drawing minus wasting paper and spending money on art materials sounds like a win-win for mother earth and parents. Colorfy gives you just that, providing a digital canvas for your children. In this app, they can color and paint various images such as mandalas, animals, floral patterns, and so much more.
Colorfy is available on the app store and google play.
Wallykazam!, based on an animated Nickelodeon television series, is a game to help develop your kids’ reading and English language skills. Learning activities include learning letter recognition, rhyming words, and phonics.
Wallykazam! is available on the app store.
19. MathTango
Math Tango is a subscription-based game wherein kids learn math skills while engaged and having fun. The game’s math content can range from basic counting skills to multiplication and division. In addition, the game’s monsters that you earn by solving math problems are all pretty adorable, so your kid will indeed be motivated to do the math.
Math Tango is available on the app store and google play.
PBS Kids cannot be left off a list of educational games. Most of the content on PBS Kids is helpful and varied featuring science, reading, and math. The level of learning for kids is catered towards preschool through elementary. PBS Kids is an essential app to have your kids learn things in a fun and exciting way
PBS Kids’ educational games/apps include Wild Kratts Creature Math, Cyberchase 3D Builder, and Dinosaur Train Classic in the Jurassic, Jr.! Most of these are free except for Wild Kratts.
21. GoNoodle
Primarily focusing on encouraging getting your kid’s body moving and healthy, GoNoodle is a game that features kids’ songs, exercises, and dances along with video content. This is a fun and wholesome way to get your kids to help clean around the house, making it a fun bonding activity for the family.
GoNoodle is available on the app store and google play.
This one might be the most unique game on this list so far. Monster Physics is a game where kids can build cars, rocket ships, airplanes, tanks while letting them play around with their creations, complete with physics. This will develop a creative side in your child, similar to Legos.
Monster Physics is available to download on the App Store for $1.99.
23. Balloon Pop
Balloon Pop is an educational game where toddlers and preschoolers can have fun popping balloons and learn about numbers, letters, colors, and shapes. These types of games can develop young children’s motor and reflex skills. Balloon Pop has five different game modes available in nine other languages.
Balloon Pop is available on the app store and google play.
Flow Free is a very simple educational puzzle game to help develop your child’s problem-solving skills. The game is very colorful as you need to solve the puzzle by connecting the pair of colors. The levels get progressively more challenging which will surely put your child’s puzzle-solving skills to the test.
Flow Free is available on the app store and google play.
Lightbot is a puzzle game where the player guides the robot to do various commands. What’s even cooler is that multiple players can pick up and play on any device, which is ideal for classroom settings. The tutorial can get lengthy, but once you get the hang of it, even the young ones can ease through the puzzles in the game.
Lightbot is available on the app store and google play.
This award-winning app is hailed as one of the most fun math games available for elementary-age kids. Marble Math helps kids practice mental math while providing engaging gameplay. It requires them to solve the problem to advance the marble through the maze.
Marble Math is available on the app store and google play.
One of the top picks in the Italy App Store, Shape Gerus, is a wonderfully animated game aimed to teach the young ones about learning shapes and colors and challenging puzzles. These interactive games include matching, sorting, and classifying shapes and colors. Shape Gerus will surely help get your kid ready for preschool!
Shape Gerus is available on the app store and google play.
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox is an all-around educational game for your preschooler to learn about colors, letters, numbers, etc. There is also a child-friendly animated monkey to guide the kids through the activities and keep them engaged. This is a must-have companion game to help your child develop these preschool skills.
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox is available on the app store and google play.
Peekaboo Barn is an award-winning app for toddlers designed to help educate your child with animals! Kids will learn and be familiarized with the names and sounds of various animals and artwork displayed on their screens. Night & Day Studios designed this game for kids of all ages and even those with special needs.
Peekaboo Barn is available on the app store and google play.
Learning to count is a vital skill in a child’s early development. TallyTots helps you get your kid to learn and have fun simultaneously! TallyTots is essentially an educational counting game designed with animated 3D graphics and music to help get your kid engaged. Learning activities include sorting, ordering, and counting.
TallyTots is available on the app store and google play.
These games listed are sure to help and play a significant role in your child’s development. Still, it is also essential to never forget to limit their screen time, especially early on. Learning through games is excellent but guiding them and being there for them while they are doing so is the most important thing.
Whether it would focus on math, science, health, or soft skills, we hope that we helped you find that educational game you were looking for!
Hi, my name is Elena Jones, and my full-time job is a teacher. Through teaching, I have discovered that children learn in many different ways, and have seen the positive impact both STEM and Montessori toys have on children.
Through this site I hope to educate parents and adults about these toys, providing them with useful information on how they can be used, and provide some in depth reviews of different toys to consider too.
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