Preschoolers want to rule the world! They are on a mission to declare their independence. So why not give them what they want? (Within reason). Educational apps provide an interactive platform where kids learn core skill sets and feel empowered. And the best part is, they can’t get enough!
What makes educational apps so great?
1) Kids can touch everything on the screen and make things happen.
2) Learning prompts lead to rewards – praise and bonus content (stickers, points).
3) Educational apps, by design, feel like a game where kids are winners every time they play.
4) Educational apps are self-esteem builders.
5) Educational apps make parents happy. Kids learn core skills such as numbers, letters, colors, counting, sounds, addition, subtraction, spelling, sorting, matching, puzzles, and more.
Here are 10 awesome educational apps for preschoolers:
THUP Games, LLC, $0.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
Monkeys and food – the folks at THUP Games really got this one right. Uptempo music and an energetic monkey lead preschoolers through colorful, fun games including matching, counting, puzzles, color recognition, shapes and differences. Each time kids complete an activity they are rewarded by praise from the monkey, and throughout the app they accumulate reward stickers. The only downside to this app is that it never ends… until Mommy closes the iPad. But that won’t keep her from opening it again. It’s a household staple.
Night & Day Studios, $1.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
Peekaboo! Animals, sounds and a bouncing barn – the only thing cuter may be the tots who are playing it. Peekaboo Barn is an award-winning app that has been a family favorite by parents and toddlers for years with more than half a million downloads since 2008. It’s easy to see why. Each time kids touch the rattling barn door, a different animated animal appears. The animal’s name and sound he makes can be heard. At the end, all of the animals go to sleep in the barn, which makes for a sweet bedtime tuck-in. For more Peekaboo fun, check out Peekaboo People, Peekaboo Fridge, Peekaboo Trick or Treat and Peekaboo Presents here!
Little Bit Studio, LLC $2.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
What could be cooler than disco dancing bugs? Disco dancing bugs who can count, tell time, add and subtract, color by number and more. This app is complete with cutting-edge graphics, music, sound effects and educational value. It’s an app that literally has kids laughing and learning at the same time.
Little Bit Studio, LLC $2.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Caution: This app is highly addictive and may take your child to higher scoring levels while he/she masters important educational tools. Little Bit Studio clearly creates some of the most graphically beautiful apps. The bubbles are so clear it’s as if they’re in your living room. Your child will be popping bubbles and practicing letter matching, writing, shapes and pattern recognition. The app is designed as a game that starts at the easiest level and as your child masters it, it moves on to the next level and your child is rewarded in a higher score. Regardless of the scoring method, which some parents may/may not like, it is a really fun and well thought out educational app.
5) Let’s Color!
Lazoo Worldwide, Inc. FREE, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Sometimes, the best apps in life really are free. Right off the heels of Squiggles, Lazoo Worldwide released Let’s Color, “a living coloring book” for young children where hand-drawn images come seemingly alive through basic drawing prompts and creative engineering. Kids are prompted through simple art, text and voice instructions to draw some bubbles, make hot steam rise from cocoa, draw what dragons breathe, etc., and whatever kids draw, from a squiggly line to a tower, will look like the coolest thing to ever spring to life. It’s even fun for adults! You gotta try it! What’s stopping you? It’s free! Thanks, Lazoo!
6) The Monster at the End of This Book … Starring Grover
Sesame Street, $4.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
“Hello, everybodeee!” This interactive storybook app will have parents and kids wanting to climb into their tablet to interact with Grover as he tries every technique he can muster (nailing the pages, building a brick wall, tying it with ropes), to stop the reader from turning pages. The app brings his adorable voice to life in a charming, funny and delightful way. This is a must-have app that teaches children about conquering fears and encourages a love of reading. Also features tips for parents on helping kids get through their fears.
7) Zoo Train
Busy Bee Studios, $1.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Kindle, Nook, Windows8
All aboard! What preschooler doesn’t get excited about choo choo trains? Add in games on a train and what do we have? Zoo Train! This Parents’ Choice winner features five different games that cover word recognition, matching, puzzles, shapes and letters, plus a musical component where kids can not only play and listen to songs using rainbow colored train whistles but actually learn the musical scale.
8) Elmo Loves 123s (iPad), Rosita’s Jump Count (iPhone), and Grover’s Number Special (iPhone)
Sesame Street,$1.99
Sesame Street is a consistent, sure-fire bet for educational content that motivates kids to sing, play and count alongside these lovable, furry characters. In Elmo Loves 123s (for iPad only), Elmo and Abby team up to teach kids about the numbers 1 to 20. And, currently for iPhone: in Rosita’s Jump Count, kids can count along in English or Spanish as they jump rope with Rosita. And Grover’s Number Special has kids playing sous chef as they sort ingredients and practice counting for a slightly confused, always lovable “Chef” Grover.
9) Dr. Seuss’s ABC and Green Eggs and Ham – Dr. Seuss
Oceanhouse Media, $3.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Nook
Dr. Seuss’s timeless, best-selling books come to life in these award-winning apps that help instill a love of reading through the classic hilarious rhyme schemes and humorous illustrations. Each word is highlighted as its spoken, and kids can also tap images to see words written on screen. Great for early reading associations. The apps also have an autoplay feature where the story unfolds like a feature film.
10) iWriteWords
Giggle Lab, $2.99, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad
Learning to read and write is made more fun with apps like the award-winning iWriteWords, for older preschoolers. This app works by prompting kids to trace letters and numbers on brightly colored backgrounds, and then once all of the letters of a word have been traced, an image of the drawing appears.
What are your favorite educational apps for preschoolers? Let us know in the comments!
Happy Tech Parenting!
Shoshana Stopek (aka Mommy Tech Bytes)
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