Image: Midjourney/ MomJunction Design Team
Gaming, learning, and puzzle apps for toddlers help keep tiny tots engaged. Since toddlers are curious and seek to know more about their surroundings, interactive and educational apps can help improve their various skills in literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking, while entertaining them.
While it is the nature of the parents to be wary of their toddlers’ excessive screen time, introducing little ones to educational apps while regulating their screen time can be beneficial. Read on to know about the most engaging apps for your toddler.
Key Pointers
- Starfall ABCs is a free toddler learning app to help your little one learn basic math, phonics, and other topics.
- Fish school is a learning app with colorful fish of different shapes, numbers, and letters swimming in water for a toddler to identify them.
- Piano kids is a music learning app for toddlers that help them learn various musical instruments and their sounds.
Precautions To Take When Introducing Screens To Toddlers
Most children now have access to devices at home, and over 50% of the educational apps available online are for preschool children (1). With such rapid growth, you would want your toddlers to experience the benefits of these learning apps. That said, you should also monitor their screen time. Studies have shown that early exposure to screens can be habit-forming in children, and overexposure to screens in early childhood may lead to overuse in later life (2). Here are some precautions you should take when introducing screens to toddlers.
- Limit screen time in early years: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that a baby younger than 18 months of age should not get any screen time at all. From 18-24 months, babies can have limited screen time with a parent or caregiver. By the age of three years, a baby may enjoy an hour of screen time with high-quality educational programs (3).
- Monitor the apps: Evaluate the app’s content, features, and age recommendations. Consider your child’s unique maturity level, digital literacy level, and age ratings and reviews. Proceed with an app only if it is suitable for your child’s age. You should also check for ads that pop up during apps as they may contain inappropriate content.
- Avoid fast movements: Do not introduce apps that have fast-moving images or violent content. Be watchful, as some apps may have in-app messaging too.
- Ensure parental control: Turn on parental controls on your device to keep inappropriate content from being displayed.
- Set a time limit: Children engrossed in apps may be unwilling to put the device down. Set alarms and remind your child about the time limit. Once the alarm rings, they have to put down the device.
21 Best Free Toddler Apps
While some learning apps for kids can help them learn new things, there are many others that feature fun games and puzzles. Here are some apps that are a must-have if you have a toddler at home. These apps have been selected for children between the ages of two to eight.
Educational Apps For Toddlers
1. Shapes!
Download: iOS
Rating: App Store: 4.6
Toddlers who are around two to three years old can identify various shapes. The Shapes! game is ideal for them as it encourages them to learn and identify shapes and colors, different sizes, and a lot more.
2. ABC Spelling – Spell & Phonics
Image: RV AppStudios LLC
Rating: App Store: 4.6, Google Playstore: 4.7
Another popular app from ABC for toddlers is the ABC Spelling – Spell & Phonics. This app offers multiple spelling games for toddlers with various game modes. While the app is free, it does offer in-app purchases for advanced features and more games.
3. ABC Mouse
Rating: App Store: 4.5, Google Playstore: 3.8
ABC Mouse app offers stories, games, and videos to teach your toddler how to read. It also introduces them to Math, Science, and art. This app is free to download and use for the first 30 days. Love the app? You can sign up for unlimited activities and games for a monthly subscription of $10/month subsequently.
Carol, a mother of two and a qualified early years teacher, lists out her favorite apps for toddlers. The app ABC Mouse makes the cut. She says, “ It is a part of an online learning package that is extremely popular with early years teachers and you will find it used in lots of preschools and kindergartens. Whilst this is a paid program they do offer a 30-day free trial which I highly recommend. I am a member of many parenting and teaching groups and this program is one that is consistently recommended for early learning. This is among the best toddler apps – all tested on my very own toddlers! I’m also an early years teacher so this gets the educational tick of approval as well (i).”
4. Colors & Shapes – Kids Learn Color and Shape
Download: iOS
Rating: App Store: 4.5
Colors & Shapes – Kids Learn Color and Shape is a fun game app that allows toddlers to learn about object matching, color matching, and more. The app has simple interactions on screen-touch and many additional features to make it enjoyable for your toddler.
5. ABC Kids – Tracing & Phonetics
Image: RV AppStudios LLC
Rating: App Store: 4.5, Google Playstore: 4.5
Toddlers actively learn to speak and perform various activities than they were in their infancy. As your toddler grows older, teaching them phonetics, alphabets, sounds, etc., becomes important as they reach preschool age.
ABC Kids Tracing and Phonetics is a fun game app for toddlers as it allows them to trace letters and learn how to pronounce them.
6. Kiddopia: Preschool Education & ABC Games for Kids
Rating: App Store: 4.4, Google Playstore: 3.9
The best way to teach anything to a toddler is to mix fun with learning. One app that is great for this purpose is Kiddopia. This is a dynamic app that offers lots of subjects to learn – math to language and social skills! This award-winning game app also helps boost your toddler’s creativity.
The app is available for free, but this version has a limited amount of content. If your toddler enjoys the game, you can purchase lifetime complete access with the in-app purchase option.
7. Starfall ABCs
Image: Starfall Education Foundation
Rating: App Store: 4.2, Google Playstore: 3.7
One of the first things your toddler learns is the alphabet. Starfall ABC is a popular app that offers reading, math, phonics songs, movies, books, and a lot more that enables toddlers to learn their ABCs and 123s.
8. Kids Toddler & Preschool Games
Image: RV AppStudios
Download: Android
Rating: Google Playstore: 3.8
The Kids Toddler & Preschool app is one of the best Android apps for kids. It offers 15 interesting activities for children. These games and activities are designed for children between the ages of two and five. From counting to sorting, this app teaches new concepts in a fun and colorful way. It has no ads, which makes it optimal for your little ones.
9. Peek-a-Zoo
Download: iOS
Rating: App Store: 3.4
Peek-a-Zoo is a wonderful app to teach your toddler about animals, the sounds they make, how they look, etc. This app has a fun game-like interface that allows children to identify an animal by its sound, actions, etc.
Entertainment Apps For Toddlers
10. Baby Games
Image: RV AppStudios LLC
Rating: App Store: 4.5, Google Playstore: 3.9
This is a fun baby game app that teaches them about virtual balloon popping, musical instruments, and their sounds. It features several mini games that are good for toddlers to learn about new things in the world.
11. Kids Balloon Pop Game
Image: App Family Kids – Games for boys and girls
Download: Android
Rating: Google Playstore: 4.5
Kids and balloons are a fun combination. They are instantly attracted to these flying items, and some also love bursting them. The Kids Balloon Pop Game app is apt for toddlers and offers ad-free virtual popping opportunities for the toddler.
You can adjust the size and speed of the balloon based on your toddler’s speed. This app has fun features and teaches your child alphabet, numbers, and colors.
12. PBS Kids Games
Rating: App Store: 4.4, Google Playstore: 4.4
PBS Kids and its characters such as Tiger, Arthur, and others are quite popular with children. When these characters come together in the form of a game app, toddlers may have oodles of fun while learning plenty of new stuff too. With constant updates available in the app, new games are added regularly.
13. Piano Kids
Image: Orange Studios Games
Download: Android
Rating: Google Playstore: 4.3
Children love music. It is a good idea to introduce them to musical instruments when they are a toddler. A fun way to do so is to download the Piano Kids app. The app allows your toddler to play various instruments and recognize the kind of sound they produce.
There are four modes that allow your toddler to learn sounds and music and improve creativity, motor skills, sensory skills, memory skills, and concentration.
Quick tip14. KidloLand
Image: IDZ Digital Private Limited
Rating: App Store: 4.3, Google Playstore: 4.0
KidloLand is an award-winning game app popular for toddlers. The app features games, learning activities, and stories that keep toddlers busy. An attractive feature of this app is that you can download games for your toddler to play offline as well.
15. Fish School
Image: Duck Duck Moose, LLC
Rating: App Store: 3.7, Google Playstore: 4.0
Young children love animals, and fish swimming in the water is intriguing to their budding minds. Fish School app is a popular learning app for toddlers where colorful fish of different shapes, in different numbers and letters, swim in the water for toddlers to identify. This app is cool for toddlers, who will soon be attending preschool and will improve their counting skills along with several other necessary skills.
Point to considerToddler Puzzle Apps
16. Puzzle Kids – Animal Shapes and Jigsaw Puzzles
Image: RV AppStudios
Download: Android
Rating: Google Playstore: 4.5
If you are looking for an exclusive app that has puzzles, Puzzle Kids is a great choice. The app offers a variety of drag and drop puzzles and games that are designed for toddlers. From matching shapes to guessing an object, these puzzles build your child’s problem-solving skills and cognition and improve logical reasoning. The app is free and has no in-app purchases.
17. Super Puzzles Kids Jigsaw Game
Download: iOS
Rating: App Store: 4.5
Super Puzzle Kids Jigsaw is a fun puzzle game for your toddler. The app allows you to choose the number of pieces you wish to have in your puzzle with its many settings. The app indicates when a puzzle piece is in the wrong place and produces a ‘snap’ sound when your toddler places a piece in its correct spot.
You can get around 18 puzzles for free when you download the app. If you wish to download more, the app allows in-app purchase options to help you.
18. Hidden Pictures Puzzle Town
Download: iOS
Rating: App Store: 4.4
This is a popular puzzle app for toddlers with over 50 puzzles that are divided into various categories. The puzzles help toddlers learn math, problem-solving, sounds, shapes, and more.
While the app is free to download, it offers a 30-day free trial period. If your toddler loves the app, you can purchase a $2.99 monthly subscription to access new and updated puzzles each month!
19. Pango One Road
Rating: App Store: 4.4, Google Playstore: 3.8
Here’s a great puzzle for your toddler, where they are prompted to use their problem-solving skills to build a path to cross tiny islands while avoiding mole holes. The app offers over 70 challenges, and the difficulty level increases with each puzzle that your toddler solves.
20. Meet the Numberblocks!
Image: Blue Zoo
Rating: App Store: 4.4, Google Playstore: 3.8
Introduce the wonderful world of numbers to your child with the Numberblocks app. This app helps your child learn numbers in an easy and entertaining way. The number blocks are interactive, and they talk and guide your child through different counting games. This award-winning app makes math fun for children between the ages of four and six years. Numberblocks is also a popular cartoon on CBeebies and YouTube.
21. Baby Shark Jigsaw Puzzle Fun
Image: The Pinkfong Company
Download: Android
Rating: Google Playstore: 3.4
This puzzle app offers a wide range of colorful and fun puzzles for your toddler. You can choose the complexity level based on your toddler’s skill. You can also choose puzzles from 4 to 16 pieces. The app is free to download but the free version may contain ads.
It is normal for toddlers and young children to get distracted easily. Here are some fun and educational game apps:
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can I ensure the apps my toddler uses are safe and age-appropriate?
You can ensure the age-appropriateness of the apps your toddler uses by checking their reviews and ratings, the mentioned age group, the content that is displayed, the parental controls on the app, the usage time of the app, the trustworthiness of the developer, and the type of in-app purchase pop-ups or advertisements.
2. Are there any risks or downsides to using apps for toddlers?
The risks and downsides to consider when using toddler-appropriate apps include excessive screen time, lack of social interactions, a sedentary lifestyle, inappropriate content or advertisements, and overstimulation leading to problems with sleep and attention (2). However, these risks can be controlled and prevented with appropriate parental measures.
3. What apps can parents use to monitor and control their toddlers’ screen time?
Depending on the operating software of their devices, such as Android or iOS, parents can monitor and control their toddler’s screen time from their device settings. However, parents looking for advanced options can consider downloading AirDroid Parental Control or FamiSafe apps for Android and iOS devices.
With an array of apps available online, finding ones that are appropriate and accessible to children is challenging. The above apps for toddlers are fun and educational, helping to boost your child’s creativity, logical reasoning, and problem-solving skills. Their vibrant theme colors, catchy music, and engaging interfaces will attract your children, urging them to use these apps regularly. Most of these apps are easily available on iOS and Android platforms. So download these apps, and let your children enjoy these games during their leisure time.
Infographic: Free Apps For Toddlers
We all know how the current generation of young children is always hooked to mobile screens. So, if you are scouring for ways to make your toddler’s screen time fun and productive, we bring you some excellent no-cost apps that allow children to have fun besides facilitating learning. Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
Illustration: Best Free Apps For Toddlers
Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team
Under proper adult supervision, children can maximize the benefits of using technology. Introduce your children to these fantastic apps mentioned in the video.
Personal Experience: Source
MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.
i. 20 best apps for toddlers 2023;https://myboredtoddler.com/best-apps-for-toddlers/
References
- Julie Vaiopoulou et al.; (2022); Classification and evaluation of educational apps for early childhood: Security matters.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9398896/ - Screen time and young children: Promoting health and development in a digital world.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5823000/ - Media Use Guidelines: Babies & Toddlers.
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/screentime-baby-todd.html
Community Experiences
Join the conversation and become a part of our nurturing community! Share your stories, experiences, and insights to connect with fellow parents.
Read full bio of Shanika Libert
Read full bio of Harshita Makvana
Read full bio of Rohit Garoo
Read full bio of Trisha Chakraborty
