Best Educational Apps for Kids of All Ages

PJ Masks all shout hooray! It's time to be a hero and save the city from the villains, Romeo, Luna Girl, Night Ninja and the Ninjalinos. Your children will learn valuable social lessons like sharing and taking turns as they suit up as Gecko, Owlette or Cat Boy. The app is free, but additional levels cost $7.99.

Your preschooler will love exploring the environments of the grasslands, desert, and forest in this STEM-aligned app. New species and surprises await in every interactive diorama, and the app is available in over 50 languages.

Ages 4 and up
$1.99 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

Getting ready for kindergarten? This app includes an interactive kindergarten readiness checklist for parents, 30 related activities to try with your preschooler (covering early reading, math, social, and self-care skills), and five in-app games that help kids learn some key concepts.

Ages 4 & up
$1.99 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch
This app was produced by FamilyEducation.
Download here

Choose your team of three dancers, customize their costumes, and get grooving to the beat! This app puts your child in charge of his own dance production, from music selection to choreography to special effects. The open gameplay allows your child's imagination to reign supreme in this funky app full of customizations.

Ages 6 and up
$2.99 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

With your mobile device's GPS, Star Walk acts as your own personal telescope, showing you what's located in the night sky right above your head. Your child will be able to spot stars, planets, and constellations invisible to the naked eye. This Apple Design Award winner is great for older kids learning about astronomy, but younger ones will also enjoy a stargazing walk with your help!

Ages 12 and up
$4.99 for Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

Though it's based on the children's book The Magic School Bus: On the Ocean Floor, this app is much more than a read-along storybook. Readers can tap on an animal and watch a video about it, or click on an ocean plant to get some cool facts and photos. With seven interactive science explorations, 11 videos, and 26 photos, there's always more to discover. And when the story is over, there's fun mini-games to play. Among its many awards, this app has won an Editor's Choice Award from Children's Technology Review and a National Parenting Publication Award.

Ages 6 and up
$3.99 for iPad

Shape Gurus introduces your preschooler the world of shapes and colors through a fun, interactive story made up of a series of puzzle games. She'll learn to match shapes and colors, classify different shapes, sort shapes, and other important skills in this brightly colored app that's easy for preschoolers to play on their own.

Ages 2 and up
$1.99 for Android, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

Ever heard "when am I ever going to use this in real life?" while your kid does his math homework? Motion Math: Pizza! Is one of the best apps for kids out there to teach practical, real-world math and economics skills. In this Children's Technology Review Editor's Choice app that puts your child in charge of a pizzeria, your child will have to buy ingredients, design his pizzas, and set his prices, all of which involve both math and strategy skills. Who's offering the best deal on cheese? What toppings do customers want most? The math skills become more challenging as your child progresses, so the game never gets boring.

Ages 8 and up
$11.99 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

If you have a young child just starting school, you're likely very familiar with sight words — those words she's supposed to know just by sight, without sounding them out. Designed with the English Common Core State Standards in mind, this app helps expose your child to these key words and makes studying and committing them to memory fun. The app received a Parent's Choice Silver Award and includes sight words for children in pre-K to grade 3.

Ages 4 and up
$2.99 for Android, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

Monkey and his jungle pals introduce your child to the core concepts behind reading, phonics, and spelling in this fun-filled adventure. The game automatically adjusts the difficulty level as your child learns, so the app will grow with him. And he'll love getting to add frogs, butterflies, and chameleons to his reward terrarium when he wins.

Ages 3 and up
$1.99 for Android, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch