Top Educational Apps For Kids

With kids attached to their smartphones and laptops before they’re old enough to wear regular underwear, it’s a confusing maze for parents to navigate through selecting the best apps for their budding scientists, artists, musicians or engineers. In no particular order, here are some apps that cover most of the bases.

1. Bloom

Bloom marries musical instrument, verbal composition and visual artwork. Kids and adults can create melodies and intricate visual patterns by just tapping the screen. According to creative icon artist and composer Brian Eno, “Bloom is an endless music machine, a music box for the 21st century. You can play it, and you can watch it play itself.”

2. Journeys of Invention

Journeys of Invention is where kids can view and “play” with items from history and technology. Interact with objects from London’s Science Museum and learn about their history while viewing them up close. Budding scientists can explore the Large Hadron Collider and the next Sherlock Holmes can try to encode his own secret message with the Enigma Machine from World War II.

3. Motion Math

Motion Math is an interactive math app to help kids master Common Core standards. It’s very possible your kid can move from hating match to loving it with Motion Math’s games that help build fluency and conceptual understanding.

4. Write About This

Write About This introduces kids to writing with a game-like approach that will turn your shy child into a creative juggernaut. Its format will help draw the creativity out of your baby Hemingway and turn him on to the joy of written expression in no time.

5. Tayasui Sketches

Tayasui Sketches is a blank sketchpad that provides you with virtual paint, markers, pens and pencils. And that’s not all. Once you’ve created your masterpiece, you can cut it out and paste it onto another drawing or sketch to make a multi-layered work of art. And the best thing of all? You can share it with the click of a button or print out your artwork to stick to the fridge.

6. GeoWalk

GeoWalk is a virtual spinning globe with information on more than 500 “edutainment” entries that span the gamut from plants to animals, famous people to historical events and even inventions. Kids can view items on a globe or as virtual streaming flashcards. They can also test their retention by taking quizzes.

7. Earth Primer

Earth Primer is where kids can recreate the Earth any way they want. Beginner geologists can create mountains, build volcanoes and develop weather patterns around their creations. It features modes of the Earth’s Interior, Surface, Water Cycle, Biomes, and Sandbox. Dive in to see what worlds you can create!

Even though these apps are geared toward kids, don’t discount the fun that moms, dads and siblings can have with them too. Older kids – and those who are young at heart – might learn a thing or two, and it will give the family a chance to have fun, learn new things and spend time together. Join in on quizzes to see who scores the highest or see who can draw the funniest animal. You’ll have fun no matter what!