The 8 Best Educational Apps for Preschoolers in 2022 (2023)

• Our Top Picks
• Khan Academy Kids
• Busy Shapes
• Moose Math
• Toca Nature
• Homer Reading Learn to Read
• The Monster At the End of This Book
• Daniel Tiger’s Day and Night
• My PlayHome
• See More (5)

• FAQs

This junior version of the educational app par excellence (Khan Academy) targets young learners from 2 to 7 years old. It’s a mobile device app that covers math, English language arts, logic, and socio-emotional learning by using books, games, songs, and videos. Activities include multiple-choice questions, logic games, storytime, and free drawing. The program is aligned with the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes and Common Core State standards.

Not only does this app go way beyond the average preschooler app, but the fact that it’s free means that even competitors like ABCmouse (which also presents a comprehensive curriculum) can’t really measure up in terms of access to families of different income ranges. For this reason, Khan Academy Kids has won awards from Common Sense Media and Children’s Technology Review.

Looking for apps for your youngest kids? Check out these best educational apps for toddlers.

Busy Shapes is an app aligned with the Montessori method of self-directed, hands-on learning. As such, it’s perfect for the youngest kids just starting to interact with technology because it’s not rote learning. The app is designed to impact young children’s motor skill development. Using their logic and reasoning skills, kids learning about how objects relate to each other and how they can manipulate them.

Busy Shapes is simple to play. Kids simply drag an object into a hole. They are challenged to match the shape of the object with the corresponding hole, and eventually, another object and hole will appear in a new setting. The challenge increases over time, with multiple objects and holes of different shapes. Most importantly, there are no instructions—it’s all child-directed. Busy Shapes costs $2.99.

Made by Duck Duck Moose, which became part of educational technology juggernaut Khan Academy in 2016, this math app is designed to introduce basic math concepts to young kids. Kids help a moose and his friends do various tasks, such as counting, making "moose juice" smoothies, and finding hidden animals. The games teach concepts related to counting, shapes, addition, and subtraction.

There are five games at different levels, and kids have to progress through the levels to advance. The games are aligned to Common Core State Standards for kindergarten math, so it’s best for preschoolers who are preparing to enter elementary school. Parents also can follow their kids’ progress. Best of all, Moose Math is free with no hidden, in-app purchases.

Toca Nature is one of the best apps on the market for older preschoolers to engage in open-ended creative exploration. It’s like Minecraft for young kids. Kids get to build natural elements like trees, lakes, and mountains and see what happens when animals populate the areas they’ve built. They construct their scenery by tapping and dragging, which means that the app is best for older preschoolers who have better hand-eye coordination.

Toca Nature has a calm aura about it, with soothing background music to accompany the scenery. Unlike what happens in real life, this version of nature is appropriate for young children—there are no bears devouring small animals. Kids can feed some animals, though not all of them. Toca Nature costs $3.99.

Homer Reading: Learn to Read is a research-based, comprehensive literacy curriculum that creates a personalized program for every child based on what they’re interested in. For example, there’s content about animals, music, poetry, folk tales, and many other subjects. Kids tap on the content they want to learn about and can record their own voices. There’s also a strong phonics component, and kids have the ability to practice tracing letters.

Homer Reading was designed with the Common Core in mind, and thus it provides context. For example, one reviewer explains, “Kids are not only learning what the letter ‘A’ sounds like and that 'alligator' starts with 'A,' but also taking virtual 'field trips' to the zoo, where they learn about alligators.” Homer Reading isn’t cheap: it’s $10/month, but you get a 30-day free trial and the yearly plan is $60 if you can commit to that.

This is an interactive version of the classic Sesame Street book from the 1970s in which Grover urges children not to turn the pages so they can stay away from the end of the book, where there is supposedly a monster. Grover reads the pages of the book, but kids tap the screen to turn the pages. Of course, the monster at the end of the book is Grover himself! This ebook version has interactive elements, allowing kids to untie ropes and knock down brick walls.

Besides being a hoot for little kids, The Monster at the End of this Book can present an opportunity for parents to talk to kids about when they feel afraid of something. The ebook costs $3.99.

One of many great apps offered by PBS Kids, Daniel Tiger’s Day and Night teaches kids about morning and evening routines. Kids are asked to do tasks like getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing their teeth, and in the evening, taking a bath. The app includes eight games revolving around these routines, as well as sing-along songs to make these tasks more fun, and musical timers.

Daniel Tiger Day and Night is especially good for young kids who are particularly disorganized or seem to need more structure in their days. However, it’s great for all kids in terms of learning the importance of hygiene and self-care. The app costs $2.99.

My PlayHome is a completely open-ended virtual dollhouse that encourages young kids to use their imagination to build a family. Kids can choose up to 15 characters with different outfits and hairstyles. The app is also highly interactive - the characters can jump, blow bubbles, build blocks, swing in the backyard, work in the garden, or cook in the kitchen. There are sound effects that make the activities the kids create particularly realistic, such as characters chomping on apples or frying an egg.

One of the best things about My PlayHome is that kids can choose from diverse skin tones to create their family, and decide whether their family is multi-racial or has two moms or dads. While the app is designed to appeal to young kids, even elementary school children seem to love playing it. My PlayHome is $3.99 on iTunes and $2.99 on Amazon.

The AAP recommends no screens for children younger than 18 months with one exception: video chatting. Toddlers 18 months to 24 months can start to enjoy some screen time with a parent or caregivers, and by ages 2 and 3, kids should watch no more than one hour a day.

Ideally, you should engage with media alongside your child to help them understand what they are seeing and apply what they learn to the real world.

Article Sources

1. Griffith SF, Hagan MB, Heymann P, Heflin BH, Bagner DM. Apps as learning tools: A systematic review. Pediatrics. 2020;145(1). doi:10.1542/peds.2019-1579

2. Council on Communications and Media. Media and young minds. Pediatrics. 2016;138(5). doi:10.1542/peds.2016-2591

3. Reid Chassiakos YL, Radesky J, Christakis D, Moreno MA, Cross C, Council on Communications and Media. Children and adolescents and digital media. Pediatrics. 2016;138(5). doi:10.1542/peds.2016-2593

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