Pre-school education can be a great way to ensure that your child gets the best start to their academic life.
It can help them get a headstart in the classroom as well as set them up with skills that will last and be beneficial throughout their life.
As technology has progressed in recent years, there has been a rush of learning apps aimed to pre-schoolers released onto the market.
These apps are the ideal format for delivering quality pre-school education as they can keep your child engaged in a way that many traditional methods can’t.
Not only will your child be able to learn with a learning app, but they can improve their technology skills and have fun doing so!
In this article, we will look at the best learning apps for pre-schoolers. We will also look at what features you should consider and why these apps are so beneficial.
The Best Learning Apps For Pre-Schoolers
Let’s begin by taking a look at some of the best learning apps for pre-schoolers.
Khan Academy For Kids
Khan Academy has a variety of apps aimed at all age ranges but this one is specifically for younger children.
It covers all of the core subjects that you would expect from a pre-school learning app such as English, math, reading, and social skills.
It does through an equally wide range of activities including games, songs, and animations.
The base of the curriculum is designed around the Common Core Standards and Early Learning Outcomes Framework, so you can be sure that the app will prepare your child for school.
Parents have the option of two distinct learning paths so you can choose whichever one is best suited for your child.
The interface is colorful and friendly to use. The app is also completely free to use and free of all in-app ads.
Highlights
- Free – the app is free to download and has no subscription
- Variety – there are a variety of activities and games to keep your child entertained
- Developed by experts – the courses were designed by learning experts
- Printables – as well as the app, there are also free printables to get kids away from the screen
Busy Shapes
Busy Shapes follows the Montessori method of children learning through a self-directed and hands-on approach. It works on a child’s critical thinking by asking them to match shapes and colors to ‘holes’ on the screen.
There are over 150 levels of play that get progressively more challenging and are designed to keep children engaged.
Children will improve their motor skills and problem solving skills with this app, while also learning colors and shapes.
The app costs $2.99 to download and has no in-app purchases.
Highlights
- Self-directed – instructions are minimal, children learn by discovery
- Motor-skills – kids will improve their motor skills by dragging items across the screen
- Problem-solving – the app encourages children to think critically and solve problems
- Engaging – the app has 150 colorful levels that increase in difficulty
Moose Math
As the name suggests, this app is all about math and the basic math skills and principles that young children need to learn.
It focuses on the five basic math skills of numbers, geometry, counting, measurement, and addition and subtraction.
All of these skills and the lessons in the app are in line with the COmmon Core State Standards.
The material is delivered to pre-schoolers in a variety of colorful and fun interactive games. These include lost and found, bingo, and joining the dots.
The app produces reports so you can see how your pre-schooler is progressing and there is an in-game reward system to keep kids engaged and motivated.
This app is also completely free to download and has no subscription or in-app purchases.
Highlights
- Math focused – the app will help your pre-schooler begin to understand math
- Price – it’s completely free and has no subscription charges
- Common Core compatible – Moose Math is aligned with Common Core State Standards
- Rewards and reports – see how you child is progressing with the app’s reports and rewards
Homer
Homer covers a variety of the most basic subjects and skills such as math, reading, critical thinking skills, and creativity.
It offers great customization for parents as you can choose the learning experience so that your child sees material that they will personally enjoy.
Across all of the different subjects there are over 1000 activities for your child to discover so there will be plenty for them to do and enjoy.
The app is colorful and engaging and also has a license for various Sesame Street characters, so this is sure to appeal to kids that love the antics of Elmo and friends.
The app gives you a 30-day free trial but does require a subscription. This is available as a monthly subscription of $9.99 a month.
The annual subscription works out much cheaper at $59.99 per year ($4.99 a month) and there is also a lifetime subscription of $99.99 available.
Highlights
- Variety – over 1000 different activities are available
- Colorful characters – your child can learn with Sesame Street
- Customization – tailor the learning experience to your child
- Printables – the app also offers offline learning and printables
Monkey Pre-School
This app uses colorful and fun monkeys to direct the learning and teach pre-schoolers about letters, shapes, and numbers.
Kids get rewarded for successful completion of lessons and this can help them stay motivated and engaged.
There are seven different fun activities for kids to enjoy as they learn the basics they’ll need for school.
The app costs $1.99 for iOS and $4.99 for Android
Highlights
- Colorful and cute – the app is full of cute monkeys
- Seven activities – children can choose from seven games
- Reward system – the app rewards successful completion of activities
- Basic skills – it covers all of the basic skills and knowledge pre-schoolers need
What To Look Out For When Choosing A Learning App for Pre-Schoolers
Before you download any apps for your pre-schoolers, there are a few things that you should take into consideration.
Compatibility
Regardless of whether you’re downloading the app to a tablet or cell phone or your operating system is Android or iOS, you need to make sure that the app is compatible with your device.
Most new phones and tablets should be able to support any app that is on the market, but if yours is a few years old and running an older operating system, you may find that the app isn’t compatible.
Compatibility information is usually available at the point of download from the App Store or Google Play Store so check this information first.
Kid-Friendly Apps
Any app that is directed at pre-schoolers should have kid-friendly material but this is not what we mean by this point.
Try to avoid any apps that are loaded with pop-up ads and other types of advertisements that uncoordinated little fingers can accidentally press.
Even if you’re keeping the closest eye on your pre-schooler, it only takes a fraction of a second for them to press on an advert and bring up a completely different app that may not be as suitable for them.
Some apps give you the option to remove ads by paying a subscription fee whereas others will not have any advertisements at all.
We would recommend these apps over ones that use adverts to support them.
Colorful Graphics
Kids love to see colors and interesting things so make sure that the app is full of bold colors and cute characters for your pre-schooler to see.
Not only are these more fun for kids, but they will help them become more invested in the app itself and keep them learning and coming back for more.
Pre-schoolers can have very short attention spans so screens of muted colors and boring text will not hold this attention for longer. They need the apps to be visually stimulating as well as mentally stimulating.
There are several apps on the market that use characters to help facilitate the learning process. Some of these are well-known characters that your pre-schooler may already love, such as the cast of Sesame Street.
Others are characters created especially for each app but these characters can also help keep your child involved and interested.
Variety Of Features
If you really want to keep your pre-schooler’s attention and keep them invested in an learning app, then choose one that has a wide variety of features for your child to enjoy.
Even the most colorful and fun of pictures can get boring after a while so look for apps that have a variety of stimulating activities.
Songs are a great way to keep a child engaged and they can become a group activity as well.
You can sing along with your pre-schooler and the app and get involved in their learning. Some apps have videos that ask the pre-schooler to get up and move around as well.
Offline Availability
Another way to keep your pre-school protected from advertisements and inadvertently accessing apps on your device that they shouldn’t, is to get a learning app that is available offline.
Once the app has been downloaded, you can simply switch your device to airplane mode and let your pre-schooler play with the learning app without worrying about them getting online or onto any other apps.
An offline mode is also handy for those times when your internet connection is either unavailable or unstable.
You can keep them busy during a long plane or car ride without needing to worry about having a stable connection or WiFi.
Price
Many learning apps operate on a subscription model which means that you need to continually pay each month to be able to access them.
These prices can vary greatly depending on the app but it is important that you are aware of the prices and terms before you subscribe.
Take advantage of any free trials that are available before you start spending money, too. It can be difficult to predict what a pre-schooler will like so give them the opportunity to play around with an app before you subscribe.
What Are The Benefits Of Learning Apps For Pre-Schoolers?
Scientific research on the benefits of these apps may be lacking, but from our experience of using learning apps with pre-schoolers, there are still many reasons to choose them.
Accessibility
With learning apps, your pre-schooler can learn at any time and any day. As long as you have the app on your device and enough battery to power it, there are no restrictions on when your child can learn.
Improves Classroom Performance
Learning apps are a great way of presenting new information to your child while also reinforcing material they may already know.
As well as academic skills such as counting, colors, and the alphabet, they can also teach other skills like dancing and singing.
All of these will come in handy when your child starts school and will ensure that they already have a foundation of learning.
Distraction
Part of the accessibility of learning apps is that they can also be used anywhere.
Whether you’re traveling, completing some chores, or waiting for an appointment, learning apps can distract your child and keep them occupied.
Instead of giving your pre-schooler a device to watch their favorite show on, turn that screen time into something positive and instructional by giving them a learning app.
Fun Way To Learn
It’s important that children see learning as something fun instead of something that they have to do.
Learning apps for pre-schoolers are designed to be fun and engaging and they can not only teach your children new skills, but also that learning itself can be something enjoyable.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we looked at some of the best learning apps for pre-schoolers. We also considered what you should look for in a learning app for pre-schoolers and what the benefits of these apps are.
We hope that the information and recommendations in this article will help you choose the best learning app for your pre-schooler.
