Top 5 Learning Apps for Toddlers & Preschoolers

Kidloland

Kidloland is one of the very first apps, if not THE first, that I purchased for my toddler, when he was just about a year old. I used it then for the nursery rhymes. There are plenty of traditional nursery rhymes, as well as an abundance of learning rhymes to ranging from learning your numbers and counting, colors, days of the week, manners, solar system, etc. The app is recommended for ages 2-8, and the activities and games grow with your child! There is letter tracing and identification, puzzles, stories that they can read themselves or have read to them and so much more!

The best and most exciting thing about Kidloland is that every element is interactive! Each little detail on the page can change with the simple tap of a finger, whether it be the characters, their accessories, the backgrounds, etc. There is never a dull moment and learning is cleverly intertwined with endless fun! Now that my son is 3, almost 4, he has come to love some other apps as well, but Kidloland remains a favorite as it grows with him.

Kidloland is a paid app but has a free trial period to see if it is a good fit for you and your child. It is billed at around $5 per month or you can save a bit with an annual plan. As a parent, I’m most thrilled about the fact that it can be used offline! The app for iPad/IOS can be found at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/kidloland-games-for-toddlers/id533412119, although it is available on other platforms as well!

Endless Learning Academy- Endless Alphabet & Endless 123

• 

• 

The Endless Learning Academy has been SO essential in fostering my son’s love for learning, language development and number recognition. My toddler always LOVED numbers and counting, with Kidloland’s number songs increasingly peaking his interest with counting songs, so when we moved on to the Endless bundle within the Endless Learning Academy, it was no surprise that he would become obsessed with Endless 123. You can purchase in increments, with 1-25 being the first set. Once I realized how advanced he was with number recognition, I immediately purchased 1-100. I am a natural “sing-everything-er” and my toddler loves learning through song and music, so Endless 123 was a great app to reiterate what I was teaching him at home. The app has a drag and drop feature and includes addition and other number activities such as counting.

At home, we put up Numbers and Letters, as well as colors, on the wall in Troy Keith’s play room, so when he began easily recognizing letters and showing increasing interest, I purchased Endless ABC. This catapulted his abilities and although he recognized letters from our time with flash cards and at-home learning, he picked up letter sounds and differences even quicker with this app. He was OVER THE MOON about letters! He recognized them everywhere! At barely a year and a half, before he could even speak well, he would trace and name the letters on everything. The app also has cute characters that are found throughout the bundle, with silly and sometimes ridiculous animation. Every time you click to drag a letter, the sound repeats until it is placed where it belongs. There are over 100 words in the app, with each letter building a word and then used in a sentence.

At 3 years old, Troy Keith can count upwards of 100, as well as recognizing the numbers visually, he knows all letters and sounds, both lowercase and uppercase, he knows some basic addition and continues to have an excited curiosity about his letters and numbers. Along with repetition in learning at home, with handmade flash cards, activities and learning through music and activity (I am a very excitable mom :), I attribute much of his excitement to the fun he had with these apps. You can find Endless Alphabet here > https://apps.apple.com/us/app/endless-alphabet/id591626572 and Endless 123 here > https://apps.apple.com/us/app/endless-numbers/id804360921. This is a paid app, but there is a free trial period to see if it fits you and your child.

YouTube Kids

YouTube certainly has a bit of a rocky review amongst parents these days, and with good reason. There is a lot of negative things to be found there. However, YouTube kids, along with much suggested parental controls and channel or video-approved restrictions, I think it can be a positive learning experience. I am very involved in the use of my son’s iPad and his presence on YouTube kids. He has a few channels on his watch list, set up by me. Before I put up the restrictions, I heard words in a video that I didn’t approve of, so became more cautious and allowed content from only channels or videos that I found to be safe and I also still monitor his use. Some of our favorite channels are:

• Ryan’s Toy Review
• Number Blocks
• PBS Kids
• Disney Junior

Youtube kids is a free app found here > https://apps.apple.com/us/app/youtube-kids/id936971630

Caribu: Kids Books & Coloring

• 

• 

Caribu is a super cool app that I discovered more recently. We haven’t gotten the chance to use it much, but plan to use it more frequently now that Troy Keith is sitting still longer for books lol. My child is always on GO! Caribu is an app that allows you to video call grandparents or other family members and friends to read together through FaceTime! You can also paint and color. It makes FaceTime more fun for the kids and interactive, bringing family closer together when they are far away! I love the concept and it’s innovation! You can find it here > https://apps.apple.com/us/app/caribu-kids-books-coloring/id763451959.

Netflix

There isn’t much to be explained about Netflix. It isn’t a learning app, per say, but earns honorary mention. Of course, it is a subscription based app that is most commonly used on televisions at home, but the ability to download movies and television on the go makes it totally worth the download on an iPad. Little Baby Bum is great for the younger kids, as well as Super Why! and Word Party! Netflix can be found here > https://apps.apple.com/us/app/netflix/id363590051