Does your child play games on your phone? Game apps may keep him busy in the doctor’s waiting room, but what does he learn from them? Not much, for the most part. We gathered 30 of our favorite educational apps for Android phones into one handy list.
Do you have a favorite app not listed here? Please share it with us in the comments. Happy app shopping!
Want more apps?
Be sure to check out our articles on:
40 of the best Smart Phone apps for kids and parents
35 Windows Phone apps for kids and parents
Educational Android apps
1. All by Myself. Mercer Mayer's Little Critter book comes to life in this preschool app. The illustrations show that Little Critter doesn't do everything perfectly, but he always makes an effort to do the best he can. Several other Little Critter books are available. 1.99
2. Monkey Preschool Lunchbox. Monkey see, monkey do, right? This educational and interactive app offers learning fun with counting, matching, letters and a digital jigsaw puzzle. Kids will love getting animated stickers after completing various games. $0.99
3.Star Chart. For kids who can go out at night, point the phone at the sky and it’ll tell you exactly what you’re looking at. $2.99
4. Kids Learn to Read. This app invites preschool-aged children to practice blending sounds together to read and spell simple words, such as "dog", "sun", and "big." Children learn to blend letter sounds into words by moving Tommy the Turtle across the letter bridge as each letter is sounded out and a word is formed and pronounced. $3.99
5. Super WHY. Give your children the Power to Read with this collection of four “Super WHY” interactive games from PBS Kids. Your child can play along with each of the four main characters from the TV series: Alpha Pig, Princess Presto, Wonder Red, and Super Why, while practicing the alphabet, rhyming, spelling, writing and reading. $2.99
6. It’s Tyrannosaurus Rex! Soundprints and the Smithsonian Institution recreate a bygone world and give you a glimpse into the life of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Amazing graphics and powerful sound effects make you feel like the exciting adventures of the prehistoric age are happening right outside your door! This title is carefully reviewed by paleontologists at the Smithsonian Institution and provides fascinating information about the prehistoric world. $2.99
7. Toddler Tapping Zoo. Designed around lush photographs, this app teaches toddlers to distinguish sounds, associate sounds with images and fine-tune their motor skills. But most of all, they have a great time. $0.99
8. JumpStart Preschool Magic of Learning 2. Designed for little hands and big imaginations! Join Frankie the Dog on a magical learning adventure that will show just how fun learning can be. With seven math, pre-reading, and critical thinking skills for school, this app is the perfect tool to keep your preschooler learning on the go. $.0.99
9. Madagascar Preschool Surf n’ Slide. In Madagascar Preschool Surf n' Slide, players join young Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman, and the entire Madagascar gang for a slip-sliding adventure in learning! Players will surf down amazing slides as they learn multitudes of preschool skills on their mobile device.This app includes 18 lessons across 6 subjects: Numbers, Letters, Colors, Shapes, Animals, and Critical Thinking. $4.99
10. Kids Socks. Kids match socks by dragging them to their mates. Includes baby mode where toddlers just touch to make a match. Underpants mode also available. Free or $1.49 for Kids Socks Plus.
11. 123s ABCs Handwriting Fun. Give young learners a head start in school. Practice the Handwriting Without Tears handwriting print style with ease. Kids practice writing lowercase and uppercase letters, 0-9 numbers and fun shapes. Trace the letter, hear the letter. Shake to erase & try again! This app helps kids with practical exercises that develop writing, reading and fine motor skills. Free.
12. Alphabet Car. Learn the alphabet letters, words and spelling in this fun educational app. Use the phone as a steering wheel to drive the bus towards the correct letters and words for a big win! With over 40 levels ranging from easy to hard, this app features 3D graphics and personalized car customization. $2.99.
13. Math Flash Cards. This math-tastic app features big buttons for small hands and various levels of difficulty for children in preschool and up. Practice simple addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with traditional cards or test your skills in quiz mode with multiple choice answers. The latest version adds the Math Bonanza game. $0.99
14. Dr. Seuss's ABC. Learn your ABCs with Dr. Seuss in this app version of the classic children's book! Featuring highlighted words as the story is narrated, this educational app is great for Seuss lovers who are just beginning to learn the alphabet. Check out Oceanhouse Media for a variety of other Seuss classic tales available as apps. $3.99
15. Kids' Flashcards: Fruit & Vegi. Your child will get a kick out of seeing and naming all of their favorite fruits and vegetables in this early learning app. View fruit and veggies pictures and learn how to pronounce and spell their names while following the audio and animation. $1.99
16. Kids Finger Paint. Spin the color wheel to choose a color and get ready to create a masterpiece! This finger painting app features fun, seasonal backgrounds to color and easy prompts for young children to understand. Change the brush sizes by adding pressure to your fingertip and shake the phone to erase your artwork when you're finished! Latest version includes new backgrounds - balloons, butterflies, castles and dragons. Shares pictures with family and friends. $0.99
17. Kids Connect the Dots. Your child will love connecting the dots to see what common object, fruit or animal is revealed! This early learning app features over 90 adorable, dot-connecting cartoons and you can connect the dots by using numbers or alphabet letters. Now optimized for phones and tablets. $2.99; lite version is free.
18. Kids Alphabet. Learning the alphabet will be a snap with this educational app! Walking you through the pronunciation and spelling of the alphabet letters, Kids Alphabet features adorable graphics and fun accompanying sounds. Words are written in both print and cursive. $1.49; lite version is free.
19. Preschool Basics. Strengthen those early motor skills with the Preschool Basics flashcards. Your child can choose from five different flashcard decks, including alphabet letters, numbers, colors, shapes and words -- all in one app! Shuffle the cards for increased difficulty or sit back and listen as the voice explains and pronounces each object. $1.99
20. CardDroid Math. More in math fun! Kids will love earning gold stars for accomplishing addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems. This app features large buttons for small hands, a timer for testing your speed, fun narration and various levels of difficulty. $0.99
21. WordUp! Similar to the classic game of Boggle, this app is great for children who are learning to spell (and parents who love sneaking in a good word game!). Watch as the letters jumble on the grid and try to find the longest words possible out of connected letters for extra points. $2.99; free for ad-supported version.
22. Shape Builder Preschool Puzzler. Put together the colorful pieces to complete the jigsaw puzzle and see what the mystery shape is! This app includes 144 different puzzles, narration from a professional speech therapist, fun sound effects and cute images. $0.99
23. Concentration for Kids. Kids will love testing their memory skills with this classic game of concentration! Packed with three different themes and ten different levels, this app lets you choose from well-known animals, sea creatures and letters for plenty of matching fun. $0.99
24. Toddler World. This awesome app features a handful of different educational activities for kids -- including four different flashcard decks, a classical memory game and a painting canvas. Talk about variety! Kids will love the fun cartoons, silly sounds and the ability to switch between games. $0.99; lite version is free.
25. Kids Numbers and Math. Strengthen your math skills -- in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese or Russian -- with these number counting flashcards. Match, subtract and add numbers, or choose from an advanced exercise to test your growing skills! $2.99; lite version is free.
26. Colors. Learn all about primary colors from viewing well-known objects and listening to the voice narration. Parents can customize this colorful app by adding their own object pictures and voice prompts or by starring particular cards for a personalized deck. Plenty of color to go around! Free
27. Kid Mode: Play + Learn. This award-winning app truly includes it all -- and it's free! With specific game sections for ages 2-8, Kid Mode features coloring books, puzzles and math and word games with popular character such as Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Train, Curious George and many more. Free
28. Sound Touch. Touch the cartoon images of animals, vehicles, birds and well-known objects to find real life photos and sounds for each. With a total of 336 varying sounds and images this app will surely be a lot of fun, all while introducing your tot to common animals and everyday objects. $2.99; lite version is free.
29. Spelling Bee. See what all of the spelling buzz is about with this fun, educational word app! Spelling Bee includes over 2,300 words and offers various levels of difficulty from easy to hard for beginners and more advanced spellers. $0.99
30. Toddler Music Jukebox. Rock out to twelve fun children's songs, including Wheels on the Bus, Old McDonald, B-I-N-G-O and Itsy, Bitsy Spider. Shuffle capabilities and individual song play are both included. $1.50
