Fun and Educational Apps for Kids

They can be fun, they can be educational, but can apps be fun and educational? Absolutely! This summer, don’t let your kids’ quest for knowledge stop once they leave school. In fact, all they need is their smartphones or tablet and excitement to learn.

Here are some apps that prove that learning can be as fun as swimming in a pool on a hot summer day or swinging on swings.

Fun and Educational Apps for Kids 5 – 7+

Fruity Fractions for iOS ($2.99)

Fractions can be tricky, but, with this app, they don’t have to be. Kids follow along with the main character Quip, who just wants his share of fruit, and to learn basic fractions concepts along the way. The game provides instructional support for learners so that they can learn concepts easily.

With fifty expert-designed problems and a storyline that progresses with each problem solved, kids can see that learning fractions can be enjoyable. Just make sure they don’t play this game on an empty stomach!

Drawing Pad for iOS ($1.99) and Android ($1.99)

Are your kids into art? Consider having them download Drawing Pad.

This app works much like a real-life art studio, down to the appearance of the tools that they can use. From crayons and colored pencils to markers and paintbrushes, budding artists can express themselves creatively and learn how each tool works. The pieces can be saved to a drawing pad album so that they can be worked on later.

This app does include a feature that allows kids to share their pieces on social media, so be sure to exercise caution.

Thinkrolls for iOS ($3.99) and Android ($2.99) 

With Thinkrolls, children learn about physics and build their logic and problem-solving skills. They will use advantage force, acceleration, buoyancy, heat, elasticity and gravity in order to reach the end of the maze. The puzzles strengthen observation, creative thinking, logic, problem solving, spatial cognition and memory.

Two key elements of the game is that there are unlimited tries and zero penalties, so they can learn through trial and error what works and doesn’t work. Your children can use this app without worrying about losing in-game lives or anything like that.

Learning physics with this app is as much fun as eating ice cream on a hot summer’s day and not having the ice cream drop on the sidewalk.

Fun and Educational Apps for Kids 8 – 9+

Dragon Box Elements for iOS ($4.99) and Android ($4.99) 

This game will teach your kids middle school- and high school-level geometry and the logic behind it. And, within a matter of hours, they’ll absorb concepts without realizing that they’re actually learning. Bright characters and mesmerizing puzzles will encourage them to keep playing.

There are 100+ puzzles that kids – and adults too – can complete to gain a deeper understanding of the logic behind geometry. But, the geometry is hidden to the point where kids can progress in the game with no trouble. This game offers the opportunity for everyone to learn as a family, with four individual game saves maximum.

Marble Math for iOS ($3.99) and Android ($2.99) 

This fun and educational app based on the Common Core Curriculum is a great way for your elementary school children to practice solving math problems in their head. They’ll need to be incredibly focused, however, to avoid obstacles in order to maintain a high score.

But, if they get a wrong answer, that’s not an issue: Marble Math gives the option to replay the problem or show the correct answer before moving on to the next problem.

They can also add as many customized profiles as desired, as individual game settings and progress are saved in each profile. In addition, parents and teachers can adapt the game to tailor to the students’ learning pace. While smartphones may come in with a built-in calculator, knowing how to solve math-related equations mentally can take a child a long way.

Stack the States for iOS ($2.99) and Android ($2.99) 

Learning geography can be fun. With Stack the States, your child can have a great time learning about the U.S.

This app will help your kids learn the states and capitals as well as other trivia like nicknames, flags, abbreviations and more. In addition, this app has five additional games – Map It, Pile Up, Puzzler and Capital Drop – featuring the states as player characters. This way, kids become more familiar with the states.

Other prominent features include high resolution pictures of famous U.S. landmarks and upbeat sound effects and music.

Fun an Educational Apps for Kids 10 – 12+

Cargo-Bot for iOS (free) 

Have a child who wants to become a programmer? Is he or she interested in programming concepts? Encourage them to download Cargo-Bot.

This puzzle game features a robot, and the player has to teach it how to move crates using specific codes. It also challenges the brain and helps the player learn all about programming.

This fun and educational app is the first to be created entirely on iPad using Codea.

Monster Physics for iOS ($1.99) 

Is your child curious about how things are built and how they work? Monster Physics is the app for them.

This fun and educational app lets your child explore the concepts of physics and take advantage of the “build” feature. The feature lets them make gadgets using metal, wood and plastic parts.

The app also contains 50 missions for the child to solve. The difficulty increases with each mission. By using critical thinking and problem-solving skills, your child will feel not just motivated to learn more about how physics impacts their daily lives. They will also feel empowered in their newfound knowledge and understanding.

Swift Playgrounds for iOS (free) 

This fun and educational app is perfect for kids, as well as for anyone else interested in coding. It requires no prior knowledge of coding. The user also experiments with Swift, a code used for the development of many popular mobile apps today.

This app is the first of its kind to take full advantage of the iPad and the iOS SDK, or the iOS Software Development Kit. In a world that’s becoming more and more digitized, a child can benefit from learning how to code, so downloading this app can be one of the best decisions they can make.

Have any fun and educational app suggestions? Let us know in the comments!