Educational apps for kids

Posted on 21 June 2016

When their usage is monitored and limited, smartphones and tablets can be beneficial to your children – especially if they’re exploring educational apps.

While many argue that educational apps bring interaction and fun to traditional learning, others question their effectiveness. ‘The apps, games and websites that are promoted as “educational” are not always the best ones for supporting learning,’ cautions CP de Jager, an educational and counselling psychologist at Mediclinic Emfuleni in Vanderbijlpark. ‘The fact that they’re interactive doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re better than an old-fashioned workbook with its right and wrong answers. Children may enjoy these products for a while, but then get a bit bored.’ As with everything though, moderation is key – work with your children and their teachers to find the right balance between digital, workbook and face-to-face learning.

These educational apps combine play with education for different age groups:

Ages 2+
LEGO® DUPLO® Train
If your little one is a fan of trains, this is a dream come true. An animated android app that allows your toddler to build and drive his or her own steam train, it offers intuitive touch-play, colourful graphics and enticing sounds. Toddlers are encouraged to navigate obstacles by laying new tracks and building bridges. They also refuel and help passengers aboard and play other mini games as the train makes its way through the countryside.
Why it’s good: As kids navigate around obstacles and meet different animal characters, they learn about numerous patterns, shapes and colours. Imitating adults is an important part of childhood development, which this app may allow for through control of driving their own train.

Ages 3+
Zoo Alphabet for Kids
Available as a free download on all platforms, this app gives your child an early interactive introduction to the ABC. Filled with colourful pictures of adorable zoo animals, birds and insects and featuring animation, animal sounds, music and interactive puzzles, it’ll keep kids entertained for hours.
Why it’s good: The interaction it offers illustrates just why digital apps add another dimension to the learning experience. Through playing the app’s three different puzzle games, children learn to spell the names of the animals, identify letters, piece together the animal pictures, and more.

Ages 5+
Cartoon Puzzle
Available with a special easy level for kids, Cartoon Puzzle by LapsoBox has a breathtaking array of colourful sliding puzzles with hilarious characters that will delight children over the age of five. Downloadable on Android devices and offering various levels of difficulty, it will also keep mom and dad entertained when the kids go to sleep.
Why it’s good: The app seeks to promote logical thinking and memory as children figure out how to put dynamic puzzles together with the least amount of moves. It’s also creative, imaginative and visually stimulating with varying graphics with different backgrounds, cartoons and photographic elements.

Ages 9–11
Monster Math
Compatible with iPhone and iPad, Monster Math has been widely praised for the way it combines arithmetic skills with interactive adventure. By using addition, multiplication, subtraction and division, kids help a monster called Maxx explore new worlds and battle enemies as he searches for his best friend Dextra using the power of maths.
Why it’s good: It’s engaging, fun, adaptable and has a multilevel system to keep kids stimulated whatever their mathematical ability. It provides reports for parents, assessing their kids’ skill levels and identifying which areas needing attention.