It’s finally summertime! And even though kids have traded workbooks for water balloons and homework for hotdogs, they still can keep their minds as active as their outdoor activities over the next few months. Thanks to technology, there are more ways than ever to experience new things, places, and ideas right from a smartphone. We’ve researched 15 of the most engaging and fun-to-use learning apps for kids, covering subjects from science and math to language and fine arts.
Learning Apps Your Kids Will Love
STEM
Seek: For nature lovers, hikers, and kids with green thumbs, Seek will help them identify plants, animals, and more while they're out exploring nature. The app makes it fun by awarding badges and providing detailed information about your kid's latest outdoor discoveries.
Price: Free in the App Store / Google Play Store
NASA app: If your kid dreams of becoming an astronaut or engineer, this is a must-have. The NASA app provides out-of-this-world photos, up-to-date news, live streams of the International Space Station, and the constantly updating outer-space content they crave.
Price: Free in the App Store / Google Play Store
Socratic by Google: Perfect for older children, this learning app — powered by Google’s powerful AI — helps students figure out problems. Ask Socratic a question and the app will find the best online resources for kids needing help with math, history, and more.
Price: Free in the App Store / Google Play Store
Study Aids
Quizlet: This incredible flashcard app has helped more than 50 million kids over the years study smarter, not harder, for tests and quizzes. Your child can make their own custom study aids or save time by choosing from existing flashcards made by other students.
Price: Free in the App Store / Google Play Store
DMV Practice Test: Whether your child is ready to start studying for their learner’s permit or just can’t wait to get a headstart on studying, this app can help. Here, they’ll find questions, study guides, and practice tests for this very important milestone.
Price: Free with premium content in the App Store / Google Play Store
Khan Academy: This non-profit provides its learning app to help kids improve no matter what they’re studying. It will keep kids interested and informed with thousands of interactive quizzes, exercises, videos, and articles.
Price: Free in the App Store / Google Play Store
Language & Arts
Duolingo: Kids have a knack for picking up languages, and this free app encourages them to improve their skills by gamifying the learning process. Duolingo also makes memorizing new vocab and figuring out pronunciation a breeze. Before you know it, they'll be saying "uno mas!" after dessert at the dinner table!
Price: Free with premium content in the App Store / Google Play Store
Word of the Day: A richer vocabulary is just a few taps away with this free daily word app. Ideal for learning those extra-hard, fifty-cent SAT words, it also provides pronunciation, synonyms, and a daily word search. See? Learning apps can be just as helpful as homework sometimes!
Price: Free in the App Store / Google Play Store
Google Arts & Culture: Filled with high-resolution images of works of art from over 2,000 museums all over the world, Google Arts & Culture makes art history fun with interactive filters and art selfies. You may not be traveling to the Louvre Museum this summer, but your kids will still end up with photos of themselves next to the “Mona Lisa.”
Price: Free in the App Store / Google Play Store
Creativity
Simply Piano by JoyTunes: Give your child the ability to learn the piano regardless of whether you have a real-life keyboard or not! This app teaches the basics of piano playing and provides helpful feedback, as well as access to sheet music for today’s top hits.
Price: Free to start, then subscription-based in the App Store / Google Play Store
Stop Motion Studio: Your kid will be able to bring their toys and other inanimate objects to life with the Stop Motion Studio app. With its easy-to-use controls, they’ll also learn the basics of movie making and editing.
Price: Free in the App Store / Google Play
Canva: Graphic design just got easier with Canva, an app that enables your kid to create professional-looking presentations and videos for school — or even just awesome-looking images for a social media post.
Price: Free in the App Store / Google Play
Social/Emotional Learning
Headspace: Formerly known as MyLife Meditation, Headspace helps kids and adults keep track of their feelings and encourages thoughtful reflection of daily activities with breathing exercises, emotion check-ins, and journaling prompts.
Price: Free with in-app purchases in the App Store / Google Play Store
Physical Activity
AllTrails: If your child lives for the outdoors and all things hiking, this app will get them excited about your next family outing. AllTrails is filled with photos, maps, suggested nearby hikes, and more to help your kid lead the way the next time you set out for an adventure.
Price: Free in the App Store / Google Play
Zombies, Run!: What better way to pick up a little speed while jogging than by imagining you’re being chased by an undead monster? Zombies, Run! is an immersive running game and audio adventure that was co-created with award-winning novelist Naomi Alderman. With this app, a fun dash through the park turns into a learning app for how to pace while running. Note: Rated for teens.
Price: Free with in-app purchases and subscriptions in the App Store / Google Play
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