Children’s Apps You Can Feel Good About

By Michelle Mady

Screen time is a hot topic among parents and caregivers of young children. We want to be sure to have our children experience the real world and know the dangers of the internet for the underdeveloped brain. However, let’s be real: there are times that a parent needs a few minutes; there are times that we need extra support in place in order to get things done. Luckily, there are a few great apps that are safe for children and can give them some great learning experiences along the way. 

PBS KIDS

There are video and game versions of the PBS Kids app, and either one is a great app for children. The video app has clips of PBS kids favorites, like the “Wild Kratts,” “The Cat in the Hat,” and “Curious George.” These are great clips that parents can feel confident in letting their children watch with minimal oversight. The games version of the app has games from similar shows that range from helping animals gain adaptations to building simple words with letters found in each level.

EPIC!

Epic! features animated e-books and videos that meet the interests of any child. It also offers some magazines and articles. The library of reading materials vary in reading difficulty, including an option for the app to read the material for you while highlighting the words. This allows access for children who are not yet ready to read independently. The best part of Epic! is that it even has high school level reading available, so it’s an app your child can easily grow with. If you are looking for more e-books, check out Libby, too! (This is an app that lets you enjoy e-books, digital audiobooks, and magazines from public libraries.)

ABCMOUSE

ABCmouse helped my children stay engaged with learning during the pandemic. My preschooler at the time loved playing the game available and getting the mouse across the board with each game “won.” It offers practice games for basic academic skills, making it fun and low stakes. It encourages learning by supporting incorrect answers and providing opportunities to learn from them.

CRAYOLA SCRIBBLE SCRUBBIE PETS

The Scribble Scrubbie Pets app might fall short on the educational scale, but it rates pretty high on fun. Collect pets, dress them, decorate them, and play with them. Children can have fun giving them showers and playing in app games to earn more ways to play with them. My children love the actual toys as well, making it an all around great experience.

DUOLINGO

I am sure any parent of an older elementary school aged child knows all about this app. But did you know that even preschoolers can enjoy DuoLingo? This app gives children a fun way to learn a new language, or at least become exposed to one. Gone are the days of memorization and conjugation that most of us learned in school. Now, the focus is on exposure and conversational skills, which DuoLingo does in an engaging way.

HONORABLE MENTION: CAMERA APP

Sometimes letting your child photograph their surroundings can give you a fun new look through their eyes. Although it’s not a new app to download, it’s probably given my children the most belly laughs of any other app on their devices. Try some silly filters, engage selfie mode, and create a “kids eye view” of an otherwise normal day.

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