Look – as much as we try to keep them away, kids are really attracted to phones and tablets, and they will always reach for them. But as popular as mobile games are among kids, what if instead of Candy Crush, we gave them something actually educational to do while they’re happily occupied tapping on the screen? Here are 5 Android apps that are actually good for kids to counteract the negative effects (and the parent-guilt that comes with it!) of all that screen time.
1. Coloring Book for Creative Kids
Free/In-app purchasing options
All kids love coloring (and it turns out it’s great for their development, too!), and letting them do it on a tablet is so much easier than hauling books and coloring pencils everywhere. This app offers a variety of images to be colored in, different shapes, colors, brushes, and options that keep children happy and entertained. The app itself is free and there are free options, but you can also purchase more images in the app for $0.99.
2. Kids Doodle
Free
Sticking with drawing and coloring, Kids Doodle is the ideal way to keep your child from ruining your books and notebooks with delightful doodling. The colors are very bright, against a black background, so it gives a very neon effect that is very cute and very attractive to kids. Just let your child loose and they can draw anything they want, and even save it, if they wish to. There are multiple brush options to choose from, and there is no in-app purchasing, so you don’t need to worry about them draining your bank account buying coloring brushes.
3. YouTube Kids
Free/Subscription options
If there’s one thing kids love online, it’s YouTube, so a kids’ version is very welcome by parents. This kid-friendly version has all child-friendly content, so you can allow your child to browse and watch whatever they please, without worrying about whether it’s appropriate. They even made some changes to the advertising content they allow on the platform to keep things as child-friendly as possible. And if you want, you can subscribe to YouTube Red to enjoy it with no ads.
4. ABC Kids
Free
If you’re looking for an educational app, ABC Kids is your guy – it offers options for practicing phonics, learning letters and the alphabet, and even writing. The children can play with word association, matching different letters, and other fun and educational games that will keep them entertained and benefit them in the long-run. It can be a bit difficult to exit, so they may need help with that, but otherwise, it’s very child-friendly, and there is no in-app purchasing, so everything is completely free.
5. Google Play Books
Free
Older kids may enjoy Google Play Books, because it hosts a large and diverse selection of titles, from fiction to comic books, and it even has books for older, adult readers. It’s not an app developed specifically for children, but it can be a very good option for your older kids or tweens who are looking for slightly more sophisticated entertainment. There are free titles to enjoy and the app is free, but the books themselves are typically ones you need to pay for. But as a child app, that may actually be a good feature, because it will let you know what titles your kid is purchasing, even if there are no child locks.
As you can see, spending time on a phone or tablet doesn’t have to mean mindless entertainment and haphazard clicking. There are fun, educational, kid-friendly apps out there especially designed to entertain your child in a healthy way!
