Early childhood education apps are one way to keep kids engaged while they learn at home. There are hundreds available, so it can be hard to know where to start. Here are a few that feature free activities you can check out today!
ABC Alphabet Phonics – Preschool Game for Kids for Early Childhood Education
This game helps kids learn the alphabet by sight, sound, and touch. Even babies who are a few months old can use this one. What’s great is you can record sounds in your own voice, so it suits both English speakers and those from migrant and indigenous backgrounds who want to use their native tongue. You can even take photos of your child’s favourite items to make it more fun and personal.
Play School Art Maker for Early Childhood Education
Aimed at kids from 2-6 years, this app encourages imagination and creativity through open play. Based on ABC’s Play School TV show, it features characters and songs kids will recognise, hands-on activities and a strong focus on storytelling. Kids can create their own pictures, animated movies and slideshows narrated with their voice. Parents can join the creative process for family bonding.
Little Stars – Toddler Games for Early Childhood Education
This one has a space theme and can be customised for different ages and abilities which is good if you have both toddlers and older kids at home. You can select from First Words, ABC Letter Names and Sounds, Counting Numbers or Shapes and Colours. The different themes help kids learn a variety of core skills important for development.
ABC Alphabet Letters by The Little Book for Early Childhood Education
Interactive stories with illustrations in this app enhance learning. Each word is highlighted as it’s being read and spoken aloud if touched. You can add your own voice, so your child hears you tell the story in English or another language if you’re from a migrant or indigenous background. Musical Me For kids who love nursery rhymes, this is a great option. It includes five activities that teach musical notes, rhythm and pitch. Children can touch characters and animals to play lots of songs like Mary Had a Little Lamb, Happy Birthday or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It helps kids develop memory, listening and pronunciation skills while they sing or dance along.
Khan Academy Kids for Early Childhood Education
This one has a large range of games, books, activities and songs for toddlers and young children of different ages and levels. Interactive activities and lessons can be customised to improve reading, language, writing, maths, problem-solving, social and motor skills. Activities and games like drawing, storytelling and colouring encourage creativity and self-expression.
Kahoot App for Early Childhood Education
Kahoot! is a Norwegian online game-based learning platform. It has learning games, also known as “kahoots”, which are user-generated multiple-choice quizzes that can be accessed via a web browser or the Kahoot! app.
Literacy Planet App for Early Childhood Education
Literacy Planet is a tool to help children build their foundational skills in spelling, sight words, vocabulary, grammar, comprehension and reading. Suitable for children between ages 5 and 10. It is aligned with the NSW curriculum, making it a reliable as well as fun way to engage children with their education.
What else to consider What else to consider
- Check which apps are compatible with your devices
- Keep interruptions to a minimum so they can stay focused while learning
- Set a time limit on each app session to limit screen time
The free early childhood education apps we suggest here are just the tip of the iceberg, but a great place to start so your child can have fun and learn at home every day!
