Top Educational Children Apps

With tablets like the Nexus 7 coming out at a reasonably low price (lower if you hunt on E-Bay), parents are starting to see the educational potential during game play now more than ever before. With my multiple downloads of trying to find a GOOD app for my son I have found a few gems along the way. First thing's first... make your tablet a child safe zone with a few taps with the first app on the list.

1) Kid Mode: Free Games and Lock - Android.
    Also for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch... read note.

All of your child's favorite apps will be in one place in a child friendly environment. With the child lock feature kids stay within the app and can not make in-app purchases, click adds, or otherwise mess with your settings. It has a very easy setup. No accidental phone calls or deletion of your apps or other items. My favorite is locking the MAX volume you want to allow... which keeps both parent and child happy.
 
NOTE: I tried this with Nexus 7 and was very happy same can not be said with iPhone. On the iPhone 4s I was unable to ADD apps to the allow list so my son only had access to the children's videos and drawing app that is built into Kid Mode. If anyone finds a good alternative for iPhone please comment and I'll add it to this list.

2) Doodle Toy: Kids Draw Paint - Android.
Let your child's creative juices flow with this app. They drag their fingers across a screen and random sounds play as glowing lines, embossed, and so on appear. They can adjust how the line looks as well as different colors and effects with a simple tap. You might find yourself wanting to doodle just as much as your little one. Android only.

3) Shapes Toddler Preschool - Android
    Shapes Toddler Preschool - Apple Store
Teaches shape recognition with voice overs. If your child taps the wrong shape it'll tell them what shape it was and they can try again.

4) Rainbow Cars! Kids Colors Game - Android.
    Rainbow Cars! Kids Colors Game - Apple Store.
A great app with many activities, one of my son's favorite games. I was very happy to find it on the Android Market. I first installed this on my husband's phone for our son so when I got my Nexus 7 it was one of the first apps I looked for. Children learn colors, critical thinking and counting through puzzles, memory games, piano, coloring pages, object hunt and more.

 5) Kids ABC Phonics LITE.
Teaches children the basics of reading: (from their page)

"...Teaches letter sounds and the basics of blending, but does not
teach the next step, which is fluency in actual reading.."

Kids learn to recognize letters through repetition and mini games. Android only.

6) Toddler Kids Puzzles Puzzingo - Android.
    Toddler Kids Puzzles Puzzingo - Apple Store.
This app is full of interactivity, puzzles, and colorful graphics which is sure to grab the attention of toddlers. Concepts such as shapes, colors, numbers, and alphabet are covered. With great topics such as animals, cars, bugs, space and more children are sure to stay entertained. My toddler nicknamed my Nexus 7 "Puzzingo" when he wants to use it simply because he loves this app.

7) Thomas and Friends.
If your toddler loves trains then this is a must. Unfortunately this is only available in the app store. Which is a bummer for my little guy. With matching, coloring, and video clips this app gives your toddler quite a few things to do.

8) Math Evolve LITE - Android 
    Math Evolve LITE - Apple Store
Available for both Android and Apple devices this is one of the BEST math apps out there. A bit more advanced for young toddlers but still loads of fun. This is the FREE version the full paid version has much more to offer.


9) 1+1 Math For Kids
 Yet another great math app for kids, as far as I know this one is iPhone (Apple Store) only. Teaches math by repetition simple yet color for graphics. Easy to use for small hands and learning minds. The fact that there are no spoken words makes this a great app no matter what language you and your child speak.


 10) Cut The Rope - Android
       Cut The Rope - Apple Store
This can keep your child occupied... for a VERY long time. Children develop critical thinking and problem solving as levels progress. Things like pulleys, bubbles and catapults are used to get the cookie/candy to the cute monster named Nom.

Want Arabic apps for your children? Check out Arabic Educational Apps For Toddlers.

This list will be updated as I find new apps or as others are recommended. I know there are many more apps out there that kids love. My aim is educational as well as free.