Appysmarts.com Best Apps for Young Brains


Best apps for kids for learning abc.


Below you will find the best, high quality educational apps for kids for developing early literacy skills. The Appysmarts editors choose only top applications for iPad and iPhone suitable for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergarteners (0-6+) containing features and activities strengthening early reading and writing ABC skills such as:


  • letter tracing

  • letter recognition

  • reading aloud

  • alphabet flashcards and puzzles

  • putting letters of the alphabet in the correct order

  • learning phonics, letter shapes and letter sounds

  • spelling words etc.


You may also want to take a look at :

Best apps for tracing letters


Super Why ABC Adventures - Android version

Super Why ABC Adventures - Android version

Price: 2.99$

Android

Overall Score: 99/100

version reviewed: 1.0

reviewed:


Best for: Education, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Interaction, Language, Thinking & problem solving

What it is: letters (names, sounds, tracing) and simple spelling practice featuring the Super Why characters.

What you do with it: 5 different activities: letter identification, matching letters to their sounds, connecting the dots (alphabet), identifying objects whose names start with a particular letter, letter tracing. Uppercase, lowercase or mixed modes are available.

What we really liked: the concept. Good variety of activities with good educational value. Simple illustrations and animations. Fun characters. Ease of use. Spoken instructions. Instructions/information for parents. No distracting elements. The sing-along videos.

What we didn't like: the activities get repetitive after some time (we wish there was more variety). The sticker reward scene lacks editing options.

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Curious George: Letters

Curious George: Letters

Price: 2.99$

iPad

Overall Score: 98/100

version reviewed: 1.0

reviewed:


Best for: Education, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Eye-hand coordination

What it is/what you do with it: 2 activities for letter recognition and tracing practice.

Explore Letters: find the capital and small letters hidden in a scene (5 scenes: Park, House, Fire Station, Circus, Toy Store) then trace found letters to earn badges.

Match Letters puzzle: match capital letters to their small counterparts.

What we liked: the concept. Original Curious George illustrations. Ease of use. Narration and spoken instructions. No distracting elements.

What we didn't like: we wish there were more features and variety in the Explore Letters activity. The tracing activity doesn't leave enough margin for inaccuracies.

Appysmarts


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WordWorld Fun with WordFriends - Android version

WordWorld Fun with WordFriends - Android version

Price: 1.99$

Android

Overall Score: 98/100

version reviewed: 0.1

reviewed:


Best for: Education, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Eye-hand coordination, Language

What is it/what do you do with it: a set of 3 word learning games:

Word Fishing with Frog and Duck (collect letters to make words).

Windy Words with Pig (find word families starting with the same letter).

Dog's Letter Fetch (fetch letters laying around the house to build words).

What we liked: the concept. Good set of fun word games. Original WordWorld characters. Ease of use. Narration and spoken instructions.

What we didn't like: we wish there were more variety in the games (they can quickly get repetitive).

Appysmarts


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Lola's ABC Party 2 - Android version

Lola's ABC Party 2 - Android version

Price: 1.99$

Android

Overall Score: 97/100

version reviewed: 1.0.2

reviewed:


Best for: Education, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Language, Thinking & problem solving

What it is and what you do with it: a set of activities for spelling, word construction and word recognition practice. 4 sets of themed activities (with 8 various activities (spelling, finding missing letters, recognizing words etc, 160 words.

Complete a set activities to play a short mini-game (e.g. prepare an ice cream or decorate a kite). Finish all sets to unlock the final interactive picnic scene.

What we liked: the concept. Good range of activities. Spoken instructions and visual clues. Ease of use. Simple graphics and animations. No distracting elements.

What we didn't like:the reward mini-games may not be too engaging for older kids. We wish there were more configuration options (choice of words, types of activities for practice etc).

Appysmarts


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A to Sea

A to Sea

Price: 2.99$ (was 4.99$)

iPad

Overall Score: 97/100

version reviewed: 1.0.1

reviewed:


Best for: Interactive books, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Interaction, Understanding of the world

What it is and what you do with it: interactive alphabet featuring a variety of sea creatures (leatherback turtle, killer whale, pufferfish and more).

Tap a letter to see a scene featuring the animal whose name starts with the letter. Tap to objects/creatures for simple animations. Tap for animal fun facts.

What we liked: the concept. Beautiful hand painted illustrations. Simple interactions (animations and sounds). Ease of use.

What we didn't like: the animal facts are not read by the narrator. The narration is a bit spooky. Navigation could be more intuitive.

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Alph and Betty's Topsy Turvy World

Alph and Betty's Topsy Turvy World

Price: 2.99$

iPad

Overall Score: 96/100

version reviewed: 1.0.1216

reviewed:


Best for: Interactive books, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Interaction, Thinking & problem solving
Video

What it is/what you do with it: a storybook with puzzle and game elements focusing on the alphabet, letter recognition and early reading.

8 main interactive scenes with the first 8 letters of the alphabet (the rest of the letters are included in other activities). Over 40 puzzles and mini-games.

Guide the characters across the pages and help them solve puzzles to complete the story.

What we liked: the concept and the story. Excellent illustrations and animations. Great number and variety of puzzles and mini-games. Very good educational value. Humor and fun factor. Sounds and sound backgrounds. Ease of use, including spoken instructions and visual clues. Overall quality of the app.

What we didn't like: navigating around the scenes may be too difficult for younger kids (we recommend parental assistance). No bookmarking feature (game/story progress is not saved).

Appysmarts


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Endless Alphabet

Endless Alphabet

Price: 8.99$

iPhone + iPad

Overall Score: 96/100

version reviewed: 2.1

reviewed:


Best for: Education, Eye-hand coordination, Language

What is it and what do you do with it: a set of over 60 interactive scenes for vocabulary and spelling practice.

Choose a word, spell it by dragging letters into place then watch a simple animation explaining the meaning of the word.

What we liked: the concept. Good selection of words to learn and practice. Excellent artwork. Sound backgrounds and sound. Humor and fun factor. Ease of use. No ads or other distracting features. Overall quality of the app.

What we didn't like: none.

Appysmarts


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Smarty Pants School

Smarty Pants School

Price: free

iPad

Overall Score: 96/100

version reviewed: 1.1

reviewed:


Best for: Education, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Language, Personal & social, Thinking & problem solving, Understanding of the world

What it is: pack of activities and games for strengthening early reading skills.

What you do with it: this app is very extensive: please see our video presentation (below)

What we liked: almost everything, from the concept to execution.

What we didn't like: couldn't find the option to turn off the sound, navigation could be a bit more consistent.

Appysmarts


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ABC 123 Fun - Android version

ABC 123 Fun - Android version

Price: 0.99$

May contain `more apps` links
Android

Overall Score: 95/100

version reviewed: 2.1

reviewed:


Best for: Education, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Early math, Eye-hand coordination, Memory, Thinking & problem solving

What it is: a set of educational activities (alphabet, counting, memory game).

What you do with it: the activities include:

- alphabet flashcards with sounds (uppercase and lowercase letters, animals and objects) + simple mini-games

- number flashcards (numbers 1-10)

- the alphabet song (singalong)

- memory game with 20 cards (letters, animals, objects)

What we liked: the concept. Nice, clear illustrations. Ease of use. No distracting elements.

What we didn't like: no spoken instructions. A bit limited set of features. The activities may not offer enough incentive to play again and again).

Free preview: if you are not sure try the free version of the ABC 123 App.

Appysmarts


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Jazzy ABC - Music Education

Jazzy ABC - Music Education

Price: 1.99$

May contain `more apps` links
iPhone + iPad

Overall Score: 95/100

version reviewed: 1.1

reviewed:


Best for: Music & rhythm, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Music & art, Thinking & problem solving, Understanding of the world

What it is: an app for teaching letters and names of music instruments.

What you do with it: there are two main activities: interactive flashcards with letters and instruments, whose names start with a particular letter (touch the instrument to hear its sound) and a minigame where you either point to the instrument whose name starts with a particular letter or find point to the instrument whose name is read out by the narrator).

What we liked: the concept (your kid learns letters while learning the names of the instruments - or the other way around), simple graphics and animations, simple operation, 'jazzy' background music, good quality audio (both narration and sounds of the instruments), good educational value.

What we didn't like: the app teaches only capital letters. The minigame could be much better (e.g. why there is no mode for recognizing the instrument just by its sound?). In the flashcards activity we would like to see some more information about the instruments. Too few interactions/activities like the 'play the xylophone' activity for the letter X.

Bottom line: a simple and fun to use app for teaching letters and names of various music instruments.

Appysmarts


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