Toddler friendly apps combine intuitive interfaces with content that’s both entertaining and educational for young children. Finding the right apps that are safe, age-appropriate, and easy for small fingers to navigate can be challenging for parents. This guide highlights excellent apps across different categories that balance entertainment with educational value. We’ve prioritized free options while noting any worthwhile paid ones that stand out.
Language Learning Apps
Khan Academy Kids
Price: Completely free with no ads or subscriptions
Platforms: App Store, Google Play, Amazon
Ages: 3+ years
Standout Feature: Adaptive learning technology that adjusts to each child’s pace and level
Why It’s Great: With over 5,000 lessons and educational games for children aged 2-8, Khan Academy Kids offers a comprehensive curriculum covering math, reading, and social-emotional development. The app regularly adds seasonal content, with the April 2025 update featuring new Earth Day materials including “Insects Up Close” books, colorful Super Simple Songs videos, and nature-inspired coloring activities. Earlier updates have brought themed content for Valentine’s Day, National Reading Month, and winter celebrations, ensuring the app stays fresh and engaging throughout the year.
Parent Quote: “The activities are fun and engaging — and seemingly endless. One minute she’s having a story read to her, the next she’s tracing letters, the next she’s practicing sounds. And we’ve barely even scraped the surface on the math side of things!” -Kate
Duolingo ABC
Price: Free
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages: 3+ years
Standout Feature: Interactive literacy activities for phonics, sight words, and handwriting skills
Why It’s Great: Designed for children aged 3-7, Duolingo ABC helps toddlers learn to read and write in English through bite-sized, engaging lessons. With over 700 hands-on activities, it provides a structured approach to early literacy through multi-sensory activities, including tracing and drag-and-drop prompts.
Parent Quote: “Interactive and fun app, most importantly, it’s free and ad-free! I’m a super user myself in the Duolingo language app, chanced upon this Duolingo ABC app and decided to let my boy have a try and I absolutely love it. Definitely recommended!”
Endless Alphabet
Price: Requires a one-time purchase of S$12.98
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages: 4+ years
Standout Feature: Interactive letter puzzles with playful monster animations that teach pronunciation and vocabulary
Why It’s Great: This app combines adorable monster animations with word puzzles that make learning letters and sounds engaging. Each word features a mini-animation explaining its meaning in a fun way, helping toddlers understand new vocabulary.
Parent Quote: “Endless Alphabet is awesome! My son started sounding out words with guidance at about 32 months thanks to this app.”
Starfall ABCs
Price: Free (basic version)
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages: 4+ years
Standout Feature: Phonics-based learning through interactive levels
Why It’s Great: Starfall ABCs provides a simple yet effective approach to teaching alphabet recognition and letter sounds. The app progresses through levels that build early reading skills in a structured sequence.
Music and Sound Apps
Baby Piano for kids and toddlers
Price: Free version with limited content; full version S$7.99 (one-time purchase)
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages: 3+ years
Standout Feature: Eight educational music games featuring characters like Bimi Boo
Why It’s Great: Baby Piano introduces toddlers aged 1-6 to music through interactive games, nursery rhymes, and instrument simulations. It includes 8 classic songs like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” 60 sound effects across categories like animals and vehicles, and multiple instrument options to explore.
Parent Quote: “My toddler loves the nursery rhymes and exploring different instruments—it’s both fun and educational!”
Educational Games
PBS Kids Games
Price: Free
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages: 4+ years
Standout Feature: 250+ educational games featuring beloved PBS characters like Daniel Tiger, Wild Kratts, and more
Why It’s Great: This app offers a safe, ad-free environment where toddlers can learn basic concepts through games featuring familiar PBS characters. Recent updates have introduced exciting new content, including games from “Skillsville” (March 2025) – an animated series that helps kids develop future career skills – and “City Island” (December 2024). The app also features seasonal updates with themed content for winter, Halloween, and summer, ensuring fresh experiences throughout the year. A particularly notable addition is the “Carl the Collector” series featuring an autistic raccoon character who loves collecting things, promoting inclusivity alongside fun.
Parent Quote: “My toddler loves playing with Elmo while learning numbers!”
Fish School by Duck Duck Moose
Price: Free with no ads or in-app purchases
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages: 3+ years
Standout Feature: Fish forming letters, numbers, and shapes in engaging underwater scenes
Why It’s Great: This award-winning app uses playful underwater themes to teach foundational concepts to toddlers aged 2-5. Activities include alphabet recognition, counting from 1-20, shape identification, color recognition, and matching games that encourage cognitive development.
Parent Quote: “My toddler loves watching the fish form letters—it’s such a creative way to teach the alphabet!”
Toca Boca World
Price: Free with in-app purchases for additional gameplay and items
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages: 4+ years
Standout Feature: Character creation tools, home designer, and multiple exploration locations
Why It’s Great: Toca Boca World encourages creative exploration and imaginative play without time limits or scoring. Children can design characters, customize spaces, and engage in open-ended roleplay scenarios. Weekly gifts and regular updates keep the content fresh and engaging.
LEGO DUPLO Train
Price: Free
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages: 3+ years
Standout Feature: Interactive train-building tasks
Why It’s Great: This app encourages imaginative play while developing problem-solving skills and creativity. Toddlers can build and customize their own trains, decorate landscapes, and play conductor in an engaging virtual world that mimics physical LEGO play.
Parent Quote: “My toddler loves decorating the landscape and playing conductor!”
Math and Numbers
Moose Math by Duck Duck Moose
Price: Free
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages:
Standout Feature: Five engaging math activities in a build-your-own-city framework
Why It’s Great: This award-winning app introduces foundational math concepts to children aged 3-7 through interactive games like Moose Juice (counting, addition, subtraction), Paint Pet (matching by counting dots), and Pet Bingo (solving math problems). Children earn rewards during activities to build and decorate their own virtual city.
Parent Quote: “My kids love building their city while learning math—it’s a win-win!”
Math Kids: Math Games For Kids
Price: Free to download (one time fee of $39.98, monthly/yearly subscription plan available)
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages: 4+ years
Standout Feature: Interactive exercises like counting objects and solving simple puzzles
Why It’s Great: This app focuses on counting, addition, subtraction, and number recognition through activities specifically designed for toddlers. The easy-to-use interface allows young children to navigate independently.
Parent Quote: “A simple yet effective app for teaching early math concepts.”
Problem-Solving and Logic
Busy Shapes
Price: Free version includes limited content (10 levels); full version available as one-time purchase S$3.98
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages: 4+ years
Standout Feature: Montessori-inspired shape matching with progressive difficulty
Why It’s Great: Inspired by Montessori principles, Busy Shapes helps toddlers develop spatial reasoning, problem-solving skills, and fine motor coordination. Children drag and drop shapes into matching holes, with levels that increase in complexity to introduce new challenges.
Parent Quote: “Watching my 2-year-old learn shapes through this app is amazing—it’s simple yet effective!”
Video Content
YouTube Kids
Price: Free
Platforms: App Store, Google Play, smart TVs (LG, Samsung, Sony)
Standout Feature: Age-categorized content modes (Preschool for ages 4 and under, Younger for ages 5-8, Older for ages 9+)
Ages: 3+ years old
Why It’s Great: YouTube Kids provides a safer video-watching experience with robust parental controls, including content filtering, time limits, and watch history review. Parents can create custom playlists of appropriate videos for unsupervised viewing.
Storytelling and Reading
Little Stories: Bedtime Books
Price: Free (S$39.98 for all stories. Annual subscription or pay per story options available)
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages: 4+ years
Standout Feature: Personalized stories where the child becomes the main character
Why It’s Great: This app allows parents to enter their child’s name and gender to create personalized stories. It encourages bonding through storytelling and even allows parents to record audiobooks in their own voice for a more personal touch.
Parent Quote: “The personalized stories make my child feel special, and the music helps them relax before bedtime!”
Fairy Tales ~ Children’s Books
Price: Free (with optional in-app purchases for additional books)
Platforms: Google Play
Ages: 3+ years
Standout Feature: Classic fairy tales with integrated interactive mini-games
Why It’s Great: This app includes timeless stories like “Puss in Boots” and “Cinderella” with interactive elements such as puzzles and matching cards integrated into the narrative, making reading more engaging for toddlers.
Parent Quote: “The games keep my toddler engaged while they learn timeless fairy tales!”
NLB Mobile (National Library Board Singapore)
Price: Free
Platforms: App Store, Google Play
Ages: 4+ years
Standout Feature: Access to a wide variety of children’s books, including animated and narrated titles via the Tumblebooks extension
Why It’s Great: This app offers Singapore parents access to a huge library of free books for toddlers, fostering early reading habits without any cost. The January 2025 update introduced two exciting features: a personalized “Discover feed” that provides bite-sized content, including video and audio clips, articles, and images; and “Saved Lists” that allow parents to create multiple book collections to share with family and friends.
Parent Quote: “The read-along feature is perfect for introducing my toddler to books, and the new Discover feed keeps things fresh with daily content!”
What Makes These Apps Truly Toddler-Friendly
The apps recommended above share important features that make them suitable for young children:
Simple navigation: Large buttons and intuitive layouts that don’t require reading skills
Limited or no advertisements: Safe environments free from unexpected content
Age-appropriate content: Designed specifically for toddlers’ developmental stages
Forgiving gameplay: No penalties for incorrect answers, encouraging exploration
Educational value: Balance of entertainment with learning opportunities
Parental controls: Options to limit screen time or customize content
Making the Most of App Time
To maximize the benefits of these apps:
Preview content first: Spend time exploring the app before introducing it to your child
Set clear time limits: Maintain a healthy balance with other activities
Join the fun: Participate with your child to enhance learning through discussion
Look for real-world connections: Extend digital learning into physical activities
Update regularly: Check for new content and features that might enhance the experience
These toddler friendly apps offer a balance of entertainment and education while keeping safety and age-appropriateness as top priorities. By choosing thoughtfully designed apps and engaging with your child during screen time, you can make digital experiences a valuable part of your toddler’s learning journey.
