How to Choose the Right Educational Apps for Different Age Groups
As a parent, you might feel frustrated by the countless hours your children spend on their phones or iPads, and you’re certainly not alone. According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, children ages 8-12 in the United States spend an average of 4-6 hours a day on screens, and teens spend up to a whopping 9 hours.
However, not all screen time is created equally, and there are plenty of productive, enriching digital tools and resources that enhance learning. At Ed2Grow, we often encourage parents to explore learning apps for their kids, because the right digital tools can help kids of all ages build critical thinking, problem-solving, and other important skills outside the classroom.
But how do you know which educational app is right for your child?
In this blog, we’ll explore how educational apps can be critical tools for learning as well as tips for selecting the best ones.
Why Educational Apps Matter
The best educational apps offer tailored experiences to fit the needs of your kids in their current stage of development. Simply put, they serve as stepping stones on the road to mastery of different skills and concepts.
Developmental Stages to Consider
Different ages require different approaches. Let’s take a look at the skills each app should focus on and the best educational apps for developing those skills based on your child’s current needs and development.
Preschool
At this age, kids are naturally curious. The best educational apps for three to four-year-olds are going to be entertaining and visually interesting to look at.
As a parent, we recommend looking for apps that check these boxes:
- Encourage Language and Cognitive Skills: Apps like Little Bee Speech and Starfall are perfect for language progression and rank among the best educational apps for 4 year olds.
- Encourage Foundational Skills: Apps like Busy Shapes and Colors that teach shapes or even apps that teach them letters like Endless Alphabet are a couple standout choices for this.
- Promote Fine Motor Skills and Creativity: Hand-eye coordination can be built through apps that encourage kids to play with touch and drag like Beck and Bo where kids build scenes.
- Interactive Elements: Apps like Booka offer a read-aloud feature so that kids can be fully immersed in the books they want to live in for a little bit.
If you want to continue your child’s Pre-K education beyond the above apps, take a look at our early learning resources page.
Early Elementary (Kindergarten to Second Grade)
As children grow and change, their needs evolve. It’s a good idea to download education apps for elementary students that:
- Strengthen Core Subjects and Critical Thinking: One of the best educational apps geared toward strengthening core subjects would be Quizlet, which includes practice tests and games catered to the subjects your child wants to review. If you’re looking for an education app for elementary students that fosters critical thinking, try an app like The Birdcage that offers puzzles and an opportunity for children to improve their problem-solving skills.
- Offer Science and Social Studies Games: If you’re looking for a fun social studies gaming experience, Stack the Countries is a good option. For science games, consider STEMfinity.
- Offer Coding Basics: Look for apps like Codecademy and Kodable for a child-friendly introduction to programming languages.
Middle School
During middle school, kids typically develop academic content preferences and continue sharpening their study skills. Look for apps that promote the following:
- Subject-Specific Learning: Apps like Photomath help students work through tricky math problems step by step.
- Study Tools: Forest tracks how much a student studies and provides them with a visual map of progress.
- Language Learning: Duolingo and Babbel are game changers for language learning and can build connections between language concepts.
High School
High school students want to increase how much they study and fast track their productivity while keeping a close eye on their progress toward bigger goals. Consider the following:
- Apps that Offer College Prep and Specialized Learning Tools: Apps like Magoosh are great for this. Magoosh offers video lessons, a personalized study plan, and even tracks a student’s performance over time as they prepare for important tests.
- Productivity Tools: Todoist can be especially helpful for helping students with time management and focus. Evernote helps students create checklists and track their notes across all devices.
- College Planning Apps: Niche offers insight into campus rankings and application guidance for students in need.
Tips for Effective Educational App Use
Balancing Screen Time
Balance children’s screen time with hands-on learning and encourage them to participate in practical, physical activities like building a model or conducting a science experiment in the time in between. Identify and build on connections between app content, school content, and real life experiences.
Monitor App Usage and Content
Regularly monitoring app usage is essential. Through this process, parents can filter through learning tools as necessary, checking for age-appropriateness and educational value along the way.
You also don’t want your children to rely too heavily on their phone. Manage their screen time so they can avoid developing a dependency and using their applications as crutches rather than learning aids. Try setting hours or time limits with specific goals for what on-screen time will achieve.
Choose Apps that Complement Classroom Learning
Lastly, look for apps that complement classroom learning to reinforce and expand on what’s being taught to your child in school. Help them look for apps that align with the curriculum and support the subjects they’re studying.
Lean On Ed2Grow to Support Your Child’s Learning
Choosing age-appropriate apps is a crucial aspect of a student’s growth and development. Parental involvement matters, so you can carefully guide your children toward apps that align with their emotional maturity while offering a balanced approach toward screen time.
Ed2Grow is here for continuous support. We strive to offer the best tools and insights to unlock the full potential of educational apps. Our site offers expertly curated tools, educational tips, and recommendations intended to help your child make the most out of their screen time.
Get Started Today
Ed2Grow is a resource library designed with every age and every student in mind. If you are looking for an educational app or resource that caters to your child’s grade level and subject area, be sure to browse our selection.
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