Best Android apps and games for kids in 2023

Are you looking for some great Android apps and games to keep your kids occupied? If so, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve selected some of the best Android apps that will help your kids learn new things while also having fun. There are also some cool games that will keep your kids entertained in their free time.

Best Educational Apps for Kids

Khan Academy Kids (Ages 2 to 8)

Khan Academy is known for its free educational courses, but it also has an app for kids. The Khan Academy Kids app includes thousands of educational activities, songs, games, and books. Its content can help children learn reading, language, writing, math, and more. It’s free to download and use, and doesn’t include any kind of ads or subscriptions.

Moose Math by Duck Duck Moose (Ages 3 to 7)

Moose Math is a free learning game that teaches kids about numbers, counting, addition, subtraction, geometry, and measurement. It features five activities, like Pet Bingo and Moose Juice, to teach math. It is suitable for all ages but is aligned with Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten and 1st Grade. Moose Math also comes from the stable of Khan Academy, through its subsidiary Duck Duck Moose.

Kahoot! Numbers by DragonBox (Ages 4-8)

Kahoot! Numbers by DragonBox is another math learning app that turns numbers into colorful characters, making arithmetic far more appealing to younger audiences. It includes various different activities, like Sandbox and Puzzle, to explore and learn basic math. Under these activities, there are hundreds of lessons, so there’s plenty for your child to remain busy with. While the app requires a subscription, it offers a 7-day free trial for new users.

Read Along by Google (Ages 5 and up)

Read Along is a free reading tutor app from Google. It helps children improve their reading skills in nine languages – English, Hindi, Bangla, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Marathi, Spanish, and Portuguese. The app also includes a digital assistant called Diya that encourages kids while reading and helps them when needed. The app can work without an internet connection, once it has been fully downloaded.

Epic (Ages 6 to 12)

Epic is a digital reading app that includes kid-safe books, audiobooks, videos and more. There are over 40,000 books available on the app, including picture books, graphic novels, comics, non-fiction, and more. The language selection is also decent, with books in Spanish, Chinese, and French, apart from English.

Epic is free to download but requires a subscription to access the complete library. The Basic account is however free to use and gives access to one free book a day from a limited selection.

Duolingo ABC (Ages 3-8)

Another great application from the minds of Duolingo is Duolingo ABC, which helps children learn to read and write in English. It offers over 700 personalized lessons, interactive stories, alphabet and phonics courses, sight words, multi-sensory activities, and a completely ad-free experience. Kids can also track their progress and customize their profiles with fun cartoon avatars. The app is available for free with no in-app purchases.

PBS Kids Games (Ages 2 to 8)

PBS Kids Games apps pack hundreds of educational games that make learning fun. There are games about science, math, reading, art, and more. Additionally, these games feature popular characters like Daniel Tiger, Wild Kratts, Curious George, and more from PBS shows. Moreover, the games can be downloaded for offline use. The app is free to download and use, but it is only available in select markets.

Spelling & Phonics: Kids Games (Ages 3 and up)

The Spelling & Phonics: Kids Games app includes over ten spelling games that will help your child learn to spell. It includes various modes, like Fill-in-the-Blank, Blank Spelling, and CVC for a fun learning experience. The app also packs a report card that will show your child’s progress. The app is free to download and use, and doesn’t include any ads or in-app purchases.

Kindergarten Kids Learning Games (Ages 2 to 6)

The Kindergarten Kids Learning Games app comes with games to help your child learn alphabets, shapes, counting, body parts, and more. It features an attractive and colorful design to keep the children engaged. Additionally, the alphabet learning section has support for English, Hindi, and Spanish languages. There is a coloring book section as well in the app that has printable coloring pages for kids to have fun with. The app is free to download and use, but there are some in-app purchases and ads.

Women Who Changed the World (All ages)

Do you want your kids to learn about some of the women who changed the world in a big way? Then this app can help. Women Who Changed the World uses beautiful illustrations to tell the stories of inspiring women like Marie Curie, Wangari Maathai, Rosa Parks, Frida Kahlo, Jane Goodall, Amelia Earhart, and Malala Yousafzai. The app is $3.99 but for this price you get higher-quality art styling and you also support all-female team that made this app.

Kids Doodle (All ages)

Kids Doodle is a great drawing app for children. They can paint on a photo or a canvas, and there are 24 brushes to choose from. Additionally, the app comes with a movie mode that can play back the artwork like a small movie. As the app is designed for kids, it’s extremely easy to use. Kids Doodle is free to download and use. There are no in-app purchases as well.

Best Entertainment Apps for Kids

YouTube Kids (Ages up to 12)

YouTube Kids, as its name suggests, is a version of YouTube that includes content specifically for children. It only features family-friendly content and includes a number of parental controls. Parents can limit screen time, check what their kids are watching, block videos, and flag content they deem inappropriate. YouTube Kids is free to download and use, but it includes ads.

Amazon Kids+ (Ages 3 to 12)

For those who are already subscribers to Amazon Prime, the Amazon Kids+ is a great deal for all-in-one entertainment. For just $48, you get a year-long subscription to over 10,000 kids movies, TV shows, books and games. Some of this content includes major brands like Disney, Nickelodeon, PBS Kids, Marvel, Lego, while others is original. Your child will be sure to find something they love on Amazon Kids+. Note that the yearly subscription is slightly less worth it at $79 for non-Prime members.

Nick Jr (Ages 3 to 8)

The Nick Jr. app from Nickelodeon offers access to Nick Jr. episodes for free, and if you subscribe to the channel on TV, you can get access to even more episodes and content. The show selection includes Blue’s Clues & You!, PAW Patrol, Bubble Guppies, Rubble & Crew, Baby Shark’s Big Show, Peppa Pig, and Dora the Explorer.

Additionally, the app includes original videos, educational games, and more. The app is free to download and use. However, it does include ads.

iHeartRadio Family

The iHeartRadio Family app is one of the best music players for kids that you’ll find. It offers a wide variety of music and radio stations that children will love, from classic tunes on Sesame Street to inspiring songs from Disney Princesses, all for free. It also comes with kid-friendly comedy, stories, podcasts, and more. Plus, it includes the ability to lock certain radio stations behind a PIN if you’d prefer your child doesn’t listen to it.

Best Android Games for Kids

Lego Friends: Heartlake Rush (Ages 4 to 12)

Lego Friends: Heartlake Rush is a casual offline game where the player joins a cast of colorful Lego Friends characters to complete missions and races around Heartlake City. It offers a variety of mini-games and loads of customization, so it will have plenty of replay value for a child of the appropriate age. This game does have in-app purchases, but they are not necessary to fully enjoy the game.

Monument Valley 2 (Ages 4 and up)

Monument Valley 2 is an award-winning paid puzzle game that will be loved by your child. It includes beautifully crafted puzzles as a part of a story that’s not only engaging but enjoyable as well. Moreover, the game looks amazing with its great visuals and melodic audio. The game is $3.99 but sometimes can be availed at discounts, often during festival season.

Toca Builders (Ages 5 and up)

Toca Builders is a block-building game where children can build an entirely new world on an island. The game includes various characters that can do different tasks. As there are no rules or time limits, the game allows kids to let their creativity run wild and build what they want. It’s also easy to use and has a kid-friendly interface. It’s a paid game, and there are no in-app purchases.

Kahoot! Play & Create Quizzes (Ages 5 and up)

If you’re looking for a trivia game for your child, then this app from Kahoot! is great. It allows users to play, create, and even host quizzes. These quizzes will help your child learn new things. Moreover, it can be accessed in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Norwegian.

Kahoot! Play & Create Quizzes is free to download and use, but there are optional in-app purchases for upgrades.

Pocket Build (Ages 10 and up)

Pocket Build is a Minecraft-style sandbox game in which children can build their own fantasy world. There are hundreds of items that can be used to build things, with the open-world allowing endless possibilities. In the game’s survival and first-person modes, the users can also mine and collect resources. If you like Minecraft, you’ll love this game.

It’s free to download, but there are in-app purchases. Also note that the game does feature some fantasy violence, hence the higher age category.

Mario Kart Tour (Ages 8 and up)

You’d be hard-pressed to find a kid who doesn’t love racing around castles, shopping malls, desserts, and gardens as one of their favorite characters from the Super Mario franchise. Mario Kart Tour brings all the fun from traditional game consoles right to your Android phone or tablet. With more courses than you can count, tokens to collect, prizes to win, and streaks to set, Mario Kart Tour is a great game for all ages.

The best Android apps and games for kids: the bottom line

The Google Play Store is filled with thousands of apps and games for kids, but not all of them can be trusted equally. Some apps use predatory in-app purchase systems while others constantly disrupt your child’s screen time with ads. That’s why we tracked down the top Android apps for kids across a number of categories.

For example, Khan Academy Kids offers ad-free and micro transaction-free educational courses in a variety of topics. YouTube Kids provides video entertainment for all age groups with many different ways for parents to monitor what their kids watch. Lego Friends: Heartlake Rush offers fun Subway Surfers-like gameplay with tons of customization options. Any of these make a great starting point, but experiment with a couple of apps to find something your kid truly loves.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for more amazing Android apps, we’ve selected some of the best music player apps as well as the best wallpaper apps for Android.