99 iPhone Apps for the Best, Brightest, and Brainiest Kids
With so many tools and games to promote your child’s education at your fingertips, you can make learning fun and help your children earn top grades in school. The launch of iPhone applications has made boredom a thing of the past for kids in tow. Download a few fun and educational apps for kids on road trips or any time boredom strikes. This list of top 100 iPhone applications for the smartest, brightest kids will only maximize their brainpower and keep them out of your hair so you can do the things you need to do for your family.
Look for the “FREE” for all the free apps your iPhone can handle.
Ages 3 and up
1. Wheels on the Bus – This educational game is an Apple “staff favorite” created by parents for young children to learn and have fun singing and interacting with the game characters. Children can sing along to music and listen to the same songs in Spanish, French, German and Italian. Record them as they sing along.
2. Kid Art – Let your child explore his or her own creativity and doodle on your iPhone. Shake it to reset the doodle screen and start over.
3. Toddler Flashcards – Flashcards made especially for tots in easy and hard categories. You can also use the cards to teach English, French and Spanish vocabulary.
4. Word Magic – This app will teach your child how to spell and learn vocabulary. Match the correct letters to fill in the blanks and identify the picture shown on the screen.
5. EeeAhOh – A simple set of flash cards used to help children pronounce the letters of the alphabet as well as numbers and punctuation marks.
6. True Learning Letters A to Z – Help your children learn the letters of the alphabet with memorable character flashcards. Tap the flashcard to listen to the sound of each letter for phonics.
7. Crayon Physics Deluxe – More drawing fun for kids, but with the simulation of crayons on paper.
8. Peekaboo Barn Lite – A peek-a-boo game for small children. Barnyard animals are waiting behind doors to come out and make some noise for your child’s amusement. Each animal has its name spelled out above it for easy memorization. FREE
9. Animal Puzzle – Slide tiles around to make a mixed up animal whole again.
10. iWrite Words – This app teaches your child how to write letters by combining a game with writing. Your child will learn how to write the alphabet in record time.
11. Toddler Teasers Quizzing – A colorful game for pre-school aged kids that teach them about letters, shapes, number and colors.
12. Crayon Ball – A fun game similar to Bejeweled, but with crayon graphics. Tap the screen to pop a group of the same four colored balls. Add up points and avoid the danger bar.
13. Preschool Adventure – A multifunctional game with six activities for kids. Children can play dot-to-dot, colors, numbers, shapes, sounds and body parts identification as well as matching.
14. 300+ Sight Words, Learn to Read – A game comprised of 300 words teachers commonly use during early education years because of the word’s easy pronunciation.
15. Kid TV – Take your kid’s favorite TV characters on the road. Watch videos and hear songs from Dora, Sesame Street, Blue’s Clues and Diego.
16. First Words Lite – This smaller version of First Words teaches children numbers and colors to build their vocabulary early. FREE
17. PocketPhonics Lite – Teach phonics to your children with this fun game of sounding out letters and blending them to make words. The “lite” version teaches kids six letter sounds. Try the full version for the entire alphabet and more than 30 phonetic sounds. FREE
18. What Am I? – Match the animal name with the animal picture, but the trick is children must guess from only the silhouette of the animal. Don’t worry, there’s a hint button in case your little one gets stuck. This is a fun way to teach kids about the different species of animals.
19. 123 Match – This app is a number matching game that will teach kids what numbers up to 100 look like. This is great for early education in toddlers. FREE
20. ABC Animals – An Apple “staff favorite” that teaches children the alphabet with animal characters.
21. Children’s Vehicle Sounds – Spark your child’s imagination with this app on vehicle sounds. Choose from a rocket, train, airplane, race car, an 18-wheeler and a fire engine.
22. Animal Sounds of the Wild – Another application of sounds for your iPhone. Your children will learn about different animals and the sounds they make by tapping each animal. The animal sounds included are a lion, elephant, rattlesnake, wolf, bear and monkey.
23. A to Z with Noah – Let your tot test his or her writing skills with this alphabet writing game.
24. Animal Sounds on the Farm – Just when you thought all the annoying sounds were done, here’s an app on farm animal noises. Just like Old McDonald’s farm, your child can learn the noises a horse, hen, pig, cow, sheep and duck make.
25. Best Collection of Kids Poems – Encourage the inner-Shakespeare in your kid with this app of classic children’s poems.
26. Brass and Woodwind Instrument Sounds – Now let you child become a rock star by identifying brass and woodwind instruments with this musical application. Another iPhone app that will make you want to chuck it out a window, but your children will love.
27. Suzy Dress Up – This one is for the girls. Let your little girl get creative and dress Suzy up in loads of cute outfits.
28. iShapes – This app is designed to test your knowledge of shapes and color combinations. It can be a bit complicated, but it has an easy level for children and adults.
Ages 10 and up
29. World Counties – This app helps you learn about 238 counties across the world, including testing your knowledge of Capitals, national flags, and global locations. This pocket reference guide can be fully run offline, as well, making it ideal wherever you are!
30. Brain Teaser of the Day – Featuring 365 brain teasers, this app provides a fresh puzzle each day. This daily mental workout improves memory and mental processing speed, and even improves memory.
31. iHomework – Functioning as a more school-centric version of a digital planner, this app promises to help students keep up with every aspect of school assignments, from simple reminders of upcoming tests to grades on completed exams. Of course, it has non-school applications as well—simple reminders like “pick up little sister after school” are just a few clicks away.
32. Starwalk - IYA2009 – Providing astronomy on the go, this app lets users view various stars and constellations, complete with informative annotations about each one. If that isn’t cool enough for stargazers, a “time machine” is included that lets you view past astronomical events and even future events!
33. iRubix Cube – Just like it sounds, this app is a digital Rubik’s Cube that is friendly to brand new puzzle-solvers and veterans alike. Providing a beginner’s guide for those just starting out, Rubik’s pros can use the provided online ranking service to see how their speed stacks against competitors across the world.
34. Free Spanish Tutor – This app aims to make learning Spanish both fun and easy through puzzles, games, quizzes, and flash cards. Providing native speaker audio for all words, this app will have you mingling with locals in no time. FREE
35. Mental Maths – With four difficulty levels (ranging from elementary school students to truly gifted mathletes), this app improves the speed and accuracy of arithmetic, division, percentages, and multiplication calculations. Combining exercises, image puzzles, and adjustable time limits, this math teacher designed game makes math a little less scary, and a little more fun.
36. myHomework – Like iHomework, this app helps students keep track of assignments and upcoming due dates, using a visual interface meant to mimic colorful sticky pads. This program is great for those who like additional structure, as it color codes certain kinds of items (late assignments are in red, for instance, and next day assignments are in orange). FREE
37. Learn Chess – This 118-page interactive ebook helps users learn how to play Chess. Using over 91 Chess diagrams and utilizing interactive actions, this app invites users to become one of the 600 million people world wide who know how to play this classic game! FREE
38. USA Factbook Free – This free app contains information on all 50 states of America, along with basic facts about the country itself. It also includes a variety of maps, from highway maps to topographical maps and even to music maps, and will be updated with new information and features with future releases. FREE
39. Brain + Get Smarter! – Using math-based games to create correct equations from five different rows, this app promises better memory and mathematical acuity from just 5 minutes of play per day. In addition, there are 200 training levels for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. FREE
40. History:Maps of World – Featuring 20 high-quality maps of the world, this educational app features a landscape view, easy zooming using your finger, and information about each map that you are viewing. FREE
41. Vocab Whiz SAT Lite – This SAT specific vocab app features over 200 of the most common vocabulary words from SAT tests, utilizing flash cards, example sentences, and full audio pronunciations of both the words and their definitions. You can even play a “voice-only” mode, maximizing auditory learning and removing the need to look at the screen—a great option for those who wish to exercise while they study. FREE
42. Japanese Phrases Free – Featuring over 400 of the most common phrases in conversational Japanese, this app utilizes the audio of a native speaker to increase your learning. Using flashcards and quizzes along with the audio, the emphasis here is on quick, conversational learning, complete with correct pronunciation. FREE
43. Spel It Rite—This app features over 300 of the most commonly misspelled words, teaching you how to quickly spot typos. For added fun, you “race” your own best time, and a 5-second “penalty” is added for each missed typo. FREE
44. Vocab Builder – Combining games and learning with traditional dictionary functionality, VocabBuilder has over 7000 words and definitions. This Swiss Army blade of vocabulary programs promises to be helpful in those studying for SATs, GREs, or simply those hoping to expand their vocabulary.
45. Stars – If you want a quick, no fuss guide to the constellations, this is it! This app features 88 constellations, and features the 12 zodiac equations along an easy-to-trace red line marking the path of the sun. FREE
46. Brain Tutor 3D – A valuable resource to medical students and Biology aficionados alike, this app features 3D rendered head and brain models taken from actual MRI scans. You can also “slice” the 3D model along three axes, access key information about the brain, and learn where brain structures are located. FREE
47. iSign Lite – This app features 25 of the most common signs in Sign Language, offering a quick gateway into full fluency. FREE
48. States and Capitals – This historically-themed app offers information about the first 13 states, including capitals, flags, and maps. It also features timed game modes to hone memorization, and quick links to Google Maps for the states, adding additional interactivity and enjoyment! FREE
49. Chirp v2 – Ideal for the nature lover, this app has a single purpose: to help you recognize different bird songs. While the app utilizes flash cards and quizzes, the most important aspect is the songs themselves offering full bird songs and even textual descriptions, so you can recognize that visitor to your windowsill or garden before you even open the door.
50. PopGeo USA Geography – This is another geography program, with a few clever twists: the primary mode is a game where your character sees how far he can travel across America by dragging target answers to their correct locations on the map. Other innovative aspects include added focus on major cities that aren’t capitals, images of state seals and state parks, and ample use of animation and sound effects.
51. Word a Day – This app, like others before it, features definitions, examples of use, and audio pronunciations. One thing that sets this app apart is its use of synonyms, making it potentially more useful for those studying for standardized tests, such as the SAT or ACT.
52. Kid’s Spanish – As the name implies, this app focuses on toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners, and helping them learn basic Spanish words. With a focus on entertaining sound effects and eye-catching animations, this helps children learn the Spanish alphabet, animals, colors, shapes, and more!
53. Signing Time ASL - Dictionary Flash Cards –Aimed at helping teach sign language during early education, this app features 118 flash cards to help children learn. This opens the door to a number of possibilities, from communication with pre-verbal children to improving the reading ability and even IQ of developing children.
54. Math Magic –Designed to help younger children develop skills in addition, subtraction, and multiplication, this app focuses on the use of colors and sounds to positively reinforce learning. Real vocal audio rewards correct answers, and differently-colored stars reward consecutively correct answers, making math a more rewarding and fun experience.
55. Vocab Lab –This pleasingly minimalist app features 5000 commonly-tested vocabulary words to help students prepare for exams like the SAT or GRE. It uses a plain black design in order to maximize battery life, and functions perfectly offline as well, making it a longer-lasting, more easily portable solution for vocabulary study.
56. Study Tools –Featuring fully customizable flash cards, this app lets students save 10 “decks” of their own design. It can be used for simple electronic note-taking or, more importantly, to help students design their own study plans for upcoming exams.
57. Multiplication Helper –Elementary students will master multiplication with this easy-to-use app featuring 70 multiplication problems. Utilizing bright colors and a simple touch interface, students may be in danger of perfection with all of the practice this app offers.
58. Subtraction Helper—This subtraction-themed partner to the Multiplication Helper features 70 fun subtraction problems, using the same bright and simple interface as the former.
59. FlashWords – This versatile, noun-centric dictionary offers 500 words, with translations in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Romanian, and Traditional Chinese. What’s more, speakers of English, French, and Spanish can look up a word in their own language, and seek the equivalent in another, making language diversity as simple as a few simple clicks!
60. Bible Treasures –An illustrated eBook, Bible Treasures offers a visual tour of the Bible, with 12 different indexes of pictures that can be zoomed into and out of. The focus on images provides an intuitive way to impart spiritual knowledge into Christian students of all ages.
61. ThisDay - Today In History –Whether used day-by-day or browsed through as an encyclopedic calendar, this app offers information for every single day: historical events, holidays famous and holidays obscure, famous birthdays, and more. For added information, most entries link to Wikipedia, completing one’s knowledge of each day’s historic significance.
62. Flash Math—Kindergarteners through elementary school students can master math through this customizable app focusing on addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Students can adjust how large a range of numbers they wish to work with, the amount of questions they desire to answer, and custom time limits per equation, offering a great deal of control over the entire learning process.
63. Phonograms—This app features 65 distinct phonograms, with each part spoken out loud by a certified teacher. Promising to foster strong foundations for both reading and spelling, this interactive utility will help students to quickly master the English language.
64. State Test—This free program focuses on one thing: testing your knowledge of U.S. state capitals! FREE
65. American Presidents—Serving as a one-stop shop for information about U.S. presidents, this app includes pictures, facts, and quotes from all 44 American Presidents. Additionally, you can test your knowledge through a quiz, and read the inaugural speeches of Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
66. BasicFrac Fractions—As you might have guessed, this app focuses on helping students master fractions, focusing particularly on the addition and subtraction of fractions. One of the most useful aspects of the app is its focus on flexible thinking, emphasizing the various deductive approaches a student might apply in order to reach the correct solution.
67. Better Brain Lite – Combining visual and auditory memorization, this app aims to improve your “fluid intelligence.” Essentially, it’s designed to help you cope with sudden and dynamic changes, helping you to learn and react to something even if you have no prior experience with it or anything like it. FREE
68. Flags & World Facts Flip –Memorizing flags is the goal in this app, and with 227 flags and information about their corresponding territories, it makes for a fun learning trip around the world. You can browse through the included information about each territory, or concentrate on learning through their innovative “flipping” game.
69. Science Quiz – As the name suggests, this app is a learning Jack of all trades for science, helping you to learn chemistry, biology, zoology, astronomy, technology, anatomy, and more! With its focus on simple quizzes for each subject, you or your child may become a science all-star in no time.
70. SCRABBLE – This app brings together the classic board game with the social networking power of Facebook! It brings the Facebook Scrabble experience home, letting you play with friends on Facebook, pause games between sessions, and offering a “Teacher feature” which lets you see what would have been the best word to choose from your previous move.
71. Who Has the Biggest Brain? – Another Facebook compatible app, this program is a more gamer-friendly way of learning, focusing on minigames and unlockable achievements, a la Xbox 360. The focus is on competitive fun, as you can compare “brain sizes” with friends in analytics, memory, visual processing, and more.
72. Checkers—Ideal for 1 or 2 players, this free Checkers app brings the old game to life with bright colors and lively sounds. This game is very customizable, with adjustable difficulty, configurable names, and my favorite: the option of whether you and your opponent must take jumps when they are available. FREE
73. Sudoku –If you love Sudoku, then you’re likely to love this free app, rated as “The Best Sudoku Game of the Year” by Apple! Featuring standard, symmetrical, and patterned puzzles, the four distinct difficulty levels will provide hours of entertainment for you. FREE
74. iChess – The full Chess experience in one free package. iChess is great for beginners, as you can have it illustrate possible moves, and even take back moves. You can also view the board from either side, letting you see what your opponent (the computer or another player) sees! FREE
75. WordSearch Unlimited Lite—Bring the simplicity of the newspaper word search wherever you go! This app features 8 hidden words per puzzle, but the makers warn that as the program simple draws words from a dictionary, some words may end up as inappropriate for children. FREE
76. Free Word Warp – Similar to the internet hit Texttwist, Free Word Warp provides you with 6 letters, and you see how many words you can make out of it. When you just can’t see any more words from the letters, hitting “warp” jumbles them up, giving you a fresh perspective. FREE
77. Fantastic Contraption – If you never thought physics could be fun, you’ve never had to scratch-build a contraption to take down the brick wall keeping you from your goal! This game highlights its interactivity, allowing you to create custom levels, download the levels designed by others, and otherwise enjoy the most colorfully animated physics lesson ever.
78. Textropolis –Like Free Word Warp, this app challenges you to find all of the words hidden inside a jumble of letters. As a visual twist to this familiar formula, the words you discover will form a city from the ground up—a literal textropolis.
79. Brain Toot – This app promises to whip your brain back into shape, with exercises designed to memory, math, visual, and cognitive skills.
80. Piano Work –For music lovers, it doesn’t get more simple than this: an interactive piano featuring 7 Major C keys means that composers can be in harmony with their melodies and the great outdoors, too. FREE
81. Memory Matrix—This brain-training game has an edge up over the competition: featured in the New York Times, Women’s Health, PC Magazine and more, this scientifically-tested app lets you train your brain and compare scores worldwide. FREE
82. My Wisdom—The long journey begins with a simple download. My Wisdom offers thousand of quotes from sages through the centuries, and even lets you quiz yourself on how wise you’ve become.
83. Mighty Math - The Math Learning Game –Aiming to improve your addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills, Mighty Math emphasizes customization: determine whether your challenges are timed or not, how many answers there are to choose from, and how many questions are in each quiz.
84. Catch and Count –This game makes counting easy, as children move a red truck onscreen to catch falling Easter eggs. This app brings added animation and sound, making counting colorful and fun.
85. Math Fact Drills—Designed to help young children master math, this app forgoes multiple choice, encouraging students to pick the right answer without a chance of simply “guessing” correctly. Combining customizability with positive reinforcement, this app will drill the fear of math out of any young student.
86. Memory Math—Offering a twist on both math and memory games, this app challenges you to match math equations with their correct solution. The catch: you have only a limited time to memorize the location of the correct solution before it is hidden under the cards again.
Ages 14 and up
87. Flash of Genius: SAT Vocab—Focusing on the connections between similar words, this app prepares a student to face down the SAT Vocab section with courage. This program also promises to organize cards and quizzes in the order that will benefit you the most, making learning both intuitive and fun.
88. Pocket French Beginner Lite—Parle vous Francais? If you don’t speak French and would like to, this app has it all: Two expert teachers, extensive audio, immersive storylines, and the promise to have you speaking French before the end of the first lesson.
89. The Chemical Touch: Lite Edition—Perfect for Chemistry students on the go, this program brings the periodic table—as well as Wikipedia information about each element—into the palm of your hand. FREE
90. RevisionAid—This program is the ultimate version of customized electronic flash cards, allowing students to create their own questions and answers, as well as answer format (multiple choice, fill in the blank, etc.) for an unlimited number of subjects. For added convenience, this app features an online editor which allows you to make adjustments to your quizzes, and then download the adjustments.
91. Algebra 102—This app uses customizable difficulty levels and interactivity to make learning Algebra a dynamic experience.
92. Circle Equations—Focusing on finding the center and radius of a circle by completing the square, this app helps with grouping x and y related terms, writing in center-radius form, writing in general form, and more!
93. ConvertFrac Fractions—You’ll be able to convert between fractions, decimals, and percentages in no time using this handy app. A great addition for parent mentoring or a student’s self-study, this app pays special attention to areas that give younger students difficulty.
94. iFlash Card for SAT* Word—What separates this flash-card SAT Vocab app from others? It was created and reviewed by an SAT professional, who made sure that the multiple-choice questions are completely authentic.
95. AccelaStudy Russian - English—This app combines full audio recordings, vocabulary study sets, flashcards and quizzes into one dynamite package to make you completely fluent in Russian!
96. AccelaStudy Ukrainian - English –From the makers of AccelaStudy Russian-English, this app has the same amazing features to help make you fluent in speaking Ukrainian.
97. PolySolve—Using Newton’s method, this app is designed to help kids and adults solve all kinds of polynomial equations. Among the many awesome features, this app provides real and complex solutions, handles positive and negative exponents, and offers intuitive ways of entering equations.
98. e: Spacetime Converter—A playful way of looking at the world with new eyes, this app has one purpose: converting length and time, and vice versa. It promises to let you measure how many miles until your next birthday, and how tall you are in seconds. This app is sure to make your head spin into minutes!
99. Algebra 101—This polynomially-focused app helps your kids tackle monomials, binomials, and trinomials. Sleekly simplistic, this interactive study guide will boost confidence and accuracy in the calculations of math students everywhere.
