If you’ve ever been disappointed by iPad or iPhone apps for kids, welcome to the club. Many parents, grandparents and child-caring adults seem increasingly frustrated by kids apps that over-promise and under-deliver. Hype leads them to purchase a kids book, game or educational app that ultimately underwhelms, overwhelms or simply fails to engage their children. Feeling duped, they want to kick themselves afterward, possibly even others (who shall remain unnamed).
And yet, there’s a simple fix for this: Improve how you search for the best iPad and iPhone apps for kids. Most importantly, upgrade and expand whom you consult for kids app reviews and recommendations.
Do Your Homework (or Borrow Mine)
To improve your search results for the best iPad and iPhone apps for kids, you must first do a little homework. I’m happy to share mine with you below. It’s a list of more than 100 kids app review sites compiled over time for and in behalf of a little girl named Maya. She’s a three-year-old whom I grandparent (and spoil) long-distance with FaceTime chats and the best iPhone and iPad storybooks, games and learning apps for kids. So far, so good.
Ironically, the challenge of finding the best iPad and iPhone kids apps begins in the App Store, where the label of “Kids” applies generically to toddlers, tweens and teens. So to make truly discriminating kids app choices — appropriate to your child’s age, needs and preferences — you definitely need the guidance of kids app reviewers. You’ll find app-smitten parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles among them, as well as “appstute” teachers, educators, psychologists, therapists, app developers, professional tech reviewers and more. This list should help you identify a few good ones, well suited to you and your children.
But Wait, There’s More — Useful List Features
I’ve compiled the list in such as a way as to highlight helpful quality indicators and search tools that are not usually immediately apparent, including:
- Kids app appropriate-age gauges, which are sorely missing from the App Store’s “Apps for Kids” listed within its Education category, as well as many of its featured kids app descriptions.
- Brilliant but invisible kids app reviewers, whom you might never discover unless you clicked through to a distant page of search results.
- Kids app reviewer credentials, so you can know at a glance who’s behind a kids app review or recommendation before taking it seriously.
- Kids app reviews by type, so you can hone in on app reviews based on the specific kind of kids app you are looking for — whether books, games, educational or special needs apps for kids.
Now I don’t suggest that you consult all of the listed sites all of the time. No one has the time to do that. In fact, stay tuned. I will soon share some of the quickest ways to identify the best iPad and iPhone apps for your kids.
But in the meantime, do make the time to explore these sites. Bookmark, subscribe to and support the kids app reviewers who are a good fit for you and the ages, stages, passions and preferences of your kids. Eventually, you’ll find yourself enjoying better quality kids apps on the other side of your iPhone or iPad “Buy App” buttons and your kids will love you more for it (if that’s even possible).
Help Me Keep This List Updated
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Helpful iPhone and iPad Kids Apps Review Sites
Updated July 2012. More than 100 kids app reviewers are listed here alphabetically to help you find the best iPad and iPhone apps for your kids. Many focus exclusively on kids apps, while others offer a dedicated section, category or tag to apps for kids. Still others offer much better kids app search tools than the App Store. Familiarize yourself with them and then choose to follow the kids app reviewers that suit you, your children and your search style well.
Please note that no app reviewer has paid to be on this list. It is 100 percent curated based on my own quest for the best iPad and iPhone apps for kids over the last ten months or so. For how best to use this list and important disclaimers, see below. For more at-a-glance information on each kids app review site -- including quick links to site-related apps or podcasts -- please subscribe using the PayPal button above.
| Site | Book Apps | Game Apps | Educ. Apps | Special Needs Apps | App Lists | Reviewed / Rated by | Ages/ Stages | App Review Freq. (1=Most) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Matter of App | E | Educational media researcher and developmental psychologist | 3 thru 8 | 1 | ||||
| App Annie | B | G | E | Web developers and analytics specialists | Various | 1 | ||
| App Craver | B | G | E | SN | L | Team of: - Web developers - App reviewers | Various | 1 |
| App Star Picks | B | G | E | SN | Network of: - Parents - Kids App Reviewers - App Developers - Educators/ teachers | Various | 1 | |
| AppChatter | G | App reviewers | Various | 3 | ||||
| AppHipMom | B | G | E | L | Parent (Mom) | Young kids | 2 | |
| APPitic | B | E | SN | L | Apple Distinguished Educators (ADEs) and app curators | PreS thru HS | 1 | |
| Applicable2U | B | E | SN | Educator and instructional technology coach | Various | 1 | ||
| Appolicious | G | E | L | App reviewers and journalists | Various | 2 | ||
| Apps for Children with Special Needs (A4CWSN) | SN | L | Network of: - Parent (Dad), app developer and app reviewer - Other reviewers | Various | 1 | |||
| Apps for Homeschooling | B | E | SN | Parent (Mom), Educator and App Reviewer | Toddler (2-3) thru High School (14-18) | 1 | ||
| Apps for iPads | B | G | E | Grandparent (Mother) | Various | 1 | ||
| Apps Hub | B | E | L | App reviewers | Various | 3 | ||
| Apps4Kids | B | G | E | SN | L | Parent (Dad) | 1 thru 7 | 1 |
| Apps4Kids (iKids) | B | G | E | Parent Couple (Mom and Dad) | 5 thru 6 | 2 | ||
| AppShopper | B | E | App reviewers | Various | 1 | |||
| AppSmile | G | E | App Reviewers | Various | 1 | |||
| AppSmitten | G | E | L | Team of: - Web developers - Entrepreneurs - Parents - Educators | Various | 2 | ||
| Apptudes | B | G | E | L | App reviewers | Various | 1 | |
| Appy Edu | E | Educators | Various | 2 | ||||
| Appysmarts | B | E | L | Network of: - Parents - Educators - Child psychologists - Web developers - Members | 9 mos. thru around 7 | 1 | ||
| Autism Speaks | G | SN | L | Organization researchers | Various | 4 | ||
| Babble Kids | L | Team of: - Online Mag. Staff - Bloggers - App reviewers | Various | 2 | ||||
| Best Apps for Kids | B | G | E | L | Team of: - Parent (Mom): - Other reviewers/ bloggers | PreS thru HS | 1 | |
| Best Kids Apps | G | E | L | Team of: - Parents (2 Moms) | 0-4 thru 9-12 | 1 | ||
| BestApps ForKids.org | B | E | SN | Grandparent (Mother) | Various | 1 | ||
| Boing Boing | E | Parent (Dad)/ Writer/ Illustrator | Various | 2 | ||||
| Book Dads | B | Team of: - Parent (Dad), literacy advocate, web designer and writer. - Other reviewers | Under 4 thru YA | 3 | ||||
| BridgingApps | SN | Network of: - Parents - Therapists - Doctors - Special Ed teachers | Various | 1 | ||||
| Children's Technology Review | B | G | E | L | Team of:: - Educators - Writers - Researchers | 1 thru 15 | 2 | |
| CNET | B | G | E | L | App reviewers | Various | 3 | |
| Common Sense Media | B | G | E | L | Network of: - Educators - Researchers - Child dev. experts - Child advocates | 0-2 thru 15-17 | 1 | |
| Cool Mom Tech | B | G | E | L | Team of: Parents (Moms) | Kids, Tweens & Big Kids | 2 | |
| Crazy Mike's Apps | B | G | E | App Reviewers/ Marketers | Various | 1 | ||
| Curated Book Apps for Kids | B | Parent (Mom) | 1 thru 10+ | 1 | ||||
| Daily Candy | G | E | L | Editors | Various | 2 | ||
| Digital Storytime | B | L | Parent (Mom) / Educator/ Researcher | 1 thru 10+ | 1 | |||
| Education.com | L | Team of: - Educators - Parents - Child Dev. Experts - Doctors | PresS thru HS | 1 | ||||
| Famigo | B | G | E | L | Team of: - App Developers - App Reviewers - Parent Advisors | Toddlers thruTeens | 1 | |
| Fingerprint Play | G | E | Team of: - App developers - Educator - Entreprenuers | |||||
| Fun Educational Apps | B | E | L | Parent (Mom) and app aeveloper | 1 thru 12+ | 1 | ||
| Gamer With Kids | G | E | Parent (Dad) | Various | 2 | |||
| Geek Mummy | G | E | L | Parent (Mom) and Blogger | Baby thru PreS | 4 | ||
| GiggleApps | G | E | Parent (Mom) | PreS thru HS+ | 1 | |||
| Great Kid Books | B | Parent (Mom)/ School librarian | 4 thru 14 | 2 | ||||
| I Education Apps Review (IEAR) | E | SN | Network of: - Educators - Students | PreS thru HS | 1 | |||
| I Heart This App | G | E | L | Network of: - Parents - Educators | Various | 1 | ||
| I Use This App | B | G | E | Team of: - App reviewers - Bloggers | Various | 1 | ||
| iGameMom | G | E | Parent (Mom) | 1 thru 10+ | 1 | |||
| iKid Apps | L | App reviewers | 1 thru 10 | 1 | ||||
| Imagination Soup | B | E | L | Parent (Mom), Teacher and Writer | Various | 3 | ||
| iMore | B | G | E | L | Parent (Mom), Math instructor and app reviewer | Various | 1 | |
| Interaction Education | E | L | Team of: - Educator - Illustrator - App developers | Various | 3 | |||
| iPad 4 Kids | G | E | Aunt | Young kids | 2 | |||
| iPad Apps | B | G | E | L | Parent (Dad) | Various | 3 | |
| iPad Family | B | G | E | L | A family | 0 thru 9+ | 1 | |
| iPad Kids | G | E | App reviewers | Various | 1 | |||
| iPhone Application List | G | E | L | - App review aggregators - App reviewers - Member users | Various | 2 | ||
| iPhone.Appstorm | L | Network of: - App reviewers - App developers - Bloggers | Various | 3 | ||||
| Kidlit Apps | B | Literary agent and children book and writing blogger | Various | 3 | ||||
| Kids App World | B | G | E | SN | Team of: - Parent (Mom) - Users | Babies thru PreS | 1 | |
| Kids Best iPad Apps (formerly Apps for Kids Reviews) | E | L | Uncle | Under 4 thru 7-10 | 1 | |||
| Kids iPhone App Review | B | G | E | Parent (Dad) | 1 thru 17+ | 3 | ||
| Kids Read | B | Educator | Various | 3 | ||||
| KinderTown | E | Team of: - Parents - Educators - App Developers | 3 thru 8 | 1 | ||||
| Kirkus Reviews | B | L | Team of: - Book Reviewers: | 0-2 thru HS | 2 | |||
| Kleinspiration | E | Parent (Mom) and Teacher | Grade 1 | 3 | ||||
| Love Reading 4 Kids | B | L | Team of: - Book reviewers - Book lovers | Baby thru 14+ | 1 | |||
| Lunchbox Reviews (beta) | B | G | E | SN | L | Network of: - Parent (Mom) - Member-Parents - App Reviewers - Bloggers | Toddlers thru ES (7+) | 1 |
| Mac|Life | G | E | L | Tech editors | Various | 2 | ||
| Macworld | B | G | E | L | Editors/ Tech reviewers | Various | 1 | |
| Madhouse Family Reviews | B | G | E | Parent (Mom) | Young kids | 2 | ||
| Mashable | B | G | E | L | Tech reviewers | Various | 2 | |
| Mind Leap | G | E | L | Current or former teachers and educators | PreS thru MS | 1 | ||
| MindShift | E | L | Journalist and Parent (Mom) curator | Various | 3 | |||
| Moms With Apps | B | G | E | L | Parents (4 moms)/ App developers/ App marketers | Various | 1 | |
| OWTK | B | G | E | Parent (Dad) | Various | 3 | ||
| PadGadget | B | G | E | L | Tech reviewers | Various | 1 | |
| Parenting | B | G | E | L | Team of:: - Editors - Writers | PreS thru HS | 2 | |
| Parents' Choice | B | G | E | L | Network of: - Parents - Educators - Artists - Librarians - Writers | 1 thru 14+ | 1 | |
| Parents | G | E | L | Editors | Various | 3 | ||
| PCMag | B | G | E | L | Tech reviewers | Various | 1 | |
| Picky Kid App Guide | B | G | E | Parent (Mom), web developer and designer | Under 2 thru 5 | 1 | ||
| Reading Rockets | E | L | Reading researchers, educators and experts | Young kids | 4 | |||
| Review for Dev (beta) | G | E | App developers | Various | 1 | |||
| School Library Journal Touch and Go | B | School librarians | Children and Teens | 1 | ||||
| She Knows | / | L | Network of: - Editors - Bloggers | Various | 2 | |||
| Smart Apps for Kids | B | G | E | L | Team of: - Parent (Dad) - App reviewers | Toddlers thru 12+ | 1 | |
| SmarTots | E | Team of: - Parents (4 Dads) - Web developers - Educators | 2 thru 7+ | 1 | ||||
| Smatoos | E | Team of: - Educators - Editors | Kids thru College | 1 | ||||
| Sparks | B | G | L | Parent (Mom)/ Writer/ Illustrator/ App developer/ Educator | Young kids | 3 | ||
| Special Apps, Special Kids | SN | Special educator | Various | 2 | ||||
| Survive Parenthood | G | E | L | Parents (3 Moms) | Young kids | 3 | ||
| Teachers With Apps | B | E | SN | L | Educators | Baby thru HS | 1 | |
| Tech Savvy Mama | E | Parent (Mom), blogger and ex-teacher | Various | 3 | ||||
| Tech Tools 4 Mom | B | G | E | Parent (Mom) and IT specialist | Various | 1 | ||
| TechChef4U | B | G | E | L | Parent (Mom), educator and instructional technology specialist | PreK thru HS | 1 | |
| Techlicious | G | E | L | Team of: - Tech reviewers - Bloggers - Editors | Various | 2 | ||
| Technology for Moms | B | G | E | Parent (Mom), IT specialist and software developer | Young kids | 2 | ||
| Technology in (SPL) Education | SN | L | Parents of special needs children | Various | 2 | |||
| The App Academy | SN | Researchers and reviewers (evidence-based intervention) | Various | 1 | ||||
| The Cybils | B | L | Network of: - Children's lit. bloggers - Children's lit. reviewers | Children thru YA | 3 | |||
| The Horn Book | B | L | Team of: - Children's lit. experts - Book reviewers - Researchers - Educators - Writers - Librarians | Children thru YA | 1 | |||
| The iKids Blog | B | G | E | L | Team of: - Parents (2 Dads) / App Developers - Editor | Various | 1 | |
| The iMums | B | G | E | SN | Team of: - Parents (4 Moms) | t thru 6+ | 1 | |
| The iPad Fan | B | G | E | Parent (Dad)/ Web designer/ Tech educator | Various | 2 | ||
| The iPhone App Review | B | G | E | App reviewers | Various | 1 | ||
| The iPhone Mom | B | G | E | / | Parent (Mom), with help from friends and family | Toddlers, PreS & ES+ | 1 | |
| The Jewish iPhone Magazine | B | E | L | Jewish culture experts | Various | 2 | ||
| The New York Times | B | G | E | SN | L | Professional tech reviewers | Various | 3 |
| The Recapp | B | G | E | L | Tech writers and reviewers | Various | 1 | |
| The Wired Homeschool | B | G | E | Parent (Dad), blogger and podcaster | Various | 3 | ||
| Therapy App 411 | SN | Network of Therapists, including: - Speech Language Pathologists - Occupational Therapists - Physical Therapists - Others - | PreS thru HS | 1 | ||||
| Time to Play Mag | G | E | Toy, videos, electronics, accessories and tech reviewers | Various | 2 | |||
| Top 20 Apps for Kids | B | G | E | L | App directory aggregators | PreS thru Grade 3 | 1 | |
| Trending Mom | B | E | Parent (Mom) and humanitarian | Young kids | 4 | |||
| USA Today | B | G | E | L | Professional tech reviewer | Various | 1 | |
| We Are Teachers | E | L | Network of: - Teachers and educators | PreK thru College | 1 | |||
| What's My App | B | G | E | App reviewers | Various | 3 | ||
| Wired (GeekDad and GeekMom) | B | G | E | L | Tech reviewers | Various | 2 | |
| YogiPlay | E | Team of: - Parents - App Developers - Educators | 2 thru 8 | 1 | ||||
| Ziggity Zoom | B | G | E | L | Web , book and app developers | 2 thru 8 | 4 |
Best Use
- Use the “Show” box on the upper left to view more than 10 kids app review sites at a time.
- Sort the data in any column by clicking the little arrows next to a column title. Click once for “ascending” and twice for “descending” sort order. Refresh the page to revert back to its original alphabetical order.
- Use the search box above the table to find specific terms. For example, “parent” or “educator.”
- Click on a website’s name to visit it. For sites that do more than kids app reviews, I’ve tried to link you directly to their special kids app or educational app review sections. If you land on a home page, use the site’s search box to find iPhone or iPad kids app reviews and roundups.
- Click on “Reviewed/Rated By” links to visit “About” pages. Nutshell descriptions are based on information offered in “About” pages. In some cases, links go to a related website with more info about the person or people behind the app reviews.
- Age groups indicate the age range of the kids apps reviewed at each site. “Various” means that no specific age range is provided, though the suggested age range is often mentioned in the review itself.
- Use App Review Frequency to gauge a site’s focus on apps for kids.
- 1 = Constant; kids app reviews are posted daily to weekly.
- 2 = Regular; kids app reviews are posted bi-weekly to monthly.
- 3 = Occasional; kids app reviews are posted less than once a month.
- 4 = A running list or roundup of kids apps updated regularly.
Important Disclaimers
- This list is not all-inclusive. Please feel free to suggest additions and corrections in the comment box below.
- I am not infallible. Despite my best efforts at accuracy, I may have made errors and am counting on you to let me know.
- Groovin’ on Apps is not associated in any way with any of the app reviewers that appear on the list. I am neither endorsing nor vouching for the accuracy of any reviewer or website, and cannot be responsible for any damage or data loss that might result from their use.
Thanks so much for putting this together! This is truly a helpful guide for me. I completely agree that it can be really difficult to find the right apps for her. This is great!
You are most welcome! It was such a great pleasure putting this guide together knowing it would be of help to parents like you.
Thanks for mentioning our site Apps for Kids Reviews which is now Kids Best iPad Apps.
Our competitive edge is our iPad app reviews include a written review and a video of the app in use. It should make it easier for parents to select the right apps for their kids.
Thanks again,
Mitchell
Thanks for the update, “Uncle Mitchell.” I actually noted the change a couple of nights ago while researching the age range of a kiddie app. Besides the name change, you’ve done nice things to your site. And you’re right, your videos do make it easier to choose wisely. Thanks again, keep up the good work and visit often!
Diana: I finally had the time to go through your list. Wow-what a superb job! Congrats!
There truly are a lot of excellent review sites that help parents to find the right apps for their kids. And, there are so many excellent educational iPad apps for kids–I think I read like 20,000+–so it will keep all of us very busy to review the better/best ones.
Best regards,
Uncle Mitchell
-By the way, on our site we cover apps for kids 10 years old and under.
This is really handy – thanks for sharing!
Diana,
This is fantastic, and we’re glad to be included (iPad Kids). If you, or any of your readers, have any feedback for us, let us know! We’re actively working on our site design / review formats / content, and love to hear from folks.
Cheers,
Marc
Hi , nice apps for kids. Thanks for posting.
There is a great website for apps, http://www.educationalappstore.com, which specialises in educational apps for young kids, parents, students and teachers. It is the one I always use when I want to find an educational app, and also the main store for my friends to buy good apps for their kids.
I’m a parent/teacher author app designer who has written this fun guide on teaching pre-schoolers their first words in English through activities, games, songs, rhymes, poems and short stories. The ibook twinkle, twinkle, little star has over 100 illustrations and contains cartoons and audio files.
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/twinkle-twinkle-little-star/id571672332?mt=11
Follow @iangeorgebolton or @2bandcheese
Parent/teacher author app designer who has written this fun guide on teaching pre-schoolers their first words in English through activities, games, songs, rhymes, poems and short stories. The ibook twinkle, twinkle, little star has over 100 illustrations and contains cartoons and audio files.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/twinkle-twinkle-little-star/id571672332?mt=11
Follow @iangeorgebolton or @2bandcheese
Very nice site. Thank you, Miriam. Will definitely add it to our list at update time.