by: Erin Dower
TallyTots Counting
Help toddlers and preschoolers have fun with numbers! This early math app features 20 mini-games that get children to grow five pretty flowers, serve a seven-layer sandwich, find 14 colorful cupcakes, and more. The games teach quantity, order, and sorting. Plus, a sing-along counting song and an assisted counting guide help kids learn to count to 100.
Ages: 2-5
Price: $2.99
Get it on Google Play
Sid's Science Fair
Join the stars of the hit PBS Kids series Sid the Science Kid to learn about key math and science concepts, including classification, identifying patterns, charting, and sequencing. The app includes three fun games: Gabriela's "Collection Inspection" (finding patterns among collections of butterflies, coins, and more), May's "Chart It!" (charting the shared traits of stuffed animals and other objects), and Gerald's "Time Machine" (putting pictures in order of sequence). This app won an Editor's Choice Award from Children's Technology Review.
Ages: 4-6
Price: $2.99
Get it on Google Play
Math Bingo
The goal of this app is to get a pattern of five BINGO bugs in a row by correctly answering math problems. The app includes five BINGO games — addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and mixed operations — at three different levels of difficulty. Players can see their scores on a scoreboard and collect BINGO bugs when they earn a high score. Plus, you can track your child's achievements in the report card feature.
Ages: 6-8
Price: $1.99
Get it on Google Play
DragonBox Algebra 5+
DragonBox is "the game that secretly teaches algebra." It was developed by a former math teacher and has won numerous awards, including the 2013 ON for Learning Award from Common Sense Media and the Editor's Choice Award from Children's Technology Review. The game covers the algebraic concepts of addition, division, and multiplication, and gives kids a head start in learning the basic processes involved in solving linear equations — without even realizing they're practicing math skills. Check out the DragonBox Algebra 12+ app for kids ages 9 to 12.
Ages: 6-9
Price: $4.99
Get it on Google Play
Slice Fractions
This Common Core–aligned app helps kids unravel the mystery of fractions alongside a math-loving mammoth. Through a series of fun games, players learn various fraction concepts, including part-whole partitioning, numerator/denominator notation, equivalent fractions, fraction ordering, and subtracting fractions from 1. Kids can collect funky hats for solving puzzles and games. This app won a 2014 Parent's Choice Gold Award and an Editor's Choice Award from Children's Technology Review.
Ages: 6-8
Price: $3.99
NASA App
This free app is out-of-this-world! Your aspiring astronaut will love the ever-growing library of 14,000 images; 10,000 videos; and the latest space-related news stories. Plus, she can track the International Space Station and NASA mission updates, and learn about upcoming sighting opportunities.
Ages: 7 & up
Price: Free
Bobo Explores Light
This award-winning iPad app features more than 100 pages of interactive content on 21 in-depth topics on the science of light. Kids will learn about colors, lasers, sunlight, photosynthesis, holograms, and more alongside a lovable robot named Bobo. In addition to hands-on activities and experiments, the app includes dozens of videos, animations, and trivia challenges.
Ages: 8-11
Price: $4.99
Hopscotch – Programming for Kids
Get your kids into coding! Computer science encourages problem-solving and critical thinking — plus, it's a booming career field. Kids (and parents) can dive into programming with this easy-to-use app. Design characters that can move, dance, draw, and interact. Control your project by tapping, tilting, shaking, and even shouting at your tablet. Follow simple videos to learn to create fun games like "Food Fight Dodgeball" and more. This app won the 2013 Parent's Choice Gold Award and a 2014 Children's Technology Review award.
Ages: 8 & up
Price: Free (with a variety of $0.99 in-app purchases)
Mathmateer
3, 2, 1... Blast off — on any of the 56 different math missions in this nifty app. The missions range in difficulty, and include: even and odd numbers, fractions, decimals, telling time, counting money, identifying shapes (2D and 3D), addition, subtraction, multiplication, and square roots. Players must touch the correct objects or answers as they float through space. This app won an Editor's Choice Award from Children's Technology Review.
Ages: 9-11
Price: $0.99
Monster Physics
Have fun with physics! Kids can build their own imaginative car, crane, rocket ship, plane, helicopter, or tank using 68 different parts and virtual welding and engineering techniques. Then they'll solve 50 fun problem-solving missions, from simple tasks to mind-bending challenges. They'll also learn the definitions of common physics terms, including friction, force, mass, and acceleration. Zoooom!
Ages: 9-11
Price: $1.99
