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Kids learn best when they’re having fun and don’t even realize that they’re learning. Apps that teach while entertaining can help make learning painless. If you have a child who does best when learning is fun…wait…If you have a child, check out these iPad apps that make learning fun!
None of these apps have advertisements nor do any of them offer in-app purchases. You don’t have to worry that your child will be bugging you to spend more money as a result of using these apps, but you may have difficulty getting your iPad back from your child!
All of these apps were tested by my expert team of children who gave them their seal of approval. My testers had fun and wanted to keep playing even when I told them that they could stop. I received promo codes from the developers so I could review these apps for free.
Check out these four apps to help make learning fun for your kids!
Operation Math
Operation Math makes learning fun for kids by turning math problems into a spy game. Think of this app like flash cards embedded in an adventure game. Your child becomes a student disguised as a secret agent sent on a mission to stop Dr. Odd from eliminating the world’s even numbers.
This app recently won the 2012 Parent’s Choice Award and is designed for children ages 5-12.
Your child starts by choosing an agent name then selecting the operations to be accomplished. Operations can be chosen individually or in groups:
The app has three different levels of difficulty: Easy, Medium and Hard. Your child’s Mission is accomplished by solving math equations within 60 seconds. If the equations are completed within the time limit, a new level is unlocked. The number of equations increases with each level. Each Mission takes your child to a destination around the world, complete with an objective for the agent, such as:
The app also has a Training mode without a time limit.
Operation Math is designed to be fun with animation, music, flashing buttons and incentives for doing well. Your child is rewarded for success with new unlocked levels, virtual gear, and a list of personal records. The app saves information for three different players so your children don’t have to share their accomplishments.
Operation Math is available for the iPhone, iPad and the iPod Touch in the iTunes App Store. The app is currently on sale for $1.99.
Operation Math: Code Squad –
This app, launched last week, is similar to Operation Math, but can be played with up to four players at once with one iPad. As with the original app, kids can choose from different operations (see Figure 2 above) so they can focus on practicing the functions where they need help.
Your kids will once again try to prevent Dr. Odd from accomplishing his mission, but the big difference with this app is that up to four players can play simultaneously on one iPad. Players can compete against one another or work as a team to defeat Dr. Odd. People of any age can have fun with this game!
The iPad screen looks like a traditional board game with each agent taking a side of the board. The equation is in the middle and rotates so that each agent gets a view.
As with the original Operation Math, players have to answer math problems within a time limit to achieve higher levels. With Code Squad, agents are limited in the number of errors they can make per stage. This game tends to be more fast-paced than the original app, so kids don’t have a chance to realize that they’re practicing their math skills.
The app has three skill levels to make sure your child is playing at an appropriate level.
This app is for the iPad at the iTunes App Store for $1.99.
Visual Math 2
The developers who brought you Visual Math for 4-6 year olds have come out with Visual Math 2, designed for 6-9 year olds. Visual Math 2 is similar to the original app with a variety of games to help children master math skills.
Visual Math 2 helps children learn to tell time, count money, figure out patterns, recognize advanced shapes, and perform math equations. The app use HD photographs, animation and fun sounds to enrich the game.
Visual Math 2 is adaptive and adjusts its questions to a child’s level of learning. The app offers hints if a player is stumped a player still gets a half a point even if a hint is used.
Like the original app, children earn badges by solving problems and unlocking new levels. They can use these badges to create a Badge Book, developing their artistic skills as well. They can share their Badge Books with others using email.
Visual Math 2 is available for the iPad from the iTunes App Store for $3.99.
PhotoMatch Kids HD
This app from the developer of the Visual Math series is like a game of Concentration for kids. The goal of the game is to match photos to clear the board. Players can choose from 8, 12 or 16 card games. The developer says that this game can help with concentration whether you’re 3 or 83!
What makes this game of concentration unique is that you can use photos from your Photo Library for matching. This feature makes the game more fun and personal. You could choose photos of your child’s favorite toys, friends or family members. You could also increase the difficulty level by using two images that are only slightly different, making matching much more of a challenge.
PhotoMatch Kids HD is available for the iPad at the iTunes App Store for $1.99.
Bottom Line
Make learning fun for your kids with iPad apps!
Have you used apps to spark a love of learning with your children? What are your favorite educational apps for your kids? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Make it fun and they are more apt to learn, right?
Hi Bill, Exactly! When it isn’t a chore, learning will happen much more easily. What I love about these apps is that kids want to keep “playing”. Much more effective than forcing them to learn, right?
Thanks for stopping by on your day off, Bill! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
I’m all in favour of making education fun. It’s a hot topic here together with disability. I have a book that was published about 1875 and the questions that kids were asked then were sensible and practical. Now I think some are ridiculous. The students I help in China really hate hypothetical questions, they like real questions about real businesses.
I was lying in bed he other night and a high school student in California asked for help with maths questions. I didn’t have a pen and paper handy and those questions were worded awkwardly. I’m not very good at mental arithmetic at 11 o’clock at night!
My local arts centre is doing a course for 10 weeks about how to use Facebook and Twitter. 10 weeks at 6 pounds a week. I mentioned it to an 18 year old Chinese writer and she said, but Facebook and Twitter are easy!
It rained yesterday, but there is some sunshine today and so I am thinking about an outing with my camera. I am planning indoor photography later in the week. I noticed reviewers criticising camera like mine. They take photos and compare them to the ones online and think they will get good results without editing. They’re good cameras, but not that good!
Hi Mike, Yes, kids absolutely learn better when they are having fun because they don’t want to quit! The first two apps drill kids on their math skills, but they make it so much fun that the kids are focused on the game and not the fact that they’re learning.
I can’t imagine a 10 week course on Facebook and Twitter, but maybe there are some things I don’t know about and need to learn! 🙂
Awesome indeed Carolyn!
I wish we had such apps when we were kids or even for that matter, when my daughters were younger, it would have made so much of a difference to the way we understood things – more in a fun way, especially Maths!
I remember how I used to have a tough time getting the hang of Maths and my Dad would keep trying his best to make me understand it better. Those times we hardly had any of such apps nor any other medium of learning other than the books I think. While my kids were growing up, I did try a few educational kits we have our end to ease out their problems, but as their studies got tougher, those kits ceased to help them any further.
Thanks for sharing and I shall surely be passing this along to those who still have kids that age. 🙂
Hi Harleena, Yes, it must be much more fun to be a kid these days than when we grew up! Learning can be fun, it doesn’t have to be a chore, so I love finding apps that can help kids do better while having fun.
You’re right, math can be especially challenging for some kids, but if they master the basics through play, they will be much better prepared for the higher levels later.
Thanks for sharing this, Harleena! 🙂
Wow — thanks for posting the lists of these games. I do cognitive skills development with kids, and I often come across students who have problems with numerical fluency and math facts. I do use my iPad as an ancillary tool to help them, but knowing these resources are out there will be a really great thing to let the parents know about.
Hi Rick, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re very welcome, I love sharing tech that helps people and these apps are great resources for parents, teachers and kids. Kids definitely enjoy playing these games which are much more fun than traditional flash cards and other methods of learning.
Thanks so much for stopping by The Wonder of Tech and joining in the conversation! 🙂
Speaking of Maths, I thought this might interest you:
mathconcentration.com
By the way, I tried to reach you through your contact page, but it turns a 404 error.
Have a swell day, Carolyn!
Hi Helene, Thanks for that link! That will come in handy for readers (and me) who need to help their kids with math homework. I love that the site is free. :-bd
Thanks for letting me know about my contact page. I will fix that right away. I broke my blog this weekend trying to add some code and I didn’t realize that my contact page needed to be reset.
Have a great week!
Hi Carolyn
I wish that we have had that kind of tech when I was a kid. Just like you say yourself. Kids learn a lot better when they have fun at the same time and technology is a great way to make it fun to learn basic stuff that otherwise might have been very boring to learn about.
Hi Thomas, I agree, it’s a challenge to memorize math or practice concentration skills, but these apps make it fun! I wish these were around when I was a kid. Rote learning can be dull but playing games is something kids rarely tire of! 🙂
Hi Carolyn,
These apps to learn mathematics will really help children of small age groups.Learning maths with these Apps will prove a great help as it is the only subject in which children find difficulties.Rest of the subjects are theory based and they can learn easily but maths is for practice.The more practice one do the more easily he can solve problems.
And these apps provide them a fun based learning which creates interest among them and they can understand the subject more easily without knowing that they are studying.
Hi Aditya, You’re exactly right. These apps are fantastic and can help children learn quickly and painlessly. I loved how my testers didn’t want to quit playing the apps when I told them they were done. That’s the sign of a great app.
Math can be particularly challenging for some kids and those are the kids who need to practice their skills the most because if they master the basic skills then the higher level math will be easier for them. 🙂
Exactly Carolyn,Not only higher level maths will be easier for them but also they can have fun and learn maths at the same time.Its like playing a game without even knowing what is the soul purpose of it.Kids love playing games and having fun.Once they grow up they will know the real motive behind the apps.
Hi Aditya, Good point. When kids grow up they will realize that they will learning while they played and I hope they appreciate their creative learning. 🙂
Moreover they will appreciate their learning i have to thank all people who made these apps for them and at the same time feeling down that when i was a kid i don’t had such apps.And i must tell you in graduation i have given my maths paper 8 times and cleared it on the 9th attempt.Can you imagine what i have lost Carolyn 🙁
Hi Aditya, Yes, many students struggle with math. Games and apps can make learning more fun, I wish you had these when you were studying, Aditya!
With all the cool stuff they have out now Carolyn, I think I could even do better in school if I were there today. I’m more of a visual learner anyway so these apps seem really cool. I have only one nephew still in school but he’s a senior this year so I have a feeling he would love these anyway. He’s such a techie kind of guy.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, I agree with you, how wonderful would it have been if we had these apps when we were in school! You’re right, these apps are very useful for visual learners who need to see how concepts relate to understand them.
These apps engage kids so they won’t even realize that they’re learning as they play!
Very cool!
Thanks for a great list. My 4yr old is geting ready for some of these.
Recently someone gifted her a LeapFrog ‘tab’ (or its called something like that, touch a word, and it says what it is). I felt that system is so obsolete with the interactivity of iPad as a edu device.
Although, the downside is to keep other apps away from kids. Because iPad is way too attractive to kids for all kinds of games and PBS video and all that. So I have to hide my iPad often.
With they come up with a profile for iPad, where right before I hand over the iPad to my daughter, I switch to her profile, which reveals only a subset of the apps.
Hi iRewardChart, I’m so glad these apps are helpful to you and your daughter. I think she will really enjoy them. She might especially like Visual Math 1 https://wonderoftech.com/visual-math-making-math-fun/ and PhotoBooth HD.
My daughters had the Leap Pad and loved it. I saw recently that it was still being sold. I can see why parents would like the Leap Pad so that they aren’t loaning out their iPad constantly! 🙂
All the cool stuff for kids carolyn, I hope you shared some for the android users too. I have some apps from Intellijoy for my daughter who loves to play them, she has taken in so much from these smart apps and I am just happy these are available to them at the right age.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Praveen, You’re right, I didn’t include any Android apps, these are all iPad apps. Perhaps I will do an article in the future about Android apps for kids!
It’s great to hear that your daughter enjoys her apps. Do you have any in particular that you recommend?
Carolyn – Intellijoy has good ones, the one my daughter is hooked onto now is “Kids Learn To Read” which allows her to try and read and make words and also has some games inbuilt.
Hi Praveen, Kids Learn to Read sounds like a great app. Your daughter will probably love reading even more because the app so much fun. What a great way to start out reading! :-bd
My 3-year-old son has the photo match game. He never ceases to amaze how quickly he can complete a round. He “wiz” through it like an old pro!
I always have to watch purchasing games for my son that have in-app purchases, so I try to find ones that don’t have them at all. He got me one time and made a purchase on one on the Kindle Fire but he won’t again…I now have everything locked down tighter than Ft. Knox. lol
Aaron
Hi Aaron, I’m glad your son is enjoying his photo match game. Did you add custom pictures? I love that feature because kids enjoy the game so much more when they’re matching photos of themselves, their pets, family members, etc.
You’re right, the in-app purchases can be really frustrating, especially with kids. I would rather pay money for an app up front than have to worry about in-app purchases, especially with kids’ apps!
That’s really a great article for parents and teachers both. They can now fulfill their kids desire for games and at the same time improve their learning. I will particularly refer visual maths 2 to my frds who are raising kids.
Hi Jenny, Thanks, I’m so glad you enjoyed this article. Yes, I have heard from both parents and teachers who were excited to learn about these great apps. Visual Math 1 and 2 are both great, it just depends on the ages of the kids. Younger children will enjoy Visual Math 1 and older children will enjoy Visual Math 2.
Thanks so much for leaving a comment and sharing this article, Jenny!
Oh no Carolyn. Now I need to buy at least one new iPad. My kids are still playing on mine, but now that it’s actually a learning device too, I can’t make them stop using it 🙂
I have been thinking about buying a new iPad for my kids to share.
Hi Jens, I understand. When I upgraded to the iPad 3 (which is technically called the New iPad), my kids got my iPad 2. They’re sharing it amazingly well.
You might want to get them an iPad 2 and save yourself some money?
I have a 3 year old niece in my house & I would hence say that, its very very difficult to teach kids. You need to be very innovative while teaching kids, so that they would concentrate on studies…
I hope these apps would help my niece to have fun while learning! 🙂
Hi Zainil, Yes, it’s quite difficult to get a three year old’s attention, but play is a good way to start. For your niece I would suggest PhotoMtach HD and Visual Math 1. She should have fun with both of these great apps!
Hi Carolyn,
I will surely tell about these apps to my brother & sister in law. I hope my niece will have good time with these apps! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this, Zainil!
That’s a nice list of apps you have there! I’ll make sure to get some of them for my nephews 🙂
Hi Dukeo, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! I’m so glad you like these apps and I hope your nephews do too! 🙂
Wow superb applications..carolyn,is this apps only for kids? 🙂
After read your post im very eager to try these apps..hope i enjoy..thanks for sharing.
Hi Katherin, I’m very glad you like these applications. You can absolutely use these apps yourself. If you need to hone your math skills, it really doesn’t matter what age you are, it’s still better to have fun while you’re doing it! 🙂