Best Educational Apps for 2-year Olds
Young children have the most neuroplastic brains, with millions of neural connections being formed every day. According to experts in science and education, this time in a person’s life is the most conducive for learning.
2-year-olds have keen observation skills and are quick visual and auditory learners. They absorb information from their environments, and this young age is perfect for developing fundamental skills and laying down a solid foundation for learning.
Given today’s tech-savvy societies, many young children are exposed to smart devices like mobile phones and tablets. The best way to spend time with these devices is to make use of educational apps to learn shapes and colors and build crucial soft skills.
Whether you’re a busy parent who wants to keep their toddlers occupied or actively wants them to develop great foundations for creativity and self-expression, educational apps can be helpful.
These allow your kids to have fun while learning and help them learn important developmental skills. To save you the trouble, we’ve compiled a list of the Best Educational Apps for 2-year Olds across iOS and Android.
The Best Educational App for 2-year-Olds:
1. ABCMouse:
ABCMouse is a kid-friendly COPPA-certified learning app to teach kids basic skills like reading, math, science, art, and music. With multidisciplinary educational content that is presented in a playful manner for kids to enjoy, this is our top choice for your kids.
Created by teachers and education experts, this app has something for children of all ages, from 2 to 8. The curriculum has been carefully designed with a standards-based approach to teaching. This is one of the reasons why the app is used in more than 70,000 US classrooms.
The app has all its learning content spread across 10 levels and includes 850+ lessons on various topics. For 2-year-old kids and preschoolers, important learning topics include shapes, sounds, colors, and numbers. The use of this app from a young age has been shown to increase reading skills and accelerate the development of early literacy and math skills.
Young kids can browse through thousands of books, puzzles, songs, and games. From nursery rhymes to interactive zoos, this app is sure to capture your young one’s imagination and teach them about the world at the same time.
Kids can have fun by creating their own avatars, designing their rooms, and raising their own virtual pet hamsters! The best part is that young children can navigate the app on their own and learn whatever they fancy. That’s right, the app is 100% safe and does not feature intrusive ads or external links.
The app requires members to log in with their registered ID, and although a free 1-month trial is available, the app is not free to use. A monthly subscription unlocks all features, including more than 10,000 learning activities, multi-device support, and advanced progress tracking.
ABCMouse interface
The Good:
- A wide range of educational topics are presented as fun games and activities
- Kid-friendly UI that is COPPA certified and safe
- Creates a learning environment that boosts creativity and lays a foundation for young kids
The Not-so-good:
- Requires a monthly subscription to access the app
Available on: iOS, and Android.
Other Educational Apps you should try:
2. Baby Games
As the name suggests, Baby Games is a fun educational app for toddlers. The app is available in 6 different languages and features dozens of minigames that toddlers can enjoy while honing crucial developmental skills.
The app has colorful animations and characters that make your children look forward to learning without realizing it! Some of the games include matching ducks with colors, popping balloons, solving puzzles, and even caring for cute virtual pets!
All the games feature cute characters that interact with your child to teach them various skills like hand-eye coordination, shapes, colors, and patterns, and also test their reflexes. Numbers, phonics, and letter tracing are some more skills that your toddler will get acquainted with while enjoying these games.
The app is ad-free and has safety features to prevent kids from changing settings without supervision. It also has timely hints that help your child out if they get stuck. The best part is, all the games are playable offline without an internet connection!
Many of the minigames are free to play and have a nifty child-proof lock to ensure your kids don’t exit the app. To unlock all the games, however, you’ll need to make a one-time payment.
The app features great background music and voice narration for all 6 available languages, making it accessible to a large audience. If you’re looking for a fun app for your young children to play and learn with, Baby Games is a good choice.
Baby Games interface
The Good:
- Important developmental skills taught through puzzles and games
- No ads or intrusive links
- Voice instructions for all games with helpful hints
The Not-so-good:
- Not all the minigames are free, some require payment to unlock
- Some games are locked behind timed screens
Available on: iOS, Android
3. Toca Life- Town
A popular game in the Toca Boca series, “Toca Life-Town” is a fun game for toddlers to explore a comfy town setting with unique locations and familiar characters.
The app features 24 unique characters spread across 6 different virtual town locations. These include the park, store, restaurant, house, and more. It also features 5 cute animals your kids can learn about and play with.
They can interact with their surroundings in these locations, talk to characters, and complete tasks. They can shop for groceries, cook lunch at the restaurant, go for a picnic or have a swim in the pond.
This app is great for boosting creativity and improving conversational skills. This is also a good introduction to social skills for your young ones.
The game has an open-world design with no rules- your kids can freely roam and explore while learning from in-game situations that mirror real-life experiences!
The app is also designed in a kid-friendly manner with no third-party advertising or in-app purchases. The UI is simple and intuitive for kids to use to get around town and interact with characters.
The app can be purchased for a nominal one-time fee. This unlocks the entire app with all its features and does not require any further hidden payments.
This app is a great all-around learning app that is sure to keep your kids hooked. Playing the app and adventuring through Town is a great way to keep your kids occupied while benefiting their cognitive skills.
Toca Life-Town interface
The Good:
- An open-world learning environment that kids will love
- Kid friendly with no ads or purchases
The Not-so-good:
- The game is not free to play; requires you to buy the app
Available on: iOS, Android
4. Monkey Preschool Lunchbox
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox is a popular kids’ game that lets your children explore different games that teach them about colors, letters, counting, shapes, sizes, matching, and differences.
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox is a collection of seven exciting educational games for your preschooler. A lovable animated monkey helps your kids along as they play the games. The game features dozens of sounds and voice recordings of colors, letters, fruit names, and more.
Your kids can learn and have fun by helping the monkey pack lunch! Aimed at kids aged 2 to 5, this game has seven different games that tackle different development skills for toddlers.
The game starts with colors, where the picky monkey only likes fruit of a certain color. Kids can touch colors to choose them and pack the lunchbox. This teaches colors, color names, and grouping.
Next is matching, where they can match pairs of fruit hidden behind cards. Afterward, they can count the fruit the monkey is looking for to fill the lunchbox. This is a great way to learn numbers and counting.
The fourth and fifth puzzles teach letters and the alphabet along with a fun puzzle. The monkey only wants fruit that starts with a certain letter, so they must choose accordingly. The puzzle lets them join fruits and teaches shapes and pattern recognition.
The app also rewards kids with animated stickers to encourage their progress. All interfaces are designed for preschoolers; the app features no confusing menus or navigation and can be used by young children with ease.
Lastly, another great concept used in the game is Unlimited Play, where each game flows right into the next. Overall this is a great game for young kids to learn while having fun with the monkey.
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox interface
The Good:
- Seamless gameplay with no intrusive ads
- Simple UI designed to be used by toddlers
The Not-so-good:
- Not available for free and must be purchased
Available on: iOS, Android
5. Epic!
Epic! is a reading app that promises to inspire a lifelong love of reading in young kids. With over 40,000+ titles at their fingertips, your kids will definitely find something they like!
Once you sign in with a free account you can access to a library of thousands of books, audiobooks, learning videos, and more. The app also has Read-To-Me books for younger audiences, and books in Spanish, French, and Chinese.
Epic offers a huge variety of titles for kids from leading publishers like Scholastic, National Geographic, HarperCollins, and more. With tens of thousands of books and learning videos, there’s something for every age, interest, and reading level.
The app gives users personalized recommendations based on reading level and interests, so your child can always find what they enjoy. They also get cool badges and rewards to keep them motivated!
Epic School is another unique feature that is free for elementary school educators worldwide. Educators can use the award-winning digital library to supercharge reading and learning in classrooms. The app gives educators access to tons of high-quality, educational children’s books.
It also lets you create student profiles, and assign books based on reading levels. More so, it offers seamless progress tracking between in-class and home reading
The app is free to use but with a premium monthly subscription, you can unlock more features. The premium version also allows up to 4 child profiles on a single account, downloads for offline reading, and unlimited reading time.
The app is kid-safe and provides an interactive reading space that fuels curiosity and reading confidence by letting kids freely explore their interests. If you want your toddlers to develop a love for reading from a young age, definitely give this app a try.
Epic! Interface
The Good:
- A vast library of curated books for children
- Audiobooks and videos which are regularly updated
The Not-so-good:
- Some features are locked behind a premium subscription
Available on: iOS, Android
6. Elmo Loves 123s
This app features one of the most well-known children’s characters, the lovable red puppet Elmo! Filled with games, activities, and videos, Elmo Loves 123s will help teach your child about numbers and counting.
Numbers 1, 2, and 3 are included in the base version, and you can upgrade to unlock numbers 4 through 20. The app lets children select numbers and then learn them via various activities. They can trace the number, make puzzles, color pictures and even see fun animated videos on each number.
The app also has some minigames that include fun songs and coloring pages. Kids can slide, swipe, touch, and trace to discover sixty classic Sesame Street clips, sixty coloring pages, hide-and-seek, jigsaw puzzles, counting games, and more!
A handy Abby button lets them play number games with Abby and her friends. Using this app, your toddler can develop foundational math skills along with number identification, counting, number tracing, and problem-solving.
A handy summary page shows your child’s progress along with other valuable stats. You can better understand your child’s preferences and help them with learning by reviewing these analytics that show you their favorite number and activity, and also time spent on different levels.
Safe to say, your young ones will enjoy playing with Elmo and friends while learning numbers with this app!
Elmo Loves 123s interface
The Good:
- Teaches kids about numbers through puzzles, games, and songs
- Features kid-favorite Sesame Street characters like Elmo and Abby
- Does not contain any ads
The Not-so-good:
- Numbers 4 through 20 need to be unlocked
Available on: iOS, Android
7. Hungry Caterpillar Playschool
Hungry Caterpillar Play School helps develop key skills in math, spelling, reading, writing, problem-solving, science and nature, and the creative arts.
Fun activities guide kids through concepts that set them up for proficiency in math through repetition. They can learn about the letters of the alphabet and how they make words. Reading and phonics are also taught through fun lessons.
Their ever-expanding book library contains tailored reading experiences that guide children through early reading levels, including wordless books to encourage confidence.
Another great feature lets your children listen to non-fiction audiobooks featuring talented voice-over actors. They can learn different concepts of science and about the world, and learn how nature works in the Caterpillar’s Garden activity!
The puzzles and art games expand your child’s imagination and encourage artistic expression in multiple creative activities. It teaches children to use figure out how to solve problems with reasoning.
All the subjects are supported and enhanced by songs and videos, which are proven learning tools. Many lessons and activities are integrated, meaning children learn many concepts and skills at the same time.
Best of all, the app is 100% kid-friendly and certified with the kidSAFE Seal Program. For parents looking for a comprehensive preschool learning app for their kids, be sure to give this one a try!
Hungry Caterpillar Playschool interface
The Good:
- Covers lots of educational topics through fun lessons and games
- Kid-friendly design with no ads
The Not-so-good:
- Although a free trial exists, the app is not free to use and requires a subscription
Available on: iOS, Android
8. Toddler Games
Toddler Games is a fun and interactive app for kids aged 2 to 4. It features several games with many different levels, ensuring your kids never get bored!
The main menu features a mystical island with several different levels, out of which your kids can choose from 15 different games and interactive puzzles. While the app is free to install, only five of the games are free to play. For a one–time payment, you can unlock all fifteen games.
The games on this app let your child enjoy while developing basic skills like hand-eye coordination, motor control, logical thinking, and visual perception. These games are suitable for both boys and girls and can be a useful part of your child’s preschool education.
The game lets your child visit different locations, such as jungle, sea, city, space, desert, and the Arctic, that contains a variety of activities. Some of the games include sorting items into correct slots, counting games, and sorting by color.
Logic and memory can also be developed by minigames that require your child to memorize and match cards. The best part is that all the games are created by experts in education. The app also doesn’t contain any unwanted pop-ups or ads.
This app has a kid-friendly UI with colorful characters and jolly music and is perfect for your toddlers. With Toddler Games, your kids can enjoy playing their favorite games while learning important foundational skills!
Toddler Games interface
The Good:
- Colorful games that teach a variety of skills
- No ads or intrusive pop-ups
The Not-so-good:
- Some minigames aren’t free and need to be purchased
Available on: iOS, Android
9. Piano Kids- Music Songs
Piano Kids is a fun music box created for kids and parents to learn to play different musical instruments and wonderful songs. This app can help your young ones develop auditory skills and introduce them to the world of music and instruments.
The interface of the app is bright and colorful and will surely capture your child’s interest. The main menu features four modes- instruments, songs, sounds, and play.
The Instruments mode lets you use your fingers to play colorful instruments such as a xylophone, drum kit, piano, saxophone, trumpet, flute, and electric guitar. Your children can make their own music with Piano Kids. Each instrument has authentic sounds giving your child the freedom to compose their own melodies.
The Songs mode lets your kids select from a vast library of rhymes and jingles. They can then use the “Auto Play” button to play the song. Once they’ve learned the melody, they can play it on their own using four different instruments.
If your toddler wishes to learn different animal and vehicle sounds, they can do so with the Sounds mode! They can also learn different pronunciations of numbers, the alphabet, and even simple words in multiple different languages!
Lastly, the Play mode lets kids learn to count, learn the alphabet, create melodies, solve puzzles, paint, draw, color, create pixel art, and much more.
Music has obvious benefits for growing children and allows them to improve their listening and memorization skills. It also stimulates their imagination and boosts creativity. And this app combines that with fun puzzles and instruments to let your child learn with music.
The app has a simple interface that can be used by young kids and also has safety features to prevent them from accessing settings. If you’re looking for a fun musical app to inspire your toddler’s inner musician, this one’s for you.
Piano Kids interface
The Good:
- Inspires musical creativity in young kids
- Features a variety of songs and instruments to choose from
The Not-so-good:
- Contains ads
- Not available on iOS
Available on: Android
10. PBS Kids
The PBS Kids Games app makes learning fun and safe with games featuring your kid’s favorite characters like Daniel Tiger, Wild Kratts, Donkey Hodie, and more!
Your kids can play hundreds of free educational games designed by experts and learn with their favorite PBS characters. Your child can play and learn with PBS Kids in both English and Spanish thanks to familiar faces like Alma, Cat in the Hat, and Curious George.
With new games added weekly, you can be sure that your children will stay hooked and keep learning and having fun. They can build STEM skills with science, engineering, and math puzzles. These games are also geared to help with social concepts like kindness, mindfulness, and emotional development.
If your toddler is between the ages of 2 and 8, this app is the perfect playschool companion as it follows a curriculum-based library of games. With more than 200 different minigames, your kids can
explore mazes, solve puzzles, play dress-up, color, and more.
The app also lets your download games and play them anywhere on your device to keep the fun going offline. This is a great game with science, math, reading, and art games combined into a cohesive learning experience.
Using this app, your child will learn and play in a safe, kid-friendly interface, making preschool and early elementary education fun and easy.
PBS Kids interface
The Good:
- Curriculum-based games to aid learning
- Available in both English and Spanish
- No ads or pop-ups
The Not-so-good:
- No age-sorting feature for games
Available on: iOS, Android