The best toddler apps teach kids a new skill, and they’re incredibly fun to play, too. Since the littlest kids need plenty of limits on their screen time—the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting screen time for kids ages 2 to 5 to just an hour per day—you definitely want every moment to count. By firing up a high-quality app, instead of the TV, you’re giving your tot the screen time she so desires, while knowing that she’s learning a thing (or three) instead of, say, zoning out in front of Caillou.
Inspired to learn more? Here are the best toddler apps to keep your toddler entertained, educated, and excited. Check them out, and install a few on your phone or tablet.
The Very Best Toddlers Apps Out There
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Toca Kitchen App
Have a kiddo who always wants to help in the kitchen? This adorable app from popular kids’ app company, Toca, lets your toddlers experiment with different combinations and ways to cook various ingredients—without the danger of kitchen knives and hot stoves.
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Moo Baa La La La App
Sandra Boynton’s books were always on heavy rotation with our daughters, and this app adaptation of one of her classics allows your toddler to interact with the animals, have it read for them or read it themselves (with a little tap on any tough words to help them out).
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Lego Duplo Train App
Lego fans—and train fans—will love this charming app, which lets you build your own train with Duplo, lay down new tracks, and serve as its engineer.
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Intro to Colors App
Give your toddler her very first art lessons with this clever app, which introduces kids to the color wheel, allows them to mix paint colors, and make their own masterpieces.
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Busy Shapes 2 App
This fun puzzler game helps kids boost their critical thinking and spatial reasoning skills with entertaining 3D problems to solve by exploring the app.
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Peek A Zoo
Peek-a-Zoo lets kids practice their skills at reading emotions, recognizing differences—and enjoying some of the most adorable animals out there.
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Endless Alphabet
Help your toddler get some early (and totally entertaining) literacy lessons with this colorful, animated app that helps them learn their ABCs and pick up some new words along the way.
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Tongo Music
Let this award-winning app introduce your child to the basics of music by showing how different instruments work, letting kids try out the keyboards and percussion instruments, and even sample some of the finest music from the world’s greatest composers.
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Eli Explorer
Have a future world traveler on your hands? Let your kid pilot adorable bunny Eli around a magical world to learn more than 100 words and phrases one of 10 different languages.
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TallyTots Counting
Give your kiddo a head start on the numbers game with this charming app that features 20 different mini games to help your toddler connect the number with the amount.
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Pepi Doctor
If your toddler battles you on tooth brushing every day, this app may be enough to scare him straight. Your little one gets to be the doctor helping patients with a series of different ailments—from cleaning up scrapes to pulling rotten teeth from a lack of brushing!
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