All The Apps And Games Our Kids Have Loved While Traveling And At Home
Including Educational Apps And Games For Geography, Reading, Math, And Some Super Fun Logic/ Puzzle Games, As Well As Free Apps, And Apps For Planes
When we flew as youngsters back in the days of yore (or as my kids put it- “the dinosaur times”), I remember my Mom packing me a goodie bag of new coloring books, yummy snacks, and fresh crayons. As I got older, the goodie bag probably included a paperback too. You could never count on electronic entertainment as the overhead TV screens were tiny and often you weren’t sitting where you could see them well. Plus, the one in- flight movie was shown after the meal to everyone and was frequently inappropriate for young kids.
So as much I dislike the explosive proliferation of electronic devices for kids in every aspect of their life it seems, the one aspect where I don’t mind it so much is travel.
I am a believer in letting go of the worries about too much screen time while on a trip. It’s just not a battle I like to pick, especially when there can be a lot of downtime involved in traveling, from long car rides to delayed planes/ trains. Technology can be a great tool and in these cases, I like to use it to give the kids a break from me and their siblings and zone out a little bit. It is their vacation too and everyone needs a little downtime of their choosing. For some kids that’s reading, some it’s coloring, and for some it’s playing a game. And today it might be one activity and a different one tomorrow.
Best Educational Apps
When You Need To Use An Electronic Babysitter, Why Not Make It A Smart One?
There is a point in every trip when the kids are kind of over it (and I might be a little over them) and the whining starts. And often it is- “Can I play on my iPad now?” I especially like to use the bait and switch tactic at these times: “You can play on your iPad but only an educational app.”
It is the modern version of my parent’s “You can watch TV but only PBS.” There will be whining but they usually will pick being forced to learn something rather than not playing at all. And I feel less like I am copping out on my parenting responsibilities as I enjoy a peaceful cup of coffee (or pint of beer).
Educational Apps For Toddlers
This is a fairly easy category as you can basically get anything from the Sesame Street or PBS Kids. Be sure to download the games or videos if you don’t want to use all your data on the road.
Popular apps from those groups are Sesame Street, Elmo Loves ABCs, Elmo Loves 123s, PBS Kids Video, and my personal favorite- PBS Kids Games where they can play a variety of different learning games with their favorite PBS characters, like Daniel Tiger or the Wild Kratts.
Cost
The PBS apps are free. Some of the Sesame Street apps are free but others are $3-$4.
Educational Apps For Elementary Kids
Geography Apps For Kids
Stack the States and Stack the Countries by Dan Russell-Pinson. $2.99 for Apple and Android. This may be one of the best $3 you spend on an app. Kids will play for hours as they can unlock different levels and games and meanwhile learn some geography and trivia about all these places. This app is so good kids will often play it even when not forcibly limited to educational apps. They are better at state capitals now than I am. Love, love, love this app!
Google Earth. For all you Gen X and Millennials out there, Where In The World is Carmen Sandiego lives on in the Google Earth app (and on Netflix where there are 4 seasons you can watch). There are only 3 missions to play on the app but it is still fun nonethless. Go to the Voyager tab on the app to find Carmen Sandiego as well as lots of other fun stuff to explore, like Cook’s Voyages or the Temples of Angor Wat. Free app.
Science Apps For Kids
The Periodic Table by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Free for Apple and Android. I found this app recommended online and tried it out with my 7 year- old nephews not expecting much. It’s the periodic table after all.
I was amazed how long they played with it. You can click on every element on the periodic table and it gives you a little blurb, as well as a short video. They particularly liked the videos which feature a professor from the University of Nottingham who is like a real- life caricature of a chemistry professor (Crazy hair, corny jokes but wicked smart).
The videos often show chemistry students using the element in a chemical reaction, usually resulting in an explosion, which is big hit too. The videos are YouTube linked so you need WiFi for the app to work fully but again, another good bait and switch app.
Reading Apps For Kids
Newsomatic by Press4kids. Apple and Android. This interactive, subscription-based app really appeals to my 10 year old daughter. It’s an add-free daily recapture of current events and special topics for kids ages 7-10.
Five news stories ranging from world political news to celebrity stories are posted on the News-O-Matic app's main page each day. Stories are available in three different reading levels, written by experts, and a child psychologist reviews the articles. Interactive features include puzzles, a word game, and audio ("Read to Me" feature). The news is presented in a fun way, and it’s awesome to hear her share stories on politics, scientific discoveries, sports events, and more. It has a free trial offer and then costs $19.99/year.
Monkey Word School Adventure by THUP Games. A good early reading app for preschoolers and early elementary age children. It has six interactive games focusing on letter and word recognition. It will gauge your skill level and adjust accordingly. $1.99 from i-Tunes.
Audiobooks are a great idea here. Just listening to stories can increase kids language and vocabulary. Anything Sesame Street for younger kids as well as all the classic fables. Audible has books that kids can follow along themselves under “Read To Me” and Google Play Books lists them as “Read And Listen.”
Diary of A Wimpy Kid was a favorite here for older kids as well as anything from the I Survived series.
*Pro Tip- You can often get the classics for free but they are often read by an AI so not very inspiring. Sometime it is better to fork over a couple of bucks for a book read by a real person, especially as some of them do fun voices and sound effects. And some people just have phenomenal voices. I can listen to Morgan Freeman read the phone book for instance.
Podcasts are another great idea as they are basically storytelling time as well. Some are even more like old-fashioned radio plays. There are a million podcasts so you can find one geared to every age group. For younger kids, again Sesame Street is your friend here, and it will give you a jumping off point for similar podcasts. Check out Wired’s blog article on best podcasts for kids as it has some good recommendations for older kids. We like The Big Fib as well, which wasn’t mentioned in Wired’s blog.
Maze Apps And Games For Kids
Thinkrolls 2 by AVOKIDDO. This fun app introduces concepts of matter and basic physics as kids navigate 32 spunky characters through 270 levels of increasing complex mazes. The Think Roll characters roll and glide through a series of themed chapters. $3.99 on Apple and Android.
Kids can roll the funny characters from one maze into another, via finger swipe, in order to reach the exit of a level at the bottom of the screen. Since the character can only roll sideways on their own, kids need to use various tools effectively in order to overcome obstacles. With some trial and error, kids will be able to solve the puzzles. It’s more fun than it sounds!
Busy Water by Edoki Academy. $3.49. Apple and Android. A fun maze game where you have to build pipes to carry water to get a fish from one tank to another. There is a lot of problem solving and trial and error learning. I tried it out first before I bought it and 30 minutes later I was still playing.
Math Games And Apps For Kids
Prodigy Math by Prodigy Game.com. Apple only. My daughter and her friends love this fantasy-based math app geared to kids in Grades 1 through 8. Kids answer math questions to earn spells, which they use to battle monsters as they move through different worlds on the way to Wizard Academy.
With this app, adventure and math skills go hand in hand. It’s a good app for math review as it is more suited to practicing skills rather than instruction. There's an option for kids to play online with friends, but you can only “chat” using preselected phrases. The app is free, but a paid subscription offers more features.
Language Apps For Kids
Duolingo. A fabulous and free language app for Apple and Android. I use it myself to keep my Spanish current and have learned a little Greek and French as well. Easy to use but does require speaking and hearing phrases to advance levels so it is not a good app for planes or other quiet places. I don’t know that you can become perfectly fluent with it but my nieces and nephews have picked up some rudimentary skills that they did not have before so 2 thumbs up. I sometimes pay them “trip money” for completing levels in the language of a country we are going to visit.
Fun Apps For Kids
Minecraft. There is an addictive chemical to this app that turns children into block- obsessed zombies. To be fair though, I would have probably loved building my own world at this age. And it can grow with them-- younger kids start with pretty simple stuff but my older kid once showed me an awesome and massive library with a huge indoor waterfall he constructed. I kinda want to see one in real life now. $6.99 on Android and Apple.
Toca Boca. The people at Toca Boca have created a world of apps great for younger kids. Most of them say 6-8 but our kids enjoyed them even younger. Toca Train for instance, they played that forever it seemed like when they were 4. In fact, because the games are quite simple and a little repetitive, I think the ages are more like 4-6 or 5-7. Just put Toca Boca into your app store and you will get the list of current apps/ games they have.
Our favorites from this group were Toca Train, Toca Pets, and Toca Hair Salon (giving an animated character a purple mohawk always makes kids giggle). Some of the games are free and some are $3.99. On Apple and Android.
Best Apps/ Games For Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
If you have headphones or earbuds, basically any of these apps except Duolingo will be fine in enclosed spaces with other people who do not want to hear the incessant and increasingly aggravating beeps and boops of electronic games.
Don’t forget to download the app for the airline you are flying (ie United’s app or American’s). It is often the only way to access the inflight entertainment and they usually have some games available, although not always little kid oriented. (I do like playing the trivia game against other passengers though.) Best to do this before you leave as I always forget when I get to the airport and get busy. For other tips and travel hacks like this one, see Family Travel: Practical Tips And Hacks 2023.
Also, use Netflix if you have it. You can download shows for offline viewing and they have a pretty good kids selection, including 4 seasons of Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?, my childhood nostalgic favorite game.
You can also download movies/ tv shows if you have Amazon Prime or movies/ TV shows you have purchased for offline viewing through the Amazon app. This is where the Kindle Fire for kids comes in handy because they allow you to download a ton. That tablet has a huge amount of memory, basically it’s only selling point versus the iPad.
Audiobooks and podacsts are another great resource. Audiobooks in particular when you don’t want to read the “Cat book” for the millionth time (that was our “I can’t read this one more time or I will literally go insane book” but I am sure you have your own). Let the audiobook read it to them seven times in a row while you figure out how to get to the hotel. And some podcasts are fun to do in the car as a family, like The Big Fib, where kids interview 2 people- one an actual expert and the other a liar and see if they can determine which is which.
Free Apps
Google Earth
The Periodic Table by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Duolingo
Prodigy Math (the basic app is free but if your kids love it you might want to pay to get more features)
Some Toca Boca games
PBS Kids Video and PBS Kids Games
Amazon app and Netflix apps are free but you have to pay for the subscription or shows to download anything.
Final Thoughts
Here’s hoping you never need these apps on your travels and that your every waking moment is filled with courteous and contented kids finding all the joys of exploring new places and trying new foods. (BAHAHAHAHAHA). And when reality inevitably comes crashing in on a few of those moments, here’s hoping these apps come in handy to preserve some of your sanity and theirs.
Best of Luck!
Amy and Amanda
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