FREE Learning Apps for Preschoolers

Do your preschoolers want a device of their own? Do they like “doing school” with their older siblings? It may seem counter-intuitive to allow your little ones to use learning apps for preschoolers, but they can be useful.

My preschoolers are very busy, which means I have to get creative when it’s time to homeschool the others. When my little ones show an interest in learning on their own, I introduce them to apps. We are very strict with their digital usage, but apps have proven to be useful for our little ones while we work with the older kids. I don’t love that they have a screen, but if they are watching I love that they are learning too.

3 Things to Remember as Little Ones Use Preschool Apps for Learning

Using technology isn’t all bad. Although we try to keep technology to a minimum in our home, if my little ones are going to use it, I’d rather it be for learning. We’ve found some great apps our kid’s love that introduce them to colors and shapes. Check out these FREE options!

Colors and Shapes – Kids Learn Color and Identify ShapeShape Puzzle for Kids – Circles, Triangles Rectangles and More!My Shapes & Colors Farm Puzzles – Preschool Learning App For Toddlers3 Preschool Activities in One App – Fun Educational Kids GamesShape Puzzle Builder for Toddlers – Free games for kids 1-5 years oldShapes & Colors: Kindergarten & Preschool Games- FREE

Keep the sound on so they can hear the sounds and words

One of the best purchases we made for our kids was good quality headphones. We have used a variety of styles with our children and their favorite by-far is these noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones. Not only are they cushioned but they also easily connect to their devices. Each of my younger kids has a pair and use them on our travel days.

With the noise-canceling headphones, they can also more easily hear the sounds from the letters and words being spoken on the apps as they are watching and learning. These are some of our favorite beginner letter and word apps for kids.

Alphabet Aquarium Vol 1: Animated Puzzle Games with LettersABC PhonicsABC Kids – Tracing & PhonicsABC Kids Preschool Learning Games – Tracing & PhonicsLaugh & Learn™ Learning Letters PuppyPinkfong Word PowerAbby Monkey®: ABCs First Phonics and Letter Sounds School AdventureABC Spelling – Spell and PhonicsKids Computer – Alphabet, Number, Animals Computer Learning Game

 

 

Follow up with your little ones to ensure they understand what they’re learning

Although you might think they are doing great with the learning apps, nothing replaces the one-on-one interaction you have with your children. Watching your kids play and making sure they are actually learning is the most important part of utilizing any app or electronic learning.

We try to spend at least 15-20 minutes every few days with our kids to make sure they are comprehending what they’re seeing on the apps. And when they’re ready, you can introduce them to more complete preschool apps to apply everything they’ve learned!

Preschool and Kindergarten Learning Games FreePreschool All-In-OneStarfall Learn To ReadNoggin Preschool Learning Videos for KidsAnimal Math Preschool Math Games for Toddlers and Early Learners FreeABCmouse.com – Early Learning AcademyMontessori PreschoolPreschool All-In-One Learning – Bubble School Adventure A to ZSight Words Kids Reading Games & Flash Cards vol 1: Learn to Read

 

 

Don’t forget to keep them SAFE! When we install learning apps for preschoolers on our kids’ devices, we also install safety measures. On their old Samsung tablets, we installed Kids Mode which worked really well. With a passcode, they were locked into the app with no way to click on ads or to see anything we didn’t want them to see. If you have an Apple device, you can try these steps to access and set up child mode on your iPad or iPhone device.

 

Find more homeschool resources on my Pinterest boards!