Tablets are an integral part of most kids' routines these days, and teachers and parents can use this to their advantage. There are many great iPad games for kids that are designed for learning but disguised as fun! Here are some of the best, covering reading, math, science, social studies, and more for kids of different ages.
ABCMaus
Age: Pre-K to Grade 2
ABCmouse is one of the most popular educational iPad games for kids learning to read, count, and more. They offer thousands of learning activities throughout the curriculum, including hundreds in Spanish. It requires a subscription ($12.99/month or $59.99/year), but you can try it free for 30 days to see if you like it.
adventure academy
Age: Grades 3 to 8
Adventure Academy is the older cousin of ABCmouse. Elementary and high school students can learn math, science, language arts, and more. They will create their own avatar and navigate a fully interactive school environment while learning. It is the same subscription price as ABCmouse ($12.99/month or $59.99/year).
My very hungry caterpillar
Age: Pre-K to Kindergarten
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Everyone's favorite caterpillar is now available in one app! Play games to match colors and shapes, assemble puzzles, and learn to care for plants and animals. The app is free to download but costs $4.99 to unlock all the available activities.
Sushi-Monstruo
Age: Grades 2 to 6
Are you looking for a fun way to practice math facts? Check out this free app! The sushi monster is hungry. Feed him the sushi plates to reach the correct target number and practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Math-Bingo
Age: Grades 1-5
Solve math problems and try to get five bingo bugs in a row. Be careful though, wrong answers will affect your final score. High scores earn you your very own bingo critters for your collection! There are five modes: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and mixed. Math Bingo costs $2.99 to download and play.
Ninja Sight Words
Age: Grades 1 to 4
This is such a fun way to practice sight words! When different words appear on the screen, cut the target word as fast as possible to earn points. At only $1.99, this game is a great deal and students will be begging for it.
dino-tim
Age: Pre-K to Grade 2
Little ones will love helping Tim and his family learn colors and shapes. The game is available in multiple languages, so you can also use it to help kids learn basic words in Spanish, French, and more. Dino Tim is free to download and costs $1.99 to unlock all content.
lyrical lyrics
Age: Pre-K to Grade 12
Combine music with spelling and vocabulary in this charming game that is fun for everyone of all ages. Listen to the sequence of tones, then play them to spell the correct word. You can also just play around with the keyboard and synth features and compose melodies just for fun. Lyrical Letters is free to download and play; You can remove the in-game ads for $1.99.
crazy liberties
Age: Grade 3 and above
Everything you love about Mad Libs in one app! Kids will secretly practice learning parts of speech while making up wacky stories that will make everyone laugh. You get a limited amount of Mad Libs for free, with the option to purchase additional packs starting at $1.99.
world geography trivia game
Age: Grades 3 to 12
This isn't one of those kids' iPad games filled with animated characters and flashy graphics. It is a simple and very good geography quiz game. Kids interested in maps and globes will enjoy testing their knowledge of flags, capital cities, statistics, and more. The game is free to download and play; You have the option to purchase "tips" but they are not required to enjoy the fun.
iCivics Games
Age: middle school and high school
iCivics offers a variety of great social studies games that kids will really enjoy. They'll feel like they're in the middle of things when trying to ratify a new law, vote in an election, or take a case to court. All these applications are free andits websitehas many great supplemental resources for teachers.
math before bed
Age: Pre-K to Grade 3
Bedtime stories have a long history, but what about bedtime math? That's what this free app,along with accompanying books, intends to do. Every day the app adds a new fun math problem that parents and kids can solve together. (Teachers can also use these as daily problems in the classroom.) Each math problem has three levels of difficulty, and many also offer challenge questions.
Presidents vs Aliens
Age: Grade 3 and above
Learn about the US presidents while fighting aliens in this silly but informative game. As you answer the questions and complete each level, you'll add a new president to your collection. Then you can throw these presidents at the aliens to help defend the planet! The app costs $1.99 to download, but has no in-game ads and requires no additional purchases to play. Children must know how to read to be able to play alone.
math tango
Age: K to Grade 4
This subscription-based iPad game for kids promises to make learning math fun and engaging. The kids go on quests to win monsters by solving math puzzles. This is a game that can grow with any child, from very basic counting skills to multiplication and division. After a 7-day free trial, the game costs $7.99 per month or $49.99 per year.
math duel
Age: K to grade 5
Math students compete in these math games and fight to be the first to solve the problem on the screen. Kids can share an iPad to play, or each can play on their own tablet if they're not in the same room. Math Duel is subscription based but not too expensive at $17.99 per year.
Where is my water?
Age: Kindergarten and older
Swampy lives in the sewers below the city, but he loves to keep himself clean! However, his shower keeps clogging up, so the kids have to dig in the dirt and dodge obstacles to bring fresh water to Swampy. This game is a lot of fun, but it's based on real physics and the movement of water, so you'll learn as you play. This Disney game costs $1.99 to download and includes additional story arcs for purchase.
stack the states
Age: Grade 3 and above
Learn US geography in a fun way by answering questions and creating your own collection of states. Kids master state capitals, cities, monuments, flags, and more. The app costs $1.99 to download and play, with no ads or other in-app purchases to worry about.
teach your monster to read
Age: Pre-K to Grade 1
They say the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else. That's the idea behind this popular iPad game that allows kids to 'teach' a monster to read while learning the skills themselves. Covers early reading skills, from letter recognition to phonics and word formation. Download and play for $5.99.
monsterphysical
Age: Grade 4 and up
Children who love crafts will have a lot of fun with this game. They can design and build their own inventions and then see how (what if!) they would work in the real world. There are 50 different quests that you can invent and conquer along with your own monster avatar. At just $1.99 to download and with no in-game ads, this game is definitely worth checking out.
Cut the rope
Age: Kindergarten and older
This game has been around for a while, but it's popular for a reason. The concept is simple: place the objects on the screen, then cut the rope to release the sweets into the hungry monster's mouth. The laws of physics apply here, so children learn without knowing it. The levels get more and more challenging as the game progresses. Cut the Rope is $1.99 to download, with the option to purchase in-app tips, walkthroughs, and more puzzles.
cut fractions
Age: Grades 1 to 6
Learn fractures in an interactive environment as you slice through ice and lava to clear a path for the mammoth. This game does not require reading, so children can only focus on numbers and fractions. Cut the Rope costs $3.99 to download and play.
robot of light
Age: Grades 2-12
You don't need any programming experience to play this game; You will learn as you go. Solve puzzles by guiding a robot to light up tiles with simple commands. Multiple players can save their progress on the same device, making this device ideal for classrooms or families. Some reading is required, but otherwise the little ones can play on their own. Lightbot costs $2.99 to download and play with no in-app purchases required.
magic tower
Age: Grade 4 and up
Build vocabulary and work on your spelling with this innovative word game. As you connect letters to form a word, they disappear from the board and others collapse around you. However, new letters always come from the bottom up, so you'll have to think fast to keep them from rising to the top and killing the game. The game is free to download, but many reviewers note that it is ad-heavy; Pay $4.99 to unlock the full version.
little alchemy 2
Age: K to 12
Starting with a few basic elements (air, earth, fire, and water), players mix them together to create dozens of new elements, both real and imagined. For example, mix water and soil to make clay, then mix clay and fire to make bricks, add brick by brick to build a wall, and so on. This robust free game is absolutely addictive and encourages both creativity and logical thinking.
read raven
Age: Pre-K to Grade 2
This well-rated app teaches basic literacy skills, starting with letter recognition and tracing. As their skills develop, so does the challenge, until they can practice reading aloud using voice recordings. Reading Raven is a one-time fee of $3.99 to download and play, with no in-game ads.
Did we miss one of your favorite iPad games for kids? Come and share your thoughts in theWeAreTeachers HELPLINE Group on Facebook.
Further,our favorite online games that are also fun and educational.
