Skip to main content
Tom's Guide Tom's Guide
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
RSS
  • Newsletters Newsletter
  • flag of Australia
    Australia
    flag of UK
    UK
    flag of US
    US
    flag of Canada
    Canada
    • Best Picks
    • Phones
    • Streaming
    • TVs
    • Computing
    • AI
    • Mattresses
    • Videos
    • More
      • Newsletter
      • News
      • Fitness
      • Reviews
      • How Tos
      • Home
      • Best VPN
      • Deals
      • Coupons
      • Antivirus
      • Entertainment
      • Wellness
      • Security
      • Laptops
      • Smart Home
      • Audio
      • Gaming
    Forums
    Trending
    • Prime Day Deals
    • Switch 2 Restock
    • iOS 26
    • Galaxy Z Fold 7
    • Wordle Today
    • Best TVs
    • Best Mattress
    • Best laptops

    Recommended reading

    iPad 2022 playing Asphalt 9 game
    iPads The best iPads for kids in 2025: Our top picks tested and rated
    YouTube app
    Mobile Apps Best Android apps — free and paid
    a photo of mums wearing the Carifit carrier
    Fitness This workout app lets you use your baby as a dumbbell — 3 things I learned when I tried it
    best photo collage apps
    Mobile Apps Best photo collage apps in 2024
    MacBook Pro 2021 (16-inch) review unit sitting on a patio table
    Software Best Mac apps in 2025: our top picks
    Gemini logo on smartphone with the Google logo behind
    AI I use Gemini to explain the world to my kids - these 3 prompts nail it every time
    Gemini logo on smartphone
    Google Gemini Google Gemini could soon help your kids with their homework — here’s what we know
    1. Computing
    2. Software
    3. Mobile Apps

    Best Kindergarten Apps

    News
    By John Corpuz, Philip Michaels published 7 August 2017

    Your child's first school year will start before you know it. Give your kids a leg up by introducing them to these great apps for the kindergarten set.

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Prepping for Kindergarten with Apps

    Prepping for Kindergarten with Apps

    Walking into a kindergarten classroom for the first time is a big step, and it can be a little scary — for both kids and parents. And to be honest, the biggest skills your child will need at the beginning of the school year — opening their own lunchboxes, putting on their own shoes, standing patiently in lines and learning that hands are for many things but hitting is never one of them — aren't the sorts of things they'll pick up from an iPhone or Android device. But apps can help your children develop some of the other soft skills they'll need, such as listening to instructions, cooperating with others and exercising self-control. Apps can also help kids master letters and numbers before they ever set foot in a classroom.

    Here are 13 Android and iOS apps that can help your child prep for kindergarten by engaging their curiosity and creativity.

    Page 1 of 14
    Page 1 of 14
    Dr. Seuss's ABC (Android, iOS: $3.99)

    Dr. Seuss's ABC (Android, iOS: $3.99)

    The board book makes its way to Android and iOS, with an interactive twist. Kids can learn their letters with an especially Seussian approach featuring the classic illustrations of the children's book author. Tapping those drawings uncovers hidden surprises, while interactive games teach your child the difference between uppercase and lowercase letters.

    Page 2 of 14
    Page 2 of 14
    Endless Alphabet (Android: Free; iOS: $8.99)

    Endless Alphabet (Android: Free; iOS: $8.99)

    Endless Alphabet (Android, iOS) is part of Originator Inc's "Endless" line of edutainment apps, and it introduces kids to letters and words, presenting toddlers and children with a series of minigames. Children put words back together in easy and engaging spelling puzzles featuring talking words, and afterward, they're rewarded with short animations that explain each word's meaning. The free version on Android lets you try the app out with seven free words and animations, and an in-app purchase unlocks the full game with more than 100 word puzzles and animations.

    Page 3 of 14
    Page 3 of 14
    Endless Reader (Android, iOS: Free)

    Endless Reader (Android, iOS: Free)

    The companion to Endless Alphabet, Endless Reader (Android, iOS) aims to help familiarize young readers with a variety of commonly used "sight words" found in books and school texts, and whose spellings and pronunciation can't be grasped as easily with simple phonics. Minigames, animations, and illustrations help reinforce spelling and meaning, and the free app comes with sixwords and exercises for each, with more available as in-app purchases.

    Page 4 of 14
    Page 4 of 14
    Moose Math (Android, iOS: $1.99)

    Moose Math (Android, iOS: $1.99)

    Your child can learn to count — and even get a rudimentary introduction to addition — with this colorful app starring a moose that runs a juice bar. Your kid is tasked with following numerical recipes for smoothies: Add a specified number of each piece of fruit to a blender to complete the task at hand in both the Android and iOS versions of the app. App maker Duck Duck Moose produces a number of interactive apps aimed at the preschool-to-elementary crowd, and this counting app can really help your soon-to-be kindergartner get comfortable with numbers and following instructions.

    Page 5 of 14
    Page 5 of 14
    Dragonbox Algebra 5+ (Android, iOS: $4.99)

    Dragonbox Algebra 5+ (Android, iOS: $4.99)

    Think kindergarten is too early to teach math and even basic algebra? Think again. DragonBox Algebra 5+ (Android, iOS) is a genuinely clever educational game that skillfully hides the fact that it's teaching your kids algebra. Targeted at kids ages 5 and up, DragonBox Algebra starts out with simple logic puzzles that have kids matching symbols together in order to clear one side of the screen. Each new puzzle adds new quirks and game rules that cleverly mirror the basic rules of elementary algebra, until in no time at all, your kids are unknowingly balancing the sides of an algebraic equation to isolate a treasure box symbol, gradually replaced with 'X'. The game features 10 chapters with 200 puzzles in total, and covers addition, division and multiplication.

    Page 6 of 14
    Page 6 of 14
    Toca House (iOS: $2.99)

    Toca House (iOS: $2.99)

    Honestly, you could pick any of the apps created by Toca Boca and come away with something that delights children 4 years and older. But the iOS-only Toca House is uniquely geared to children heading into kindergarten because it mixes Toca Boca's usual brand of immersive play with task-oriented activities: You control the different Toca creatures who live under one roof as they handle different chores. The app not only rewards kids who see a task through to its end, but also encourages cooperation and appreciation of your role as part of a larger community.

    Page 7 of 14
    Page 7 of 14
    Avokiddo Emotions (Android, iOS: $2.99)

    Avokiddo Emotions (Android, iOS: $2.99)

    Can you cheer up a sad sheep or put a smile on a giraffe's face? Avokiddo Emotions (Android, iOS) is cute app that introduces kids to four cartoon animals (a sheep, giraffe, moose and zebra), that they can interact with using a variety of props like food, clothes, toys and more. Each animal responds to the props in different ways, smiling, frowning, laughing or crying, all rendered with lively animations. Parents can use it to help teach kids about emotions and body language, or just let them have fun with free play.

    Page 8 of 14
    Page 8 of 14
    Tracing ABC (Android: $1.99)

    Tracing ABC (Android: $1.99)

    The touch screen on your mobile device gives your kid a canvas for writing his or her own letters with the drag of a finger. Tracing ABC uses stars to guide children as they trace uppercase and lowercase letters on an Android device; the app also lets kids practice drawing numbers and shapes. A free version lets you get a feel for the app before you commit to the whole download.

    Page 9 of 14
    Page 9 of 14
    Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame (Android, iOS: Free)

    Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame (Android, iOS: Free)

    A lot of success in kindergarten hinges on whether kids can learn to manage their emotions. Sesame Street is there to help with this Android and iOS app, which uses interactive activities to encourage the development of coping strategies. You help a monster solve problems, tapping his belly to calm him down and popping bubbles to help him think of solutions. It's a story-driven app that can help kindergartners keep their heads cool when things don't go their way.

    Page 10 of 14
    Page 10 of 14
    Todo Telling Time (Android, iOS: $4.99)

    Todo Telling Time (Android, iOS: $4.99)

    In our experience, 5-year-olds don't have the best grasp of time. But teaching them to read a clock can get them on the right track. Todo Telling Time aims to teach kids just that, through a series of fun minigames that use bright shapes and colors, and engaging sound effects. In addition to time, the Android and iOS apps tackle the calendar, teaching kids the days of the week and the months of the year.

    Page 11 of 14
    Page 11 of 14
    Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (Android, iOS: $2.99)

    Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (Android, iOS: $2.99)

    Even if your child doesn't watch the PBS kids' show, they'll get something out of exploring Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on Android and iOS. The app lets you join Daniel in various scenarios — at the doctor's office, in the bathroom and right before bedtime — encouraging exploration and curiosity. Kids will particularly like the music section of the app, which lets them play different instruments with sounds that match Daniel's mood.

    Page 12 of 14
    Page 12 of 14
    Drawing Pad (Android, iPad: $1.99)

    Drawing Pad (Android, iPad: $1.99)

    Free-form fun can be just as important to young minds as structured lessons, and the blank canvas of Drawing Pad gives kids a great way to explore their creativity on an iPad or Android device. The drawing app lets you choose from brushes, pencils, crayons and markers — my daughter is particularly smitten with the special markers that draw lines of rainbow-colored hearts and bubbles. Just make sure to manage your device settings to prevent your child from making in-app purchases of additional coloring books.

    Page 13 of 14
    Page 13 of 14
    Bugs and Buttons 2 (Android: $2.99)

    Bugs and Buttons 2 (Android: $2.99)

    A lot of apps take a very focused approach to numbers, letters or shapes. Think of Bugs and Buttons as a catch-all for most of the subjects your kindergarten needs to know, with 18 games covering a wide swath of learning skills, whether it's sorting buttons by shape and color or tracing a bee's route to numbered flowers. (There is a version of this app in the iOS App Store, but it's still a 32-bit app; it won't run on iOS 11 until it's updated since Apple's upcoming iOS only supports 64-bit apps.)

    Page 14 of 14
    Page 14 of 14
    TOPICS
    android apps events
    Philip Michaels
    Philip Michaels

    Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.

    See more Computing News
    Read more
    iPad 2022 playing Asphalt 9 game
    The best iPads for kids in 2025: Our top picks tested and rated
    YouTube app
    Best Android apps — free and paid
    a photo of mums wearing the Carifit carrier
    This workout app lets you use your baby as a dumbbell — 3 things I learned when I tried it
    best photo collage apps
    Best photo collage apps in 2024
    MacBook Pro 2021 (16-inch) review unit sitting on a patio table
    Best Mac apps in 2025: our top picks
    Gemini logo on smartphone with the Google logo behind
    I use Gemini to explain the world to my kids - these 3 prompts nail it every time
    Latest in Mobile Apps
    How to tell if you've been blocked on WhatsApp
    Ads are coming to WhatsApp — here's where you'll see them (and where you won't)
    How to tour the Super Bowl stadium virtually with Google Maps
    Google Maps lets you customize your car icon on Android and iOS — here’s how to do it
    3D PInball for Windows
    Android phones can now play the legendary Windows XP Space Cadet pinball game for free
    Google translate logo on a phone in front of a Google logo
    You can finally make Google Translate the default on iPhone and iPad
    Image of Apple Pay logo on an iPhone
    Apple Pay was down — live updates on the outage
    Airbnb app redesign 2025
    I’m not on vacation, but Airbnb’s latest update makes me want to plan one — here’s why
    Latest in News
    doing an ECG reading on the Whoop MG
    Whoop rivals are coming — Polar launches subscription-free band as Garmin hints at new sleep tracker on Instagram
    Xbox Games Showcase 2023 keyart
    Microsoft offers a glimpse at the future of Xbox gaming alongside AMD and Windows
    Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 review.
    Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 tipped to 'fully adopt' Exynos chip — and that could have a huge impact on Galaxy S26
    A Gmail icon on a phone
    If you’re a Gmail user it’s time to implement these critical security steps
    teen girl using phone
    Apple just announced 5 big upgrades to protect your kids online — here's what's coming
    A Nintendo Switch 2 handheld console
    Nintendo's Switch 2 hasn't even been available for 2 weeks — and people are already getting banned for using this emulator's controversial cartridge
    LATEST ARTICLES
    1. Nespresso Nomad Iced Coffee Cup in Pistachio
      1
      I've been using Nespresso's spill-proof iced coffee cup, and it's the best $25 you'll spend this summer
    2. 2
      Forget sit-ups — sculpt your abs in 10 minutes with this standing dumbbell workout
    3. 3
      I ditched music during my workout and exercised in silence — here's what happened to my performance
    4. 4
      If ‘Materialists’ left you wanting more Dakota Johnson, this rom-com on HBO Max is for you
    5. 5
      Remedy's new Control co-op shooter is best played on Game Pass and PlayStation Plus — here’s why

    Tom's Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    • Terms and conditions
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Advertise with us
    • About us
    • Archives
    • Careers

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

    Please login or signup to comment

    Please wait...