Electronics intertwined into education has had a profound impact for my family. My daughter definitely has had her fair share of struggles when it comes to learning and I have had my fair share of disagreements about how things should be done. Yet, when it comes to the iPad I fully agree that it has a positive impact on children’s learning and is a vital tool for children with developmental delays. For those that may disagree about the benefits of electronics please take a minute and check out this amazing article from Wired about the impact of technology in the classroom.
One of the biggest challenges in finding quality apps, is not just finding apps that my children will play with and learn from; it is also in finding apps that won’t distract their learning with pop-ups and advertisements. Since the iPad is a vital part of our life (is one of the main reasons my daughter began speaking), it is very important to me as a parent to find apps that will not overstimulate or deter her ability to focus.
I love it when I am able to find an app that not only engages the kids, but encourages them to interact. So far we have tried out 236 apps across a variety of topics, only a handful have made the best iPad apps list.
If you don’t see one of your family favorite kid science apps listed here please leave a comment for me and the other readers about why it is your favorite!
Best Apps for Kids: Science
1. Ansel and Clair: Jurassic Dinosaurs
If your child loves dinosaurs then this is the app for them! Your child will enjoy the amazing graphics as they set off on an adventure with the very lovable characters Ansel and Clair. Your child can record their exploration through notes, photos, and stickers in their travel log as they learn about 7 different types of Jurassic Dinosaurs.
Your child will also learn geography, history, and geology as they as they play their way through puzzles, games and activities! Our personal favorite is to mix and match dinosaur body parts to create our own 3D Dino!
Find Ansel and Clair on iTunes, Facebook, and Twitter.
2. GeoDash: Wild Animal Adventures
Geo is an adorable little robot who explores Earth’s habitats. The game is very easy to navigate, yet provides a decent challenge to hand-eye coordination. The colors are bright and inviting while not creating an overstimulating sensory experience.
As your child explores habitats they will discover various animal cards that unlock the animal’s special ability. My daughter gets ecstatic every time she discovers one. She will spend days talking about and incorporating that animal into her pretend play!
Find Geodash on iTunes
Your child is sure to have fun as they explore the seasons and weather with Poko! Your child will learn simple weather concepts such as how to dress for the weather and how to identify weather conditions.
Seasons and Weather! Also teaches your child days of the week and months, listening and comprehension, critical thinking, and observation.
Find Seasons and Weather! on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon
4. iTikes I Discover Microscope:
While this app does have a toy that can be bought to go with, this app is lots of fun on it’s own. My kids love the up close inspection. I love the curiosity it inspires. This app provides fun educational facts while your child inspects the world around them. Be prepared for the questions! This app is amazing for sparking a desire to explore and learn.
Find iTikes Microscope on iTunes, Amazon
5. Animals!
Your child will love helping Babu the Meerkat from The Mighty Jungle (Sprout and Disney) find his friends! This fun treasure hunt is filled with learning! As your child explores the life sciences they will learn the names and characteristics of several wild animals.
Through the process of elimination they will learn the main habitats that fit both the animals characteristics and natural environment. They also learn about animal food preferences, families, and behavior!
Find Animals! on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon
6. Sea Life
This app is perfect for the beginning explorer! Each animal provides interactive sounds as your child clicks there way through discovering creatures of the sea. An awesome app for expanding language, encouraging curiosity, and developing hand-eye coordination – your child is sure to love it!
Find Sea Life on iTunes
This app builds one topic as a time as your child unlocks levels by completing the games and activities. Topics covered include plant parts, seasons, water cycle, and more! This fun loving monster is sure to have your child laughing as they learn!
Find GazziliScience on iTunes
8. Human Body
This is by far one of our favorite science apps. Children are able to explore a complete working model of the human body. There is not one aspect that is not interactive or animated! Some of my favorite aspects are the use of the front camera to explain how vision works and the ability to record interactions for later play back. Brushing our teeth was a daily battle in our home until this app showed my daughter the effects and importance of taking care of our teeth. We absolutely love the simplicity of design and the interactive exploration.
Find Human Body on iTunes
9. Awesome Eats
This app is filled with sorting games that is perfect for your preschooler. With 64 levels your child is sure to be entertained for hours while learning nutrition facts and challenging their critical thinking skills. This app has helped Livia become very conscious about recycling. Awesome Eats is one of her favorite games, although she is not very fond of the thieving birds!
Find Awesome Eats on iTunes
Children enter Bill Nye’s secret lab to world of scientific exploration and experimentation. One of our favorite aspects of this app are the do-it-yourself family science experiments. We had tons of fun using Bill’s science scout manual to clean pennies during our money unit!
Find Bill Nye the Science Guy on iTunes
11. Sid The Science Kid – Sid’s Slide to the Side
Based on the award winning PBS show -Sid the Science Kid, this familiar childhood character teaches your child about friction and sliding in two stories, games, and songs. The interactive features in this game are very easy to apply to real-life situations.
Find Sid the Science Kid on iTunes
12. Science360
This app is one of those that is perfect for playing with your child. Science 36o is filled with hundreds of fascinating images with small blurbs of facts. While this app is not aimed at early childhood, the possibilities to use this app to explore within developmentally appropriate levels is possible. We personally enjoy finding the pictures together and using them as inspiration for discussion or even art projects! There are also amazing videos and lectures available on the app that can help you the parent guide your child and answer their million questions this app is sure to spark!
Find Science360 on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon