While a lot of parents opt to limit screen time for their kids as much as they can (especially during the toddler years) sometimes, it's hard to avoid — and it doesn't have to be the enemy, either. If your toddler uses a phone or a tablet, there are a lot of awesome apps out there that will keep the kiddo entertained that also happen to be educational if you know where to look for them!
From learning numbers and ABCs to playing games that will help them understand their emotions and beyond, there are so many learning apps that are toddler friendly, and some of them even feature their favorite characters from shows like Sesame Street. Many of them will even help prep them for preschool, so when they finally take that step, they'll be ready to learn all kinds of new things in their new classroom.
Looking for apps to keep your busy tot occupied and teach a few new things at the same time? Here are the best learning apps for toddlers.
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox allows your kids to play with a monkey named Milo, who will help them learn things like letters, colors, and shapes, with a cycle of endless games that flow from one to the next. And if they love this one, good news: There are a bunch of different Monkey Preschool games out there to try, too.
Little Stars Toddler Games
This space-themed game teachers little ones across 10 different topics, including first words, farm animals, counting, shapes, and colors, and even keeps track of what areas your child needs more help with. The app is fully customizable, including adding your own voice into game play, and Little Stars also has two-player mode.
Toca Doctor
Think your little one might be a doctor in the making? Toddlers 3 and up can try out Toca Doctor, an app filled with puzzles and mini-games based on the human body so they can have fun with a bit of a medical flair. One of the major perks? If your kid tends to get frustrated when they can't get a puzzle right, Toca Doctor just keeps it moving if they get stuck.
ABCmouse
Toddlers can start learning with ABCmouse starting at age 2, though there is a monthly fee ($12.99) associated with the app after the first 30 days. But this is also one of the most popular learning apps out there for a reason — it's a great, easy way to make your kids feel like learning something new is fun, and it can be used all the way up to age 8.
Busy Shapes
This app can help toddlers 2 and up learn their shapes and colors with a bright, fun puzzle-style game. Busy Shapes is designed for little hands that aren't the best at swiping as they solve the puzzles, and always saves their place in the game automatically.
Elmo Loves 123s
Have Sesame Street fans in the fam? They might love Elmo Loves 123s, too. Designed for toddlers 4 and up, this app helps kids learn to count up to 20 and practice drawing numbers, plus, there are video clips of their favorite characters to teach them about counting.
Musical Me!
If your toddler learns best through music, Musical Me! might be the kiddo's new favorite app. A character named Mozzarella the Mouse will teach little ones everything they need to know about music, from rhythm to pitch to even different notes, using familiar kid-friendly songs and in a way kids ages 2-6 will understand.
Baby Games
Baby Games is basically what it says it is: Games for babies (and toddlers, duh). There's a Music Room screen for playing different instruments, matching games featuring animals and their sounds, and games that allow them to pop balloons or create their own fireworks.
Goodness Shapes
Goodness Shapes is all about teaching kids everything they need to know about different shapes, colors, and patterns through 12 different games. And as a bonus that some parents might be particularly fond of, there are no ads or in-app purchases.
Fish School
Fish School is here to teach toddlers the basics: Shapes, colors, numbers, you know the drill. With eight different activities to choose from, kids ages 2 to 5 can practice numbers up through 20, practice identifying different colors and shapes, and watch the fish come together to form different letters.
Gus on the Go
Hoping to raise a bilingual toddler? If your kiddo is 4 or older, Gus on the Go might be the perfect app to introduce them to Spanish. An owl named Gus is here to teach them 90 different Spanish words through games and activities, allowing them to earn achievements as they learn.
Endless Alphabet
Learning the ABCs is the stepping stone to eventually learning how to read, and Endless Alphabet is here to help with that. Using games and animations, this app will teach kids 100 different words (including the big ones!) and help them with their vocabulary.
Breathe, Think, Do
Here's another game from our Sesame Street pals. Breathe, Think, Do, which is recommended for kids ages 2-5, helps your kids learn how to problem solve with a monster friend. It reminds them to take a deep breath and come up with a plan when they're faced with a challenge — wait, maybe this is a game for parents, too.
Sharing With Duckie Deck
Sharing With Duckie Deck helps kids learn the importance of sharing (and how good it can make you feel to share your toys with others). It includes six different, brightly colored games that will help your toddler practice sharing, as well as hand-eye coordination and matching.
Shapes
Zeroing in on just one specific area with your toddler? If that area happens to be shapes, you're going to need this app, which is appropriately called Shapes. It helps toddlers tell the difference between shapes, sizes, and colors through simple games.
Peek-a-Zoo
Animal fans ages 2 and older are going to love Peek-a-Zoo! This game not only helps kids distinguish different animal names and the sounds they make, but it also helps them identify emotions, based on what each animal is doing (and it's super cute).