The 7 Best Apps for Toddlers of 2023

As a comprehensive learning program, ABCmouse can supplement your child’s preschool education or help them learn important skills from home.

ABCmouse, an educational app with a subscription-based service, gets our vote for the best overall app for toddlers. Although it isn't free, it certainly goes the distance if you're looking for a great educational app for young children. It begins in a virtual classroom where kids can select from several different adventures. There are many to choose from, and they teach reading, math, coloring, counting, and music skills.

ABCmouse allows you to add your child's age in the settings so it can create a customized experience for kids from as young as 2 through age 8. Although it is our pick for best app for toddlers, ABCmouse is also an excellent choice for older kids, who can enjoy learning and play on the app for several years.

If you have lots of little ones, you can add up to three siblings to your subscription for the same monthly fee. It's easy to switch between users so all your kids can get in on the action with activities appropriate for their age and learning level. The content gets more difficult as your child enters school and progresses through the early elementary grades. ABCmouse has lots of fun rewards, too.

Free, fun, and full of your kid’s favorite characters, the PBS Kids apps offers games, videos, and other cool content for kids ages 2 to 8.

Who doesn't love PBS? It's been a staple in child entertainment and learning for decades, from "Sesame Street" to "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood"—and it's still going strong today. With the free PBS Kids Video and PBS Kids Games apps, your kids can play games and watch videos based on today's most popular PBS shows, like "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" and "The Cat in the Hat." Suitable for kids as young as 2 years old, the PBS Kids apps have something for everyone, teaching early science and math skills in fun and full-color games.

Preschoolers can build basic skills with seven easy-to-navigate games centered on letters, shapes, colors, and more.

Your toddler won't even realize they're learning when you download the fun toddler app Monkey Preschool Lunchbox. Little ones will learn colors, shapes, and counting in an effortlessly fun interface led by the adorably lovable monkey, Milo. Each activity that's successfully completed comes with an immediate reward: Your toddler can choose a digital sticker to add to their collection.

The Toca Boca suite of apps for kids is an interactive way to explore the world by cooking, cutting hair, building a neighborhood, and taking care of pets.

Toca Boca has become one of the most popular brands for apps for young children. With its fun, engaging suite of apps, full of bright colors and great sounds, Toca Boca brings to life a host of activities like cooking, taking care of pets and sick patients, hairstyling, and even chemistry. For the youngest set, try a role-playing app like Toca Doctor (more on this one below) or a simple app like hairstyling (kids can’t get enough of the hairdryer). And as they grow, your kids can design and build their own city with the Toca Life apps.

The concept is simple but compelling, offering gameplay that’s educational or just for fun.

This free app is part of a group of apps from App Family. Available on the Android platform, they're fun for various ages. The puzzles make a great choice for older kids, while toddlers will be instantly drawn to the game, which allows them to pop balloons as they rise from the bottom of the screen to the top. It's simple enough for even the youngest players to grasp, and it's also fully customizable. Change the size of the balloons and the speed at which they move, making it easier for beginners and more challenging as your child masters the game.

Kids love to play pretend doctor, but you don’t have to be their volunteer patient anymore; puzzles and silly animations encourage them to test their medical skills on the app instead of you.

Spark your toddler’s empathy or pave the way for a future in medicine with the Toca Doctor app. Part of the popular suite of Toca Boca apps, this full-color app boasts several educational games for toddlers set against a medical theme. This is one of the most simple Toca apps, suitable for kids as young as 3. Kids can cover boo-boos of different sizes with bandages, “erase” scratches with cotton balls, brush teeth to chase away germs, or squirt eye drops into eyes. This game will keep your little ones occupied for more than a few minutes!

The Bark app offers parent alerts for both security threats and screen time limits. These aid in ensuring healthy and safe device usage. 

With Bark’s settings and parent alerts, users can have peace knowing that their child’s devices are safe. Bark monitors texts, email, YouTube content, websites, search history, social media, and apps. It has alerts for screen usage, cyberbullying, potential predators, and many other safety threats. Bark also offers resources and professional recommendations to parents when security issues arise. 

The Bark alerts help save its users time. There is no longer the need to personally monitor or comb through your child’s texts and other activity. The app’s dashboard gives parents an overall view of their child’s internet usage. Its reports detail which sites they frequent, if there are any security threats, how much time they spend in each app, and conversations across all apps. 

The best perk of the Bark app is the peace of mind it offers parents. The screen time limits and security features promote a healthier relationship with the phone or tablet.