The 7 Best Free Learning Apps for Kids Ages 2–6 (Tested by Parents)

Every app on this list passed three tests. First, the money test: a child can use the core content without a subscription, and there are no manipulative "ask a grown-up to pay!" roadblocks aimed at little fingers. Second, the teaching test: the app practises a real skill — sounds, numbers, logic, creativity — rather than dressing up random tapping as education. Third, the hand-it-over test: we gave each app to actual 3- to 6-year-olds and watched. If they were confused, bored in four minutes, or mainly interested in the menu sounds, the app didn't make the cut.

One honesty note before the list: no app teaches as well as you do. The research on young children and screens is consistent — kids learn far more from an app when an adult watches alongside, names what's happening, and connects it to the real world. Use these as shared activities, and they punch far above their (zero) price. For the bigger picture on limits, see our screen time rules that actually work.

1. Khan Academy Kids — the best all-rounder

If you install one app, make it this one. Khan Academy Kids is completely free — no ads, no in-app purchases, no premium tier — because it's run by a nonprofit. It covers reading, phonics, maths, logic, and social-emotional learning for ages 2–8, adapting to your child's level as they play. The cast of animal characters is gentle rather than hyperactive, the read-aloud story library is genuinely good, and the parent dashboard shows what your child has been practising. In our testing it held a 4-year-old's attention for a full 20 minutes without a single "buy" moment. Nothing else on either app store matches it.

2. Lingokids — best for playful English learning

Lingokids wraps early English — vocabulary, numbers, colours, simple phrases — inside songs, games, and short interactive stories. It's especially valuable for families in Europe whose children are growing up with English as a second language, and for US families who want cheerful, curriculum-shaped play. The free plan limits daily activities, and the full library sits behind a subscription, but the free allowance is generous enough for a daily 10-minute session, there are no third-party ads, and the content quality is a clear step above typical "kids' learning" fare. Set a profile for each child so activities match their age.

3. PBS KIDS Games — best for beloved characters

For US families, PBS KIDS Games bundles 200+ free mini-games featuring characters children already love from TV — Daniel Tiger, Wild Kratts, and friends — spanning science, maths, literacy, and feelings. It's fully free with no in-app purchases, and the content is built with educators, so the games practise real concepts (measuring, patterns, habitats) rather than pure tapping. European parents: the app may need a US app-store account in some regions, but much of the same content runs free on the PBS KIDS website. Best for ages 3–6; younger toddlers will need you beside them.

4. Khan Kids' partner in rhyme: Moose Math — best early maths

Moose Math, from the Duck Duck Moose studio (now part of Khan Academy), turns counting, addition, sorting, and geometry into a small town your child helps run — juicing fruit, painting signs, racing pets. It's free, works offline (a lifesaver on flights), and its difficulty curve is beautifully judged for ages 3–6. The parent report card shows exactly which skills your child has practised. If numbers are the goal, pair it with real-world counting — stairs, spoons, socks — because transfer from screen to world is where maths sticks.

5. Endless Numbers (free starter) — best for number sense

Originator's Endless series is famous for good reason: monsters act out each number with slapstick animations that make quantity, order, and simple addition click. The free version includes the first numbers to explore; the full pack is a one-off purchase rather than a subscription, which many parents prefer. We're listing it with that asterisk clearly attached — the free content is small but superb, and it's the rare numbers app our testers asked for by name. For a fully free alternative, Khan Academy Kids covers similar ground in its maths path.

6. ScratchJr — best for first coding and storytelling

ScratchJr, from MIT's research community, lets 5- and 6-year-olds snap together picture blocks to make characters move, jump, talk, and tell stories. There are no points, no timers, no failure states — just cause and effect, sequencing, and problem-solving, which is to say, the real foundations of coding. It's completely free, works offline, and has no chat or social features. Younger preschoolers will need you as co-pilot for the first sessions; by the third, most children are teaching you. If your child loves it, they're rehearsing exactly the logical thinking school maths will soon demand.

7. Khan Academy Kids' read-aloud library & Crayola Create and Play (free tier) — best for creativity

Creativity is where free options thin out, so our final pick is a pairing. Khan Academy Kids includes an excellent free read-aloud and colouring section that encourages children to draw and narrate their own stories. Alongside it, Crayola Create and Play's free tier offers colouring pages, drawing tools, and simple pet-care play without a subscription wall at every tap — check your region's version, as free content varies. The rule for creative apps: if it lets your child make something that didn't exist before, it's earning its place; if it only lets them consume, rotate it out.

How to set up any learning app safely (10 minutes, once)

1. Turn on your device's kid mode — Guided Access on iPhone/iPad, or a kids profile / Google Kids Space on Android — so the app is the whole world while it's open.
2. Disable in-app purchases and require a password for every download, even free ones.
3. Download content for offline use and switch on airplane mode during play: no ads can load, no links can wander.
4. Agree the session length together — a visual timer your child can see beats a surprise confiscation every time.
5. Review monthly. Delete anything unused for a month. A home screen with four good apps teaches more than forty mediocre ones.