educational learning games for 3 year olds

Looking for strategies or have questions about how to support your child’s education? Ask our AI-powered assistant.

Parent Resources for Learning > Core Skills > 7 Play-Based Learning Activities for 3-Year-Olds

7 Play-Based Learning Activities for 3-Year-Olds

by Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos | Aug 10, 2023 | Core Skills

Pop quiz: What’s a better way to get a 3-year-old to learn, pop quizzes or playtime? 

If you guessed playtime, you’re right! Play-based learning activities for 3-year-olds help them develop the skills they need for school and life by tapping into their natural love of play . It’s a lot easier to get a toddler to play a learning game than to sit down and study—plus, they’ll actually learn more!

The Short Cut

• Learning activities for 3-year-olds can help them develop Core Skills , Creativity , Critical Thinking , and the other 5 C’s that help them thrive
• Play-based learning activities work well because kids learn more when they’re doing something they’re interested in
• Many of the best activities are simple and use everyday items from around the house

We’ve put together instructions for seven of our favorite play-based learning activities for 3-year-olds, plus some general tips, to get you started.

Why Learning Activities for 3-Year-Olds Work

Three-year-olds have a lot of energy, and they’re often eager to have new experiences. You can take advantage of their natural Curiosity (one of the 5 C’s) to help them learn valuable skills and see where they are in reaching their developmental milestones .

When kids do an activity they’re interested in, their brains literally light up on researchers’ scans. They learn more and retain more of what they learn, including important abilities.

For instance, hands-on activities —in which your child molds, cuts, sticks, sorts, or manipulates objects—help them develop motor skills. They also help them learn to follow directions for precision and accuracy, improving their Critical Thinking. Similarly, activities like putting puzzles together and playing with building blocks help develop reasoning skills and Creativity (another of the 5 C’s).

All of these abilities will help them as they get older and start working on more complex skills like writing and tying shoelaces.

The first six years of a child’s life are a critical time for brain development. The things they learn in this period help them perform well in school, excel in work, build healthy relationships, and live happy, fulfilling lives.

How Should I Teach My 3-Year-Old?

Keep It Simple

Parents sometimes think early learners need an elaborate game or flashy toy to hold their attention. But three-year-olds are fascinated by lots of simple things—different colors and shapes , how these colors change when you mix them (e.g., red and blue make purple), kicking a ball, storybooks about dinosaurs, baking cookies, and so on.

You don’t need anything complicated to create engaging learning activities for 3-year-olds. In fact, you’ll often be more successful if you keep it simple and use everyday items you already have.

Allow for Creativity

Life is full of right answers for 3-year-olds (and a lot of them, like “Can I hit someone when I’m mad?” are important!). But focusing on process over the finished product when you’re playing helps kids maintain their natural Creativity. If they decide to paint a blue dog, that’s OK! And if they choose to create a 10-legged cat, that’s great too. 

Give them time to play with no “right answers” to strengthen this important skill.

Be Flexible and Patient

Not every activity you try is going to be a hit with your kids. That’s OK!

At this age, your child is learning who they are and what they’re comfortable with. Exploring their likes and dislikes (which can change quickly!) is part of their development.

7 Top Learning Activities for 3-Year-Olds

1. number hunt.

What You’ll Need

• A set of fun items—from teddy bears to building blocks to balls, anything goes!
• Hide the items around a room
• Ask your three-year-old to find a set number of an item or a group of items (for example, ask them to find one teddy, two socks, and three balls)
• If this is too easy and they lose interest, try turning it into a race against the clock (can they find the items in just one minute?)
• If they find the game a little tricky, ask your child to search for one item at a time (e.g., one teddy, and then one sock, and then one ball) and progress from there

We love this activity because it helps develop working memory and numeracy, important areas of both Critical Thinking and Core Skills.

2. Pasta Necklaces

• Dry, uncooked cylindrical pasta
• Sealable plastic bags
• Food coloring
• A cotton thread or string (you can also use an old shoelace)
• Paper towel
• Beads (optional)
• Place the pasta into the plastic bags, then add a few drops of food coloring to each bag
• After adding the coloring, seal each bag and let your kids give it a good shake
• Line the trays with paper towels, pour the colored pasta on top, and allow it to dry
• While the pasta dries, cut the string so it’s the right length to make a necklace for your child and tie a knot on one end
• Once the pasta is dry, your child can slide the pasta (and beads if you use them) onto the string to make a necklace. When they reach the end of the string, tie the two sides together and you’re done!

This is a fun way to help your child practice counting (“How many pieces of pasta are you adding?”), develop fine motor skills, and explore Creativity.

3. Trace Yourself

• Have your child place part of their body (like their hand) on a sheet of paper
• Show them how to trace around it using a crayon
• Let them take over tracing and finish
• Encourage them to decorate their tracing however they’d like—maybe their hand needs eyes and a mouth!
• The simplest body part to start with is your child’s hands. Once your child has mastered tracing out their hands, they can progress to their feet.
• For even more fun, use a very large piece of paper and trace your child’s whole body. They can then add features and clothes.

This activity requires little prep and can be great for an easy afternoon when you’re in the mood for low mess levels. And it’s an excellent way to help your child practice their fine motor skills!

4. Make an Ocean

• HOMER Sail the Sea printable coloring page
• Crayons, markers, or colored pens
• Help your child color in the printable and discover the interesting creatures that live in our seas
• As your child colors, point out the letters and say their names, the sounds they make, and creature names that start with them (“S” makes a “sssss” sound, for “seahorse”)
• Try to get your child to make the letter sounds too
• Lean into process over perfection. The goal is to introduce your child to letters, sounds, names, and the links between them—if all they want to do is say “sssssss” and color, they’re still learning!
• To make things even more fun, give the creatures silly names and make up stories about them

This is a great activity for developing Core Skills like letter-sound recognition and fine motor skills!

5. Build a City

• Building blocks
• Get out the blocks and start making things, giving each building a name (“This is a candy store. This is an apartment building. This is a playground.”)
• Invite your child to name their own creations as they build alongside you
• If they’re enjoying the game, ask them to copy buildings you’ve made (“This is a candy store. Can you make one too?”)

This quick, simple activity helps develop Critical Thinking (copying your buildings), Core Skills (fine motor skills), and Creativity, all at once!

6. Watch It Grow

• HOMER printable seed growth tracker
• Crayons or pencils
• Large jar (glass or clear plastic)
• Fast-growing seeds (e.g. peas or beans)
• Paper towels
• An old milk or juice carton
• A ruler or measuring tape
• Ask your child to fill the jar with paper towels, then pour water onto the paper towels until they’re slightly damp
• “Plant” the seeds in the damp towels, positioning them close to the jar’s edge so you can watch them grow
• Use the printable to decorate the “watering can” (the milk or juice carton) and add a tag with the plant’s name
• Each day, make a fun moment of checking the jar and asking your child to note any changes you can track in the field notes (“Oh! We finished breakfast! Time to check the jar!”)
• If the paper towels dry out, add water

This activity introduces kids to how plants grow, stoking their Curiosity (another of the 5 C’s) as they explore the way the seed changes day by day!

7. Create Your Own Color Hunt

• Five objects that match each color of crayon, located in or around the house
• Optional: HOMER Make a Color Hunt printable
• Draw a square in the center of a piece of paper (or use the optional Make a Color Hunt printable)
• After drawing the square, use just one color to color it in
• Hand your child the paper and ask them to find five items in or around the house that have the same color
• For kids who aren’t counting yet , you can place items in a bucket or box and ask them to find all the items inside that match the color on the paper

This is a great activity to help with sorting, learning colors, and counting!

Continue the Adventures with Begin!

There are lots of ways to help your child stay entertained, engaged, and learning at home! These activities should help your 3-year-old develop a wide range of important skills.

And if you need more, don’t worry—we’re here to help. Sign up for our emails or check out our award-winning products, from kid-safe learning apps to hands-on activity kits , or try our Early Learner Bundle to see how it all comes together to give your child their best start to achieving their fullest potential.

Jody has a Ph.D. in Developmental Science and more than a decade of experience in the children’s media and early learning space.

View all posts

Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos

Chief Learning Officer at Begin

Related Posts

5 Ways to Support Your Child’s Brain Development 

Between ages 0 to 5, your child’s brain is growing rapidly! Here are 5 ways to support it.

Keep Reading →

12 Effective Strategies to Support an Emotionally Sensitive Child

Raising an emotionally sensitive child can be challenging. Try these strategies to help your child navigate intense feelings.

7 Steps to Deal with Temper Tantrums

Don’t worry! Temper tantrums are normal, and you can help your child manage them. Find out how!

8 Proven Strategies to Motivate Your Child to Learn

Explore 8 strategies and 3 keys for motivating your child to learn from our experts!

How Early Childhood Education Improves Kids’ Lives

Discover the key reasons early childhood education (at school or at home) is a vital first step in your child’s lifelong learning process.

8 Ways to Use Holistic Skill Development to Help Your Whole Child Thrive

Our approach to learning makes a great foundation for holistic skill development. Check out 8 activities you can do at home.

Understanding Your Picky Eater: A List of Foods to Try (and How to Find More)

Many kids are picky eaters. Find out some common reasons why and expand the list of foods your child will eat!

7 Creative, Rewarding Ways to Teach Empathy to Kids at Home

Check out some creative ways to teach empathy to kids, and help your child develop a compassionate mindset as you work on empathy skills.

8 Ways to Raise Confident Kids at Home (for Girls and Boys!)

Confidence helps kids throughout their lives. Try these parenting strategies and activities and start raising confident kids at home!

5 Fun Activities to Build Social Skills for Preschoolers

Social skills activities can help your preschooler learn how to interact with the world. Try these five at home!

6 Ways to Make Curiosity-Building Sensory Bottles

Sensory play helps kids build curiosity. Try these six ways to make sensory bottles for your family!

9 Effective Emotional Regulation Activities for Kids in 2024

Emotional regulation is an important skill, but our kids aren’t just born with it. Find out how to teach it to your child!

Trending Post : Books Made Into Movies

13 Best Preschool Games for Ages 3 to 5

This post may contain affiliate links.

Our game closet is overflowing. We play a LOT of games . We always have. This is why I want to share the best fun and learning preschool games for kids ages 3, 4, and 5.

These preschool games are favorites from the classroom and home as a parent of two game obsessed children. I’ll share the games we’ve played over and over –and games that helped my kids practice and learn important skills, too.

What’s important to remember when choosing the best game for your child is that it’s FUN . As you’ll see with the games below, these choices are also playful, engaging, and interesting .

For us to stay as non-technology-oriented as possible, my family plays board and card games in the evenings. (Instead of watching TV or being on electronics.) I highly recommend this. It’s a great way to spend family time together. And I love that we’re building memories.

13 Preschool Games for Ages 3 to 5

The Super Sorting Pie Ages 3+ Not only is this a learning game for beginning math skills but my kids loved to pretend play grocery store with it, too. As a math game, it gets kids sorting and counting. Then, use it to make pies, play grocery store, and do other interesting fruit-related things. (And my kids won’t allow me to get rid of this — it’s just too much fun. Even now that they’re well beyond the preschool ages.)

The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game Ages 3+ Practice matching, sorting, counting, and simple math skills with this entertaining, educational game for preschoolers.

Racoon Rumpus Matching Game Ages 3+ Raccoons are having a party in your closet. Roll the color and costume dice and search the cards until you find a match! The person with the most critter cards wins. Kids think this game is so much FUN!!

Feed the Woozle Ages 3+ Preschoolers use fine motor skills along with counting skills to feed silly snacks (like hairy pickles) to the Woozle in this playful cooperative learning game. Players also have to get up and move, too — so get ready!

Frankie’s Food Truck Fiasco Game Ages 4+ Get kids to practice shape-matching with foods! Talk about fun! Not only is this game a blast, but the lift-the-flap board book of the same name is also darling.

Sum Swamp Ages 4+ We played this addition preschool board game a LOT when my daughters were new to addition and subtraction. Get this board game to make practicing math facts fun!

Zingo: Bingo with a Zing Ages 4+ Help your preschoolers to develop language and matching skills with this exciting bingo game that’s not only easy and fun to play but very popular with kids, my own included. This is one of our favorite preschool learning games.

Guess Who? Board Game Ages 4+ My kids played this reasoning game from the time they were preschoolers until middle school. It’s a great parent-child game that kids love!

Mini Muffin Match Up Ages 3+ Play this preschool game with kids to learn how to recognize numbers and colors, then use the materials to pretend play later. Your kids will LOVE it!

Go Fish / Crazy Eights / Alphabet Concentration / Old Maid Ages 4+ These are the classic card games of childhood. Stick them in your bag and have them with you at restaurants. I used to take my kids out for game dates at a bagel store and have many happy memories of Go Fish and bagels. My suggestion for Go Fish is to start with pairs instead of fours — it makes it easier to win with preschoolers and shorter to play, which is also better for younger kids.

Outfoxed Ages 4+ Can you use the clues to eliminate suspects and figure out whodunit? This preschool game asks players to find the guilty fox to win.

Hoot Owl Hoot ages 4+ In this cooperative game for preschoolers, players help the owls fly back to their next. The game will help children practice color matching and decision-making.

Cootie ages 3+ Does anyone else have fond memories of playing this game as a child? Players choose a cootie bug body first and then begin to create their entire bug by adding legs, eyes, a mouth, and more.

Free Preschool Games Online

If you’re looking for a preschool game option on the computer or phone, here are the best learning game options for preschoolers.

Splash Learn

The Best Logic and Strategy Games for Kids

The Best Card Games for Kids The Best Books for 3-Year-Olds The Best Books for 4- and 5-Year-Olds Gifts for 4 Year Old Girls Gifts for 4 Year Old Boys Gifts for 5 Year Old Girls Gifts for 5 Year Old Boys

Melissa Taylor, MA, is the creator of Imagination Soup. She's a mother, former teacher & literacy trainer, and freelance education writer. She writes Imagination Soup and freelances for publications online and in print, including Penguin Random House's Brightly website, USA Today Health, Adobe Education, Colorado Parent, and Parenting. She is passionate about matching kids with books that they'll love.

Similar Posts

Best Children’s Books About Bugs and Insects

Help Your Child Develop a Lifelong Love of Reading

Picture Books About Facing Fears and Having Courage

13 Dead End Drive is a Diabolically Fun Family Strategy Game

2020 Virtual Summer Camps for Kids

Kids Love Sphero’s SPRK+ for Creative STEAM Learning

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

One Comment

Really important to remember when choosing a game for child is that it’s first and foremost FUN. I appreciate your work which you made to write this beautiful article. Nice to Read it. Thanks

ACADEMICS’ CHOICE

Smart Media Award

“KneeBouncers.com will have your children laughing, singing, thinking, and asking for more! Children learn and practice a wide variety of foundational skills including letter, shape, number and animal recognition, social emotional skills, comprehension, listening, video-modeling skills, original and classic kid songs, and more!”

Sharing the love..., entertaining & educating.

“The ABC Magic Screen game has been a lifesaver - it's kept my toddler entertained while teaching her the alphabet. She now knows all her letters!" Rhonda W.

It’s a Win-Win!

“My child can't get enough of the Kiki's Music Time videos on this site. He sings and dances to all the songs. And I get a bit of a break. It's a win-win in our home!” Sharon R.

Reinforce key concepts

"I've been able to reinforce key concepts in a fun and engaging way thanks to these educational games. "Count Your Chickens" has become a favorite in my classroom." Gerald F.

What moms are saying:

NEW! ONLINE MUSIC CLASSES

Kiki’s music time - live, get one class free.

Now your child can join Kiki in a virtual music class – for FREE! That’s right – Kiki – from our Kiki’s Music Time videos, will meet your child virtually in these engaging music classes. Each class is designed to encourage and support your child’s love of music and to get them to sing, move, and play!

Sign up for two classes and the get one for FREE!

New Game - Play Music!

Birds on the wires.

Best for 1-5 year olds. On desktop requires basic mouse movements. On mobile devices simply tap the screen.

Free Online Games For Toddlers That Are Educational And Surprisingly Fun

Screen time you’ll both love.

“is your kid musical do they love to dance around and sing kneebouncers is filled with catchy and memorable songs that will even get stuck in your head. this program offers educational games for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. so, you can stick with the same program even after your little one ages out of their terrible twos and threes., play with purpose.

For kids, play is their job – and their job is to play. This natural instinct is how they learn. Our games and videos reinforce what your children are already learning. So let them play and know that they’re building their confidence, while learning foundational skills.

Get your kids school-ready with their KneeBouncer friends

Join us on social media for updates and inspiration!

Start your free trial and play all of our games.

The importance of play

KneeBouncers is play with purpose. Our interactive online games and videos are designed to engage, encourage, entertain and educate babies, toddlers and preschoolers. We keep our content age-appropriate, and l earning fun.

KneeBouncers employs a play-based developmental learning strategy to create our games. Specifically, we focus on games that spark kids’ curiosity and creativity , exploration of the world , social understanding , communication skills and movement . Our play-based developmental strategies support concrete learning objectives, including: mathematical concepts , science , language and literacy , social and emotional development , arts and music and social studies .

We strive to create age-appropriate engaging games that promote playing with purpose. Games increase in complexity as a child grows, allowing us to provide learning fun for babies through preschool students.

“Life is more fun if you play games.”

A whole lotta fun for the itty bitty ones.

KneeBouncers.com , a website full of engaging toddler games  and  baby games online. Featuring a collection of fun, interactive online games designed specifically for babies ,  toddlers , and  preschool kids.  

KneeBouncers’ gang of characters will delight your child as they explore the interactive online games that  parents, daycare and preschool teachers have embraced for their fun, simplicity, and age appropriateness. These toddler games are easy to play and your preschool kids can enjoy playing on their own. The goal with all of our interactive games is to make learning more enjoyable for your baby, toddler, and preschooler.  

Download the coloring sheets and continue the fun and learning offline. They’re a great way to learn new skills, or reinforce skills that your little one is learning. 

Check out every episode of “The KneeBouncers’ Show” – ad free! And sing-along with Kiki and her KneeBouncer friends in all the “Kiki’s Music Time” episodes! From classic children songs to our original songs – you’ll kids will be singing and dancing!

“Play gives children the chance to practice what they are learning.”

Fred rogers, learn. practice. repeat..

You learn by doing and repeating. Once your child is introduced to a new concept, it’s important for them to practice and repeat the new skill. And we make the process fun for them!

Cause and effect games are designed as tapping games that respond to the touch of the keyboard or screen. These simple baby games build confidence and encourage further exploration. 

Matching games are designed to challenge your little ones memory skills. Zoo and farm animals to shapes , colors, letters , and numbers matching games will keep your child’s memory sharp. (Yours too!)

KneeBouncers was created to instill a love of learning in babies, toddlers, preschoolers and everyone in your family. We’ve created lots of original baby games , online games for toddlers , preschool games , coloring pages , memory games , keypress games , tap games , point and click games , original animated videos , sing-along songs , nursery rhyme videos , original children songs , and so much more! 

Extend the play and learning

Get the refrigerator cleared and ready download coloring sheets from your favorite games and reinforce the lesson, more love to share..., love love love.

KneeBouncers has become a go-to for us when we need a quick and easy educational activity for our toddler.

Making Learning Enjoyable

This site has become an essential resource for our homeschooling journey. Thank you for making learning enjoyable!

Supplementing Lesson Plans

This website has been an invaluable resource in supplementing my preschool lesson plans. The games and activities are a hit with my students!

Welcome back!

Are you ready for more fun & learning?

Become a member and save!

Unlock over  100 games , videos , and  coloring sheets in a safe, ad-free environment

SAVE UP TO 65% OFF!

FROM KNEEBOUNCERS’ CREATOR

To my fellow parents and educators,

From one parent to another, and as the creator of KneeBouncers.com, I want you to know that our platform is more than just another website – it’s a labor of love dedicated to early learning and fun.

It started from a personal need – to create a space where little ones could play games without the fuss of a mouse. Our small haven has now grown to include over 100 ad-free, engaging games, videos, and worksheets. We believe that children learn best when they’re having fun, and that’s exactly what we’re here to provide.

By choosing us, you’re not just opting for a safe, educational journey for your child, you’re also supporting a family-owned small business. We’re still a small, passionate team at KneeBouncers, and your trust in us means more than you can imagine. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your child’s formative years.

Thanks – and keep on KneeBouncin’!

Punch Robinson

Start your FREE trial!

100+ games and videos in a kid-friendly, ad-free environment

Play 100+ games and videos - advertising free - for one week - FREE!

Kid-safe and ad-free environment

Log in here

Not a member?

Play the best online toddler games – FREE!

FOR MEMBERS

Mommy & Me

Enjoy this original song by Kiki and the KneeBouncers! Showing Mommy the love she deserves!

Become a Member

Read+Play along

Who says MOO?

Do you say moo? You and your little one will be mooved to laughter as you compete to make the different animal sounds!

PLAY FOR FREE!

Trusted by families and schools since 2003!

Play all our award-winning educational games, videos, and offline activities - FREE!

100% safe and ad-free environment.

Already a member?

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Teaching Expertise

• Classroom Ideas
• Teacher’s Life
• Deals & Shopping
• Privacy Policy

34 Fun and Creative Games For Three-Year-Olds

October 23, 2023 //  by  Seda Unlucay

By age three, most preschoolers can sort objects by size and can understand longer sentences. They are ready to ride a tricycle, kick a ball, or play catch. They are also able to play simple board games, develop sight word vocabulary, and practice typing skills.

We’ve gathered a list of 34 games, creative activities, painting and drawing ideas, engaging memory puzzles, and fun physical activities you can use to help sharpen their growing literacy and numeracy skills while keeping their energetic bodies moving. Read on and pick out a few to try with your kiddos!

Related Content:

• Games for Kids
• Games for 1-Year-Olds
• Games for 2-Year-Olds
• Games for 4-Year-Olds
• Games for 5-Year-Olds
• Games for 6-Year-Olds
• Games for 7-Year-Olds
• Games for 8-Year-Olds
• Games for 9-Year-Olds
• Games for 10-Year-Olds

1. Count Your Chickens Board Game

Get everyone settled down with a counting board game! Count Your Chickens is a classic board game that challenges your young learners to gather all their chickens into a coop. What a fun way to teach counting and cooperation skills!

Learn more: Amazon

2. Play Follow The Leader

Follow the leader is a classic game that’ll teach your kiddos many skills including following directions, sharpening concentration, and developing cooperative skills. It’s also a super way to strengthen physical skills such as speed, balance, agility, and motor coordination.

Learn More: Empowered Parents

3. Make Sparkly Slime

Most of your kids are probably slime and glitter-obsessed, so why not combine the two with a simple recipe? You can help them jazz up their slime by letting them add magical unicorns, trucks, or any toys of their choice for hours of fun playtime!

Learn More: See Vanessa Craft

4. Make a Lego Table

Although made up of small pieces, LEGO is safe for three-year-olds and provides hours of enjoyable playtime. Playing with LEGO gives your preschoolers a fantastic way to develop their problem-solving and logic skills while expressing their creativity. What will your little builders create?

Learn More: Sunny Day Family

5. Felt Cookie Busy Bag

This activity is inspired by the hilarious children’s book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and is sure to have your preschoolers hooked. They’ll have plenty of fun getting creative with patterns and inventing colorful designs for their cookies. You may need to have some real cookies on hand though, as this craft could have them working up a bit of an appetite! 

Learn More: Views From A Step Stool

6. Have Fun With a Fishing Game

Who knew fishing could be educational? This engaging game combines sensory play and fine motor skills and is an easy way to develop your kiddos’ color recognition, counting, and memory skills. They’ll love this water play activity!

Learn More: 7 Days Of Play

7. Matching Bug-Building Game

Your preschoolers will want these Cooties in their classroom! This matching bug-building game challenges your kids to build a Cootie bug, making for hours of creative playtime. They’ll each take turns to spin the spinner which will tell them which color and body part to add to their bug next.

8. Rainbow Counting Game

Bring some color to your math lesson with this sweet game! This bright printable activity will give your kiddos plenty of practice with number recognition, counting, estimating, and simple addition. Grab some cotton balls and dice, and let them have a go!

Learn More: Pickle Bums

9. Make a Jello Dig

It’s time for your kiddies to get their hands dirty! This slimy, squishy, and super fun activity requires nothing more than Jello and some toys or loose parts. You can mix up the jello and add in the toys before leaving it to set. Then it’s for your toddlers to discover! 

Learn More: Busy Toddler

10. Construct a Bubble Pop Road

Build a recycled road! Create this reusable activity by laying out strips of bubble wrap on the floor, using boxes to simulate hills. Then it’s your preschoolers’ turn to test out different cars and trucks and see which ones will pop the bubble wrap!

Learn More: Hands-On As We Grow

11. Counting and Matching Online Game

Grab your preschoolers’ interest with an interactive online game! Letting them play this free educational game provides them with plenty of counting and matching practice that they’ll find super fun! With lots of examples of using ten frames, counting up, and number recognition practice, they’ll soon be experts in all their numbers up to 20!

Learn More: Top Marks

12. Play Peek-A-Boo with Farm Animals

What three-year-old doesn’t love animals? This free farm animal printable makes for a fun game of peek-a-boo! Your preschoolers are sure to love playing hide and seek with their choice of pigs, sheep, cows, or horses, as they practice their cutting and sticking skills!

Learn More: Buggy and Buddy

13. Play a Cooking and Baking Game

Why not let your young learners get creative by helping with easy recipes such as fruit kebabs or decorating cupcakes? It’s a great way to sharpen their cooking skills for later in life as well as being a fun family game. 

Learn More: C oo k Republic

14. Sort Apples and Oranges

Combine your math and healthy eating lessons with this fun sorting activity! It’s a great way to develop math skills such as sorting and counting as well as discussing the concept of same and different. Other items like blueberries, cereal, small crackers, or even items from nature such as pebbles and leaves, will work just as well for this super activity.

Learn More: Carrots Are Orange

15. Develop Geometry Skills With a Fun Learning Game

What better way to learn about shapes than making silly faces? Let your kiddies’ imaginations run wild, combing bananas, pizza, and candy corn to make the funniest faces they can come up with! 

Learn More: Education

16. Loose Parts Play

Loose-part play is a brilliant early development activity. Parts can be anything from recycled items to tile pieces to rocks, pebbles, and beads. It’s a great way to expose your preschoolers to different textures and materials. You’ll be surprised at all the fun and imaginative ideas they come up with!

Learn More: My Teaching Cupboard

17. Bubble Wrap Learning

Lean into the addictive qualities of bubble wrap by using it as a learning tool! Write letters or numbers onto colored stickers, and place each sticker on a bubble. Then let your preschoolers’ take turns popping the bubbles that correspond to the letter or number you’ve called out. 

Learn More: Meaningful Mama

18. Cotton Ball Fun

Hone your kiddies’ fine motor skills with this simple activity! Grab some cotton balls and an empty container and have them place the balls into the container. This is a fantastic way to develop their fine motor skills as well as discuss relevant vocabulary such as ‘soft, squishy, and white’.

Learn More: The Stay-At-Home Mom Survival Guide

19. Make a Block Tower

There are so many ways to incorporate learning with blocks. You can challenge your kiddos to match base colors, practice their counting skills, or just let their imagination run wild while developing color recognition and matching skills. The possibilities are endless!

Learn More: No Time for Flash Cards

20. Try Painting With Rolling Pins

Experiment with bubble wrap and paint! Have your kiddies combine rolling pins and bubble wrap to create a fun, inventive, and super-engaging painting project. The final effect is textured and vibrant, making for a beautiful display or keepsake.

Learn More: Teaching 2 and 3-Year-Olds

21. Animal Sound Game

Engage your little ones’ senses and memory with this Animal Sound Game. You can play the sounds of various animals and have them guess which animal it is. Not only does it familiarize them with different animals, but it also develops their listening skills.

Learn More: Educagaming

22. Sock Puppets Show

Create easy sock puppets using old socks! Encourage your kiddos to get creative by attaching buttons and yarn, and using fabric markers to create their puppets. Then let them create stories and perform a little puppet show! This boosts creativity and storytelling abilities, providing endless entertainment.

Learn More: Children’s Museum of Sonoma County

23. Shadow Puppets on the Wall

Turn off the lights, grab a flashlight, and let the fun begin! Show your preschoolers how to make hand shapes to project fun shadows on the wall, sparking imagination while developing their fine motor skills. From barking dogs to fluttering birds, the shapes you can make are endless!

Learn More: Drama 4 Kids

24. Hide and Seek with Soft Toys

Ready or not, here I come! Play a whole-class game of hide-and-seek by hiding various toys around the room and guiding your kiddos to find each one. This game enhances their observation skills and develops their positional vocabulary of words like under, above, and behind.

Learn More: Find Me Friends

25. Musical Bumps

Play some music and encourage your kids to dance around and burn off some of that energy! When the music stops, they have to sit down as quickly as possible. This energetic game helps to refine their reaction times and gives them a fun dose of physical activity. Let’s get dancing!

Learn More: Party G a mes 4 Kids

26. DIY String Bead Necklaces

Get creative with this necklace-making idea! Give your kiddies large, colorful beads and string, and have them thread their own necklaces. This super creative activity promotes fine motor skills and pattern recognition while giving them the chance to make something they can actually wear!

Learn More: Thimble and Twig

27. Nature Scavenger Hunt

Take the fun outside! Lead your little learners on a walk outside and give them a list of items to find. As they collect leaves, pinecones, and flowers, they’ll be honing their observational abilities and learning all about the great outdoors! 

Learn More: Green Child Magazine

28. Bubble Blowing Fiesta

Challenge your kiddos to build a tower of bubbles! Mix some soap solution and let them use bubble blowers and straws of various shapes and sizes to try and create their bubbly creations! Who will be able to create the tallest tower?

Learn More: Happy Hooligans

29. Dress-Up Relay

On your marks, get set, go! Lay out various clothing items and challenge your preschoolers to dress up as fast as they can. It’s a fun way to improve their self-dressing skills and understand different types of clothing. As a bonus, they’re sure to find the resulting wacky outfits hilarious!

Learn More: Healthy Kids

30. Jump the Stream

Practice jumping with this fun, play-pretend game! Place two ropes or strings a short distance apart on the floor, to create a “stream.” Then, encourage your kiddos to jump across without falling into the water. You can adjust the distance for difficulty, helping them develop their gross motor skills and sense of distance. 

Learn More: YouTube

31. Feather Balance

Give your kids a feather each and challenge them to stand it upright and balance it on their hands. They’ll need to focus and move around to keep the feather from falling over! This fun game is a super way to teach patience and concentration.

32. DIY Sensory Bins

Spark curiosity with a sensory bin! Start by filling a container with items like rice, beans, or sand, then hide small toys inside for your little ones. They’ll spend hours digging to discover and play with all the hidden toys. These are a fantastic way to introduce a new theme or topic!

Learn More: Little Bins for Little Hands

33. Sticky Spider Web

Let your kiddos practice their aim with this sticky spider web activity! Create your web with painter’s tape, then give them lightweight balls or paper to throw and stick to the web. What a great game to develop their motor skills and hand-eye coordination!

Learn More: My Baba

34. Paper Airplane Challenge

Introduce your littlest learners to basic physics and aerodynamics concepts with this simple activity! Show them how to fold paper planes together and then hold a competition to see whose can fly the furthest or highest! Have them decorate their planes to make things even more exciting! Learn More: Science Friday

• Math for Kids
• Parenting Resources
• ELA for Kids
• Teaching Resources

How to Teach Long Division to Kids in 6 Easy Steps

15 Famous Mathematicians in History That Kids Should Know

11 Best Multiplication Apps for Kids

How to Teach Number Formation in 5 Easy Steps

13 Best Resources for Math Videos for Kids: Math Made Fun

12 Best Funny Short Stories for Kids to Read in 2024

6 Best Alternatives to Public Schooling: A Guide for Parents

How to Cope With Test Anxiety in 12 Easy Ways

Developmental Milestones for 4 Year Olds: The Ultimate Guide

Simple & Stress-Free After School Schedule for Kids of All Ages

12 Best Spelling Apps For Kids in 2024

How to teach parts of speech: 15 fun ways for kids.

How to Teach Letter Recognition in 6 Easy Steps

20 Fun Limericks for Kids

How to Improve Reading Comprehension: Strategies & Tips

12 Best Tips for Substitute Teachers

30 Best Classroom Reward Ideas for Elementary Students

12 Best Websites for English Teachers

10 Best Game-Based Learning Platforms for Kids

60 Fun Animal Facts for Kids

15 Best Learning Activities for Your 3 Year Old Preschooler

5 Fun Developmental Activities for 3-Year-Olds

5 indoor activities for 3-year-olds, 5 engaging art activities for 3-year-olds, how educational activities transform kids’ lives.

Toddlers are very active and always on the go! As a parent, it can be tough to keep up with their energy levels. However, it’s important to find ways to keep your toddler occupied and engaged and learning!

Here are 15 activities for 3-year-olds that are both fun and educational:

1. Recognizing Letters and Sounds

Learning activities for 3-year-olds are most fun when they are dressed up as family games, pretend plays, or become parts of our daily activities and observations. Recognizing letters and their sounds is one such activity that can be done in several ways.

Things you need:

A whiteboard or chalkboard, some colored markers or chalk. You can also use letter cards, board games, or online games for kids .

How to play:

You can play games where you write a letter on the board and teach your child to read it. Preschoolers can start learning both uppercase and lowercase letters . If they get it right, give them a point. If not, give them a clue and let them try again.

You can also play the “sound it out” game. Write a letter on the board and ask your child to make the sound it makes. Again, if they get it right, give them a point. If not, give them a clue and let them try again.

Pointing to letters written somewhere as you go about your day—a cereal box, a signboard, a magazine, etc.—is also an easy activity to help your child learn to read them. Children can also trace letters with their fingers on the sand, match uppercase and lowercase letters, erase letters on a chalkboard, etc. 

If you are busy, play some alphabet songs for your toddler to dance or let them play some online English games .

Skills your preschooler will learn:

Letter recognition, phonemic awareness, letter sounds

SplashLearn: Most Comprehensive Learning Program for PreK-5

SplashLearn inspires lifelong curiosity with its game-based PreK-5 learning program loved by over 40 million children. With over 4,000 fun games and activities, it’s the perfect balance of learning and play for your little one.

2. Reading with Your Child

Reading books with your child is one of the best things you can do for their development. Not only does it improve language skills, but it also helps them learn sight words, develop their imagination, and understand the world around them.

Books that are appropriate for your child’s age and interests, such as picture books, easy readers, etc.

Sit down with your child and read a book together. You can take turns reading the pages or have your child read the whole book to you.

Books for toddlers should be short and have many pictures supporting the story. This will help keep their attention span, and they will be more likely to understand the concepts in the book.

Read word by word, pointing to each word with your finger, and ask inferential questions based on how, why, what, when, and where to encourage the thinking skills in kids .

Language skills, sight words , attention span, comprehension, memory, imagination

3. Making Up Stories

Children love to listen to and tell stories, and this is an activity that can be done anywhere, anytime. It’s the perfect thing to do in a car while traveling, at bedtime, or even while waiting in line at the grocery store.

None! Just your child’s imagination

Have your child make up a story, either on their own or with your help. Encourage them to use their imagination and be as creative as they want. If they get stuck, you can prompt them with questions or ideas. You may also correct their grammar along the way, but it’s important to let them be creative and have fun with this activity.

If your child is stumped, set an example by asking them for three or four words and make a story that uses all of them. For instance, if they give you the words “cat,” “green,” “ball,” and “tree,” you could make up a story about a green cat that climbs a tree to fetch a ball.

Eventually, you can give words to your child and have them make up a story using those words.

Creativity, imagination, storytelling, communication

4. Playing a Number Game

Offline and online, math can be fun for kids if it’s taught interactively and creatively. Playing the number sense games is one such activity that will help your child learn numbers, counting, and basic arithmetic operations in a fun and engaging way.

A whiteboard or a chalkboard, some colored markers or chalk. You can also use games focusing on numbers and counting, such as board games, card games, etc. Online math games are also available.

There are many games that you can play with your child to help him learn numbers and math concepts. One such game is the “guess the number” game. Write down a number between 1 and 10 on the board, and ask your child to guess it. If he gets it right, give him a point. If not, give him a clue and let him have another try.

You can also play the “greater than or less than” game. Write down two numbers on the board, such as 3 and 5, and ask your child which number is greater. If he gets it right, give him a point. If not, give him a clue and let him try again.

Numbers , counting , and basic arithmetic operations include addition , subtraction , multiplication , and division .

5. Sorting Activities

Sorting is a fun activity that helps children learn about different attributes such as size, shape, color, etc. It also helps them develop problem-solving skills.

Various objects can be sorted according to size, shape, color, etc. You can use blocks, balls, toy cars, berries, buttons, etc.

Let your child choose a few objects and ask him to sort them according to size, shape, color, etc. For example, they can sort blocks by size or toy cars by color. As they sort the objects, help them identify the attribute they use for sorting.

Sorting, categorizing, and problem-solving.

Check out the best sensory activities for 3-year-olds you can try!

One of the favorite preschool activities for 3-year-olds is drawing. At this point, the artistic skills of a child are not really important. Drawing is a fun activity for toddlers to express themselves, work on their fine motor skills, and have fun!

Paper, crayons, markers, colored pencils

Sit with your child and encourage them to draw whatever comes to mind. You can also give some drawing ideas to kids , such as “Draw a picture of your family,” “Draw a picture of your favorite animal,” etc. You may make a drawing and ask your child to trace it or copy it.

Creativity, fine motor skills, imagination, attention span

7. Building with Blocks

One of the easy, no-mess activities for 3-year-olds at home is to let them build with blocks. It is amazing how much fun and creative they can be with this simple activity.

Blocks are also a great way for children to learn about shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns.

Blocks of various shapes and sizes

Let your child play with the blocks freely or give him or her some challenges, such as “build a tower as tall as you can,” “make a house for your favorite stuffed toy,” etc.

Creativity, imagination, problem-solving, eye-hand coordination, shapes, colors, patterns

8. Paper Cutting with Safety Scissors

Children feel empowered with a tool in their hands. And they are so proud of themselves when they can cut the paper!

Paper, safety scissors, craft supplies like pom poms, googly eyes (optional)

Give your child a piece of paper and let him or her cut it any way they want. If you like, you can also give some challenges, such as “cut out a circle,” “make a snowflake,” etc. You can help your child decorate the cutouts with craft supplies if desired.

Fine motor skills, creativity, imagination, attention span

*Please note that only safety scissors should be used for this activity. Regular scissors are too sharp for little ones.*

9. Doing Daily Chores

You’ll be surprised at all the things your toddlers can do if only you let them try. Giving them some simple chores to do not only helps them learn some valuable life skills but also makes kids feel proud and accomplished.

Chores that are appropriate for your child’s age and abilities, such as making their bed, dusting furniture, setting the table, etc.

Choose a chore that you would like your child to help with. Then, show them how to do it and let them try it themselves. Some of the chores that a 3-year-old can do may require some assistance or supervision, but it’s important to let them explore their capabilities and try new things.

A toddler can easily be overwhelmed with too many chores, so it’s important to start small. Choose one or two simple tasks that you know your child can handle. As they get older and more capable, you can give them more chores to do. Remember to praise them for a job well done!

Daily living skills, responsibility, independence, pride, satisfaction

10. Role-playing

What’s funnier than seeing a tiny toddler acting like a fat aunt or an old grandpa? Role-plays are one of the best activities for 3-year-olds as they help them learn about different emotions, people, and situations.

None! Just your child’s imagination. A few props like a walking stick, a hat, a lady’s purse, or a wig could come in handy to help set the scene.

Have your child choose a character that he or she would like to play. It could be anyone—a family member, a friend, a cartoon character, an animal, etc. Then, encourage them to act out the part. They can speak differently, use props, and do whatever they want to bring the character to life. Children learn to observe people around them and understand their emotions in this way.

Creativity, imagination, emotional intelligence, communication, problem-solving

Check out the best outdoor activities for 3-year-olds here!

11. Playing Dress Up

Dress-up games are not gender-specific. Most children love them! This activity helps 3-year-olds use their imagination, learn about social norms and roles, and have lots of fun!

Old clothes, hats, scarves, jewelry, etc., can be used as dress-up items. You can also use old sheets or towels to make capes or skirts. You can also use actual costumes if you have them.

Let your child choose what they want to be, and then help them get dressed in the appropriate clothing. If you like, you can also act out a play or story together with your child in their new costume.

Creativity, imagination, role-playing, problem-solving

12. Making Music with Household Items

This is one of the fun activities for 3-year-olds that can be done with items that you already have around the house. It’s a great way to introduce your child to music and help them develop a sense of rhythm.

Household items that can be used as musical instruments, such as pots and pans, plastic containers, wooden spoons, etc. You can also use actual musical instruments if you have them.

Let your child choose what he or she wants to use as an instrument. Then, encourage them to make music with it however they want. You can also sing along or dance to the music!

Music skills, sense of rhythm, gross motor skills, creativity, imagination

13. Making Art with Thumb , Hand, or Foot Impressions

Most toddlers do not know how to go about making an art piece. But they love to play a role in helping make one! This activity allows them to do just that, resulting in a beautiful piece of art that you can hang on your fridge or wall.

Non-toxic paint, paper, and something to use as a stamp (such as potato, carrot, or eraser)

Let your child choose what paint color he or she wants to use. Then, help them make a thumbprint, handprint, or footprint on the paper. You can also make patterns with stamps by carving a shape into a potato, carrot, or eraser. Once the paint is dry, you can hang up the artwork!

Creativity, imagination, fine motor skills, color recognition

14. Creating a Collage

A collage is a great way for toddlers to express their creativity. They can make amazing birthday cards with photo collages, make wall-hanging art, or have fun tearing up paper and gluing it back together!

Paper, safety scissors, glue, and any other materials you want to use for the collage (such as tissue paper, construction paper, feathers, buttons, ribbons, etc.)

Let your child choose what they want to use for their collage. Then, help them cut out the paper or other materials into small pieces. Once they have a good pile of pieces, they can glue them down onto another piece of paper. You can help them with this if needed.

Creativity, imagination, fine motor skills, color recognition, pattern-making

15. Drawing with Chalk on the Sidewalk

If you live in a safe neighborhood, your children can display their artistic skills outside the home by drawing with chalk on the sidewalk or driveway. This activity is great for gross motor skills and allows you to teach your child about shapes, colors, and patterns.

Chalk in various colors

Let your child choose what color of chalk he or she wants to use. Then, help them draw a picture or make patterns on the sidewalk. You can also join in and create your own chalk masterpiece!

Educate children about different cultures where making art to decorate entrance gates and doorways is a tradition. Indians make rangoli, Chinese make a dragon or zodiac animal drawings, while in the Philippines, it is common to see people painting on bamboo mats called banig . In this way, you can introduce your toddlers to other cultures.

Creativity, imagination, gross motor skills, shapes, colors, pattern-making

A study on Chinese children found that organized extracurricular activities (EAs) are strongly associated with early reading, math, and social skills. Another study indicated that the involvement of parents in preschool children’s learning activities at home during the COVID-19 pandemic was beneficial to kids’ learning behavior and emotional health. 

These studies seem to suggest that any activity that encourages learning, socialization, and creativity would benefit our little ones and shape them into more confident, woke, and aware individuals. 

Some benefits of educational activities for 3-year-olds are:

• They help develop cognitive skills, including problem-solving, memory, and attention span.
• EAs also nurture social skills such as cooperation, empathy, and communication.
• These activities can also boost self-esteem and confidence in children.
• Fun and educational activities are also great for developing gross and fine motor skills.

So go ahead and try out some educational activities with your 3-year-old today! You might just be surprised at how much they enjoy it—and how much they learn from it too.

Explore more online educational resources for kids to aid their learning experience.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How to choose a good educational activity for my 3 year old.

When choosing an activity for your 3-year-old, it is important to consider their interests, abilities, and attention span. You also want to ensure the activity is developmentally appropriate and safe. If you are unsure whether an activity is appropriate for your child, you can always consult their pediatrician or a child development expert.

How can I get my toddler to sit still and focus on an activity?

This can be a challenge for many parents! One tip is to try to find activities that your child is interested in and that they enjoy doing. Also, make sure you provide plenty of breaks during the activity so that your child doesn’t become overwhelmed or frustrated. Finally, praise your child when they display good behavior so that they know that you are pleased with their efforts.

How to help my toddler express their creativity?

There are many ways in which you can help your toddler express their creativity. One way is to provide plenty of opportunities for them to explore different materials and mediums, such as crayons, paint, clay, etc. You can also encourage them to sing, dance, or act out stories. And finally, make sure to praise their efforts and creativity, no matter what the outcome may be.

12 Best Social Skills Activities for Kids of All Ages

12 Best Pattern Activities for Preschoolers in 2024

15 Best Movement Activities for Preschoolers in 2024

• Pre-Kindergarten
• Kindergarten

Most Popular

15 Best Report Card Comments Samples

117 Best Riddles for Kids (With Answers)

40 Best Good Vibes Quotes to Brighten Your Day

Recent posts.

Math & ELA | PreK To Grade 5

Kids see fun., you see real learning outcomes..

Watch your kids fall in love with math & reading through our scientifically designed curriculum.

Parents, try for free Teachers, use for free

• Games for Kids
• Worksheets for Kids
• Math Worksheets
• ELA Worksheets
• Math Vocabulary
• Number Games
• Addition Games
• Subtraction Games
• Multiplication Games
• Division Games
• Addition Worksheets
• Subtraction Worksheets
• Multiplication Worksheets
• Division Worksheets
• Times Tables Worksheets
• Reading Games
• Writing Games
• Phonics Games
• Sight Words Games
• Letter Tracing Games
• Reading Worksheets
• Writing Worksheets
• Phonics Worksheets
• Sight Words Worksheets
• Letter Tracing Worksheets
• Prime Number
• Order of Operations
• Long multiplication
• Place value
• Parallelogram
• SplashLearn Success Stories
• SplashLearn Apps
• [email protected]

© Copyright - SplashLearn

Make study-time fun with 14,000+ games & activities, 450+ lesson plans, and more—free forever.

Parents, Try for Free Teachers, Use for Free

Joyful learning starts here!

Inspire a lifetime of learning and discovery with our free, fun educational program for children ages two to eight.

100% FREE! No ads, no subscriptions.

Kids will love to learn.

Focused on the whole child

Our program engages kids in core subjects like early literacy, reading, writing, language, and math, while encouraging creativity and building social-emotional skills.

Five whimsical, charming characters—including narrator Kodi Bear—guide kids through activities and stories.

Original interactive activities, books, animated videos, games, and creative lessons captivate children’s attention. 

Developed by experts 

Khan Academy Kids was developed in collaboration with learning experts at Stanford and aligned with the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework and Common Core Standards.

You’ll never see ads. You’ll never need a subscription. 

Adaptive Learning Path

Our personalized learning path dynamically adapts, ensuring each child is presented with activities, books, educational videos, and creative lessons that allow them to learn at their own pace, creating an individualized experience for every learner.

Independent Learning

Kids can also learn independently in the Khan Academy Kids Library—a curated collection of activities, books, videos, and coloring pages. Our book reader allows kids to follow along with recorded audio narration or read on their own across our fiction, non-fiction, and fiction leveled books.

Parents love us.

“Every day I am amazed @khanacademykids is free, and I am so grateful for how much it has contributed to my kid’s development.”

J. Hernandez, via Twitter

“Parents: If you are looking for an educational app for your 2-5 yr old, download @khanacademykids - seriously most research-based, engaging, non-annoying app.  AND IT’S FREE.”

T. Peltier, via Twitter

“ My 4-year old is working on @khanacademy’s app @khanacademykids this morning and loving it. The combo of school facts along with social/emotional content is outstanding. ”

M. Nemerow, via Twitter

Award-winning program.

Download the app!

Our Partners

© 2024  Khan Academy Kids  |   Terms of use   |   Privacy policy  | Cookie preferences

100% FREE! No ads. No subscriptions.

Joyful 

You’ll never see ads. You’ll never need a subscription.

Unique for every learner.

Kids can also learn independently in the Khan Academy Kids Library—a curated collection of activities, books, videos, and coloring pages. Our book reader allows kids to follow along with recorded audio narration or read on their own across our fiction, non-fiction and fiction leveled books.

“ My 4-year old is working on @khanacademykids this morning and loving it. The combo of school facts along with social/emotional content is outstanding. ”

© 2024  Khan Academy Kids   Terms of use   |   Privacy policy  |  Cookie policy

Get free summer learning activities!  Click here to sign up.

Get free summer learning activities!  Sign up.

What's new.

Camp Khan Kids

Fun summer learning program for kids ages 2-8. Learn more

Teacher Tools

Schools and Districts

Powerful new tools for teachers. Learn more  

Get support for your PreK-2nd grade classrooms. Learn more

Studies show Khan Academy Kids boosts pre-literacy skills. Learn more  

Fun, educational off-screen family activities. Learn more

Circle Time

YouTube videos with interactive stories and lessons. Learn more

Play free online toddler games and games for babies!

Online games for babies to play using keyboard or touchscreen.

Free Educational games for babies and kids. We have created the most beautiful and popular online games for kids, babies and young children available to play for free. Our aim is to provide a safe and recommended free website dedicated for kids, crafted with love and offering the best online learning benefits for toddlers, babies, and preschoolers.

Toddler Games to point and Click (PC) or Tap (Mobile)

We believe that learning should be a fun and enjoyable experience for children. Therefore, our online and free educational activities for kids 1-2-3-4-5-years old are designed with the most beautiful drawings to play and captivate their imagination and foster their cognitive and motor skills.

Free Toddler Games: dragging and dropping

From online puzzles for kids and colorful memory games to paint drawing activities for 1-2-3-4-5-years old and educational activities for children, our online collection offers a wide variety of options to keep young minds stimulated and entertained.

Toddler games online to move and direct the mouse or to swap the finger on touchscreens

We have carefully designed each online educational game for kids to be age-appropriate, ensuring that it caters to the developmental needs and interests of preschoolers and young children with the most beautiful drawings.

Toddler Online Games: Coloring and Painting Games

Online activities for kids and preschoolers. In addition to the captivating gameplay, our free website for 1-2-3-4-5-years old also provides a user-friendly interface that is easy for young children to navigate independently.

4 pieces jigsaw puzzles for toddlers: by dragging and dropping

At our free website for kids, we understand the importance of providing a secure online environment for children to explore, play, and learn. Safety of children 1-2-3-4-5-years old is our utmost priority, and we have implemented stringent measures to ensure a secure browsing educational experience for children.

Online Games for Toddlers: Maze Games

We take pride in the positive feedback we receive from parents and educators who have witnessed the developmental benefits our free educational games provide. Our online website offers a wide array of online activities for 1-2-3-4-5-years old young children, with the best drawings and completely free to play.

Free Online Memory Games for Toddlers

From enhanced problem-solving abilities to improved hand-eye coordination, our free activities for kids 1-2-3-4-5-years old have proven to be effective tools for early childhood learning.

Welcome to HappyClicks.net, a website full of entertaining, toddler games and baby games online.

Happy Clicks features a collection of free interactive online educational activities designed with the most beautiful drawings for babies , toddlers , and preschool kids , with brightly colored effects that will keep them delighted. Here, you will find interactive online activities that parents can enjoy playing with their babies and toddlers. These free toddler games are simple to play, and preschool kids can enjoy playing them on their own. Fun and free, our games make learning more enjoyable for your baby, toddler, and preschooler. Our activities are a great way to learn new skills. Additionally, Happy Clicks provides an opportunity for you to spend quality time playing with your toddler or baby.

Our free online games for toddlers are entertaining for everyone.

You may be surprised at how early your son and/or daughter can point, click, and navigate their way through enjoyable activities . The activities are interactive and simple, making learning fun with the coolest drawings. All the online games for babies and toddlers (1-2-3-4-5-year-old) on this site are free. Mothers and fathers can enjoy playing with their toddler or preschooler .

Kids, preschoolers, toddlers, babies, parents , and everyone in your family will find lots of original educational online games for toddlers and baby games . Here, you will find free coloring pages , toddler maze games , memory games for preschoolers , keypress games for babies , point and click games , and many more to play with your baby or toddler.

Play and learn with your child online!

Watch Our Videos! Fun Videos for Babies and Toddlers 1 year, 2 year, 3 year old.

Videos for 3-Year-Olds

• Printable worksheets
• Educational videos
• Learning games

171 results

171 filtered results

• Kindergarten
• World around Us
• English Language Arts
• Social Studies
• Logic and Early Math
• Foundational Reading
• English as a Second Language
• Fairy Tales
• English Language Arts  
• Math  
• Social Studies  
• Science  

Introducing our delightful collection of educational videos crafted specifically for the curious minds of 3-Year-Olds! Each video is designed to captivate and educate, blending vibrant animations with engaging storytelling to spark imagination and foster a love of learning. From exploring colors, shapes, and numbers to embarking on interactive story adventures, our videos promote critical thinking and creativity in a fun, accessible format. Perfect for preschoolers, this series encourages early learning milestones through playful content, tailored to the developmental stage of 3-Year-Olds. Dive into our educational videos and watch your little ones grow and learn with joy!

In today's digital age, where educational resources are more accessible than ever, children have an incredible opportunity to supplement their learning beyond traditional classroom settings. Our educational videos for 3-Year-Olds are specifically designed to tap into the vast potential of early childhood development, making learning not just effective but also genuinely enjoyable for young minds.

For 3-Year-Olds, every day is a new adventure, filled with endless questions and curiosities about the world around them. At this tender age, children are not just learning; they're embarking on a journey of discovery that will lay the foundational stones for their future academic endeavors and personal growth. Recognizing the importance of these formative years, our educational videos are crafted to cater to the unique learning styles and developmental needs of 3-year-olds.

One of the foremost advantages of our educational videos for 3-Year-Olds is their ability to capture and retain the attention of young learners. Through a blend of vibrant colors, captivating animations, and engaging storytelling, we transform learning into an exciting activity rather than a mundane task. This immersive approach not only enhances the learning experience but also fosters a love for acquiring new knowledge.

Moreover, our videos are meticulously designed to promote cognitive development, language skills, and basic numeracy in 3-year-olds. By incorporating interactive elements and repetitive learning techniques, children are encouraged to participate actively, reinforcing their understanding and retention of new concepts. This interactive approach aligns with the natural learning inclinations of 3-year-olds, who learn best through play and exploration.

Social and emotional development is another critical aspect of early childhood that our educational videos address. Through stories and scenarios that 3-year-olds can relate to, our videos teach valuable lessons about empathy, cooperation, and problem-solving. These lessons are crucial in helping children navigate their social environments, whether it's in the playground, at home, or in preschool.

In addition to fostering academic and social skills, our educational videos for 3-Year-Olds are designed with parental involvement in mind. We understand that parents are the primary educators of their children, and our videos serve as a tool to facilitate meaningful learning interactions between parents and their children. By watching the videos together, parents can guide their children through the learning process, discuss new concepts, and encourage questions, further enriching the educational experience.

Safety and appropriateness are paramount in our content creation process. Parents can have peace of mind knowing that our educational videos for 3-Year-Olds are free from any inappropriate content, ensuring a safe and conducive learning environment for their children.

In conclusion, our educational videos for 3-Year-Olds are more than just a learning resource; they are a gateway to a world of discovery and imagination. By leveraging the power of multimedia, we aim to nurture curious minds, inspire a lifelong love for learning, and equip children with the foundational skills they need to thrive in their academic journey and beyond. As we continue to innovate and expand our library of educational content, we remain committed to supporting parents and educators in unlocking the full potential of every child.

Related Worksheet

You'll be able to manage the favorite spreadsheets list.

You’ll be able to hide/mark the accomplished tasks.

• School / District Account
• Family Account
• 2 PDF worksheets per day
• Interactive worksheets
• Targeted ads
• KidsAcademy ads

$ 1.99 / month

• Printable and interactive worksheets
• Learning videos
• Ad-free browsing

$9.99 / month

• 7000+ online learning activities
• Curriculum created by education experts!

Cancel anytime

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

• Backchannel
• Newsletters
• WIRED Insider
• WIRED Consulting

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

Scott Gilbertson

11 Great Games to Educate and Entertain Your Kids at Home

If you're stuck inside and your kids are climbing the walls, but you aren't yet ready to let them watch Netflix from dawn to dusk, well, I don't blame you. Here are some games that are sometimes called "edutaining." Think of them as fun games that also teach something, but in a way your kids probably won't notice.

I do suggest setting some screen time limits before handing your children a device, but with these options you can at least rest assured that your kids are learning something.

If you buy something using the links in our stories, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Here’s how this works . You can also support our reporting and reviewing by purchasing a 1-year print + digital WIRED subscription for $5 (Discounted) .

Ages 6-12 ( Computer , iOS , Android )

Animal Jam is an online virtual world originally created in collaboration with the National Geographic Society. It teaches kids about zoology and ecology with games, adventures, and parties and online social elements. With 160 million registered users, this is one of the largest virtual worlds for kids. If the online play gives you pause, know that the parental controls are pretty good, allowing you to lock down the game if you desire.

Ages 5 and up on Nintendo Switch ( GameStop , Amazon )

By Christopher Solomon

By Julian Chokkattu

By Nena Farrell

This is a great game that encourages spacial thinking and unique puzzle solving. Kids can pilot Toad through courses based on the Super Mario Odyssey game while hunting down treasures and solving puzzles.

This math-based role-playing game is free to play. Kids proceed through the game by answering skill-building math questions to earn rewards. There's an interactive element, too; they can go on quests with friends. The difficulty levels increase as your kids make progress in the game.

Ages 3-8 ( iOS , Android )

This physics puzzle game features rolling aliens that teach your kids about acceleration, buoyancy, gravity, and more. Like games of yesteryear, there are no ads, no in-app purchases, and it doesn't need an internet connection.

Ages 4 and Up ( Computer , iOS , Android )

Tinybop has dozens of learning-oriented apps and we've been fans for years . You can purchase them in bundles for iPhone or iPad (Android users there is one Tinybop bundle in the Play Store which has six games.) My kids love the Curiosity Kit ($16) , which includes apps about the human body, animal anatomy, and space. Tinybop is currently offering its Tinybop Schools subscription , which features ten science apps and classroom support, for free through the summer to help out parents and kids while schools are closed (no credit card required).

Ages 4 and Up ( iOS , Android )

Dragonbox games are primarily math-related, though they also partnered with chess champ Magnus Carlsen to create Magnus' Kingdom , a chess-learning game that's been very popular in my house. It uses an adventure-style approach to teach kids about different chess pieces and how to play. I strongly suggest picking up a real-world chess board (I like this no-stress chess board for beginners $18 ) as well. Your kids will ask for it. Trust me.

Ages 3 and Up ( Computer , iOS , Android )

It's time you let delightful animated monsters teach your kids everything from basic ABCs to complex sentences. It has puzzle games with talking letters and well-illustrated definitions to help your child learn to read. Originator, the publisher of Endless Alphabet , has many other games as well , including Endless Reader , which helps kids learn sight words, and Endless Spanish which helped my kids significantly improve their Spanish vocabulary.

Ages 4-6 ( Computer )

This language, arts, and music learning site has dozens of games and activities to help your kids learn to read, add, subtract, and identify shapes.

Ages 4-8 ( iOS , Android )

PBS Kids has dozens of apps, many of them related to the shows on PBS Kids. If your kids like a particular show, they'll probably really engage with its related game, as well.

Ages 4 and Up ( iOS )

Stop-motion animation is a fun form of art that teaches patience. This animation app will help your kids start creating their own little animated masterpieces. The interface is reasonably simple, but it might require the help of an adult the first time through.

All ages ( Apple Podcasts for iOS , Google Podcasts for Android )

Check out our guide to kids' podcasts for some ideas on great podcasts that will keep your kids entertained. If you're a podcast fan yourself, you should try using Pocket Casts (great app). I suggest getting a separate podcast app for your kids, so there's no way they'll accidentally end up listening to any adult content you don't want them to hear.

March 25, 9 am: This story was updated to add links to the Tinybop Android app bundle.

WIRED is providing free access to stories about public health and how to protect yourself during the coronavirus pandemic . Sign up for our Coronavirus Update newsletter for the latest updates, and subscribe to support our journalism .

• Gear and tips to help you get through a pandemic
• The doctor who helped defeat smallpox explains what's coming
• Everything you need to know about coronavirus testing
• Don’t go down a coronavirus anxiety spiral
• How is the virus spread? (And other Covid-19 FAQs, answered)
• Read all of our coronavirus coverage here

Nena Farrell

Michael Calore

Andrew Watman

Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica

Julian Chokkattu

WIRED COUPONS

Save $7 To $23 On Turbo Tax Online

20% Off All H&R Block 2024 Tax Software | H&R Block Coupon

Enjoy $15 Off Your Orders With Instacart Coupon When You Spend $50

50% Off Your First Order Of $15+ With Code

Finish Line Coupon $15 Off $150 On Sneakers And More

Groupon Coupon: Extra 15% Off Any Size Order

Kindergarten Games Online

3 year old games.

✅  Educational games for 3 year olds online. Free online learning activities for teaching and learning. These free games for kids are computer games, interactive in nature and online to play, no download needed! PC Games are ideal to be used with children as a complement in learning, to reinforce the dynamics of teaching, by parents and teachers in the classroom or at home.

FARM ANIMALS Jigsaw for Kids

CHILDREN and SCHOOL PAINTING Online

TAP THE RAT Game

FIND ME: Where’s the Different One?

ZOO MEMORY Matching Game

DINOSAURS COLORING BOOK

MOVING MAZE Game for Kids

MONSTER BRAINS: Alphabetical Order Game for Kids

BABY PUZZLE: Jigsaw Puzzles for Babies and Toddlers

MATH DOODLE: Matching Pairs Game

Shadow Challenge: SEA ANIMALS

Autumn Vertical Jigsaw Puzzle

CLEAN OCEAN Game for Ki

ANIMAL SHAPES Puzzle Game

COUNT ANIMALS Up to 10

SHADOW GAME: Visual Perception

THE SOUND: Guess the Sound Game for Kids

ENGLISH ALPHABET GAME: Listening

Coloring Transports for Kids

PRESS THE LONGEST STICK

WHAT IS? Select the Object that Fits

SPOT THE ODD Object One Out

SHAPE PUZZLES with TRAINS to Fit’em

LABYRINTH ONLINE Game for Kids

SNOW SANTA Potato Head

SHAPES MATCHING PUZZLE Games for Christmas

LOFYS: Number Game for Kids

ONLINE COLORING for KIDS

SHAPE PUZZLES with ANIMALS online

5 Piece Animal Jigsaw Puzzle

GARDFIELD ABC Tracing

CATCH THAT CAT: Identical Cats on Halloween

BAT COLORING Online

COUNTING TO 10 Game Online

Find One MATCHING PAIR Game Online

DOMINO FOR KIDS (Preschool / 4-5 years old)

COLORS SEPARATION: Drag Color Game

Learn to Count in DIGIZOO

COUNT TO 10 Game for Kids

ANIMAL PIANO for Kids Online

COUNT UP TO 5: Animals & Colors

SHADOW MATCHING: Transportation Game

ART PIXEL: Coloring Game for Kids

WOODEN SHAPE PUZZLE Online

TRANSPORT SHADOW Matching Game

MAGIC SHOW: Find the Rabbit in the Hat

DINOSAURS, FIX the PATCH: Complete the Dinosaurs

PICK & MATCH: Memory Game for Kids

Free online educational activities for 3 year old boys and girls in preschool education, also called kindergarten. Young children stop being babies and begin to think creatively to solve problems at this age of three years. Although one of the most important senses at this age is touch, we can take advantage of these interactive activities to stimulate this creativity, in kindergarten or at home. Enjoy these virtual children’s games for 3 year olds, or include, as a teacher, these games in your classroom dynamics, online, without the need to download materials to your students’ computers or tablets. And they are free.

- KINDER MATH Games Online

Educational topics for 3 years.

• Hidden Object
• Same and Different
• Jigsaw Puzzles
• Animal Sounds
• Geometric Shapes
• Numbers 0-10
• Transportation
• Occupations

FUN GAMES for KIDS

• Car Games for Toddlers
• Dino Games for Kids
• Kids Board Games

What do children learn at age 3?

• Language: By age 3, children can speak in complete sentences and understand the meaning of basic words. They can follow simple directions, ask questions and participate in simple conversations. They can also learn new words and build their vocabulary. In the classroom, they can learn letters, starting with vowels.
• Math: At this age, children can begin to understand simple math concepts, such as counting to 10, identifying colors and shapes, and understanding the idea of “more” and “less”. They can also begin to learn about sequence and pattern.
• Visual discrimination: 3-year-olds can begin to distinguish between different shapes, sizes and colors. They can also begin to understand the idea of one-to-one correspondence, which means that an object has a partner or equal.
• Attention: 3-year-olds can focus on a task for a short period of time and can follow a sequence of activities. However, they can still be easily distracted and need guidance to maintain focus on an activity.
• Society: 3-year-olds can begin to understand the idea of social rules and expectations, such as appropriate behavior in public and the importance of sharing. They can also begin to grasp the idea of social relationships and how to interact with other children and adults.
• Science: 3-year-olds can begin to explore the natural world and learn about nature and animals. They can also begin to understand simple science concepts, such as gravity and cause and effect.

• --> PRESCHOOL

Login as parent/teacher to assign this.

Preschool Games

Preschool math games.

Preschool Language Arts Games

Preschool Science Games

Best preschool learning games online, how will preschool games online help my child learn, what skills will my child gain with online games, what are the best preschool games online, our educational resources.

• Area and Perimeter
• Multiplication
• Roman Numerals
• Subtraction
• Units of Measurement

Language Arts Games

• Capitalization
• Compound Words
• Conjunction
• Parts of Speech
• Preposition
• Punctuation
• Sight Words
• Word Family

Science Games

• Earth and Resources
• The Human Body
• Water Cycle
• Weather and Seasons
• Hangman Games
• Jigsaw Puzzles
• Picture Games
• Typing Games
• Word Search Games
• Geography Games

Advertisement

• Baby and kid

Some of the Best Online Learning Games for Kids

By Courtney Schley

To find our favorite learning apps and games for kids, we spent more than 40 hours researching and testing 50-plus apps recommended by educators, experts, and parents. If your family has a tablet and you want it to be more than a game-playing and video-watching device, or if you’re trying to find apps for your smartphone that will do more than keep your kids occupied in a pinch, we have some great suggestions.

As with our guides to STEM and learning toys, we didn’t test scores of apps to try to find the “best” ones. Rather, most of the apps here have been chosen by teachers for their students in classrooms, used by Wirecutter parents and their kids, or recommended by the experts and educators we spoke with. (For details, read more about how we selected the apps in this guide.) The apps we cover in this guide are great learning apps not because they’re designed to make kids smarter, to drill facts, or to replace in-school learning, but because they each offer something fun, unique, and interesting for kids and adults.

The research

Our favorite math apps, our favorite coding apps, our favorite science and exploration apps, our favorite social and emotional learning apps, our favorite ebook app, how we picked and tested.

These math games don’t simply drill facts or make kids memorize but rather use visuals, narratives, and storylines to help kids discover math concepts and build their skills. We like these apps because they offer games and exercises tailored to different ages and skill levels and because they encourage adults and kids to play together.

A family math app: Bedtime Math

Bedtime Math (iOS and Android)

Bringing math home.

This free app makes math a part of daily family life, like a bedtime story. A peer-reviewed study showed that it not only helps improve kids’ math performance but also makes parents feel more comfortable with math.

Buying Options

How it works: Bedtime Math ( iOS and Android ) seeks to do for math what the bedtime story does for literacy, by turning math into an enjoyable bonding routine between child and caregiver.

The free app offers a daily word problem for children to solve together with an adult during bedtime or anytime. Each exercise centers on a short narrative or interesting fact and poses questions at four difficulty levels, from pre-K through elementary school.

Why it’s great: Bedtime Math is one of the few children’s educational apps that have been evaluated in a peer-reviewed study . This particular study demonstrated that students who used the app significantly boosted their math scores; it also showed that Bedtime Math can help parents mitigate their own math anxiety , a phenomenon that can negatively affect their children’s attitudes toward math and their ability in the subject. Teacher Jennifer Auten told us she liked that the questions were written at a middle-school reading level, meaning an adult must facilitate the discussion but you have a choice of four levels of difficulty based on the child’s age and math level.

Apps for visual math: DragonBox Numbers and DragonBox Big Numbers

DragonBox Numbers (iOS, Android, and Amazon)

Visual numeracy.

Cute Nooms help kids visualize and conceptualize numbers and arithmetic operations.

DragonBox Big Numbers (iOS, Android, and Amazon)

More-complex arithmetic.

Kids follow characters called Nooms on adventures, solving long addition and subtraction equations in the process.

Ages: 4 to 8 and 6 to 9

How it works: DragonBox Numbers ( iOS , Android , and Amazon ), aimed at kids 4 through 8, introduces number sense, addition, and subtraction through cute characters called Nooms. (The characters are designed to resemble Cuisenaire rods , math learning aids that introduce kids to arithmetic operations in a hands-on way.) Kids feed, slice, and sort the Nooms, developing familiarity with addition, subtraction, fractions, and ranges. In DragonBox Big Numbers ( iOS , Android , and Amazon ), for kids 5 through 9, players follow the Nooms on more complex adventures, solving long addition and subtraction equations in order to gather and trade resources.

Why it’s great: The Nooms function as digital versions of what classroom teachers call math manipulatives , physical learning aids that help young children understand theoretical math concepts in a concrete way. For older kids, the DragonBox series continues on with algebra and Euclidean geometry.

Many great apps teach coding to kids as young as preschool and progressing through upper elementary grades. We’ve highlighted four of these apps because they’re particularly easy to get started with and don’t require reading or, for the child or the parent, a coding background. Regardless of what app they use, parents should think of coding apps as a family activity, said Pat Yongpradit of Code.org . “You will rarely have such a rich media experience as you can when coding with your kid,” he said.

Coding puzzles for beginners: Lightbot and Lightbot Jr

Lightbot (iOS and Android)

Coding puzzles.

The app’s simple puzzle challenges are easy to jump into for kids and adults with no previous coding experience.

Lightbot Jr (iOS and Android)

Coding puzzles for younger kids.

A slower-paced, easier set of puzzles for kids as young as preschool.

Ages: 9 and up (Lightbot); 4 to 8 (Lightbot Jr)

How it works: In Lightbot ( iOS and Android ), kids solve a series of simple puzzles by lining up commands that make a robot advance over obstacles and light up squares. As they master basic concepts, they add more-complex commands, such as conditionals, loops, and nested statements. Lightbot Jr ( iOS and Android ) follows a similar structure but at a slower pace and with simpler challenges that focus on reinforcing the basics. A minimal amount of reading is required, so pre-readers may need adult help at the beginning.

Why it’s great: Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a nonprofit educational organization that promotes and develops STEM curricula and resources, told us, “The best apps for young students without previous experience are those that teach and help build logic and reasoning skills [and] critical thinking skills, and provide brain teasers.” PLTW’s curriculum writers like the Lightbot and Lightbot Jr apps as ways to get kids as young as 4 started with the basic concepts and logical structures of coding.

A creative coding app: ScratchJr

ScratchJr (iOS, Android, and Amazon)

Visual programming.

Using graphical coding blocks, ScratchJr lets kids animate characters and create storylines.

Ages: 5 and up

How it works: In ScratchJr ( iOS , Android , Amazon ), kids select characters and backdrop scenes and drag graphical programming blocks, which snap together like puzzle pieces, to make animation sequences and storylines. Although the app has some written cues, the programming blocks largely use symbols (such as arrows and stop signs) to indicate what they do (such as move the character forward or make them stop). As kids become familiar with how to structure the code, they can create multi-scene stories.

Why it’s great: ScratchJr isn’t lesson-based (though you can consult a variety of curricula and tutorials for the app) but rather designed to give kids a sandbox in which to experiment, learn, and create through trial and error (the app offers sample animations as well). Pat Yongpradit of Code.org , which recommends ScratchJr among other coding apps and games, noted one particular benefit: “It’s very free-form; you’re not basically being directed down a particular path.” Younger kids will need an adult or older child to guide them as they get familiar with ScratchJr .

An app for hands-on coding: Osmo Coding Awbie

Osmo Coding (iOS)

Tangible coding.

The Osmo system uses physical game pieces in conjunction with the device’s screen, making scripting and coding tangible and accessible for pre-readers.

Ages: 5 to 12

How it works: Osmo Coding Awbie requires a base system—a stand and a mirror that attach to the device’s camera and that are compatible with other Osmo games —for the iPad , iPhone , and Amazon Fire . The system allows players to use physical pieces to interact with the screen-based game. Kids use bricks marked with commands, arrows, numbers, and loops to create scripts that direct a silly character through mazes and challenges, picking up prizes such as strawberries.

Why it’s great: Teacher Jennifer Auten, who uses Osmo Coding Awbie and other Osmo games in her classroom, said the fact that it combined an app with physical pieces made kids more patient and thoughtful as they worked through the challenges: “When something is purely on the screen, kids will sometimes end up just tapping as fast as they can, randomly guessing. With the manipulatives, it slows their thinking down.” Auten also noted that the physical pieces made it easier to play the game with multiple people, fostering discussion, collaboration, and group problem-solving. She also likes that Osmo Coding Awbie is open-ended: “Kids can explore and create their own paths.”

In this category we chose these three apps—focused on anatomy, the natural world, and space—because they offer kids unique, open-ended ways to explore science topics. Each app encourages kids to meander, linger, and dive deeper at their own pace.

An app to see what’s inside: The Human Body

The Human Body (iOS and Android)

Seeing what’s inside.

The Human Body offers a visually and aurally interesting way to wander through the body’s organs, systems, and functions.

How it works: In The Human Body ( iOS and Android ), kids explore anatomy by jumping around to different organs and systems—for example, watching a mouth chew food and swallow drink, sliding into a stomach breaking down food, and following flashing nerve signals as they race up to the brain.

Why it’s great: The Human Body focuses less on teaching kids specific anatomical lessons and more on sparking wonder and fascination toward the body and what it can do. The app’s engaging visuals are neither cartoonish nor graphic, and the thoughtful sound effects are as compelling and instructive as the animations: Gurgles, wooshes, creaks, and spurts give kids a visceral sense of what’s happening inside them. You can toggle on or off the text labels that identify the systems and organs, but no reading is required to get deep into the app, making it equally accessible to pre-readers.

An app for discovering nature: Toca Nature

Toca Nature (iOS, Android, and Amazon)

Natural-world building.

Toca Nature is an open-ended building app—similar to Minecraft—where kids can explore and shape the terrain, collect resources, and observe wildlife.

Ages: 4 and up

How it works: In Toca Nature ( iOS , Android , Amazon ), kids start with a simple plot of land where they can raise or lower mountains, create lakes, clear or plant forests, and make deserts. They can zoom in to different areas of their terrain to collect and distribute resources (like mushrooms, fish, or berries). As they change and shape the environment, different kinds of animals, plants, and fish will appear, multiply, migrate, or disappear.

Why it’s great: Similar to popular narrative-less building games like Minecraft , Toca Nature harnesses the enjoyment kids get from open-ended creating, wandering, and exploring games, with a unique focus on the natural world. Common Sense Media senior editor Christine Elgersma said that an app like Toca Nature doesn’t have explicit learning goals—it’s not trying to teach kids the names of animals or types of terrain, for example—but rather is “an exploratory app with experiences that a kid really couldn’t have off screen.” By creating and manipulating the environment, and then observing how the plant and wildlife change as a result, kids can see how animals, resources, and the environment interact.

An app for exploring space: Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System

Professor Astro Cat’s Solar System (iOS, Android, and Amazon)

Cats in space.

Explore the solar system with a jet-propelled cat.

Ages: 8 to 12, or 6 and up with an adult

How it works: Kids explore the app much as they would read a book, delving into facts, illustrations, and animations about planets, moons, stars, and space exploration. At various points, quizzes and other challenges let you earn sardine treats for Professor Astro Cat.

Why it’s great: Jana Grcevich , an astronomer, science educator, and author , told us she enjoyed the Professor Astro Cat app ( iOS , Android , and Amazon ), along with the popular book series it’s based on, with her then 6-year-old niece. The app requires reading, but the entertaining storyline and fascinating facts make it fun for adults along with younger children.

Social and emotional learning , which includes self-awareness, empathy, communication skills, and building relationships, among other capacities, has increasingly been recognized as a critical component of children’s education. These three apps let young kids explore different aspects of self-expression, emotions, and social play.

An app for self-expression: Me: A Kid’s Diary

Me: A Kid's Diary (iOS)

A digital diary.

This app lets kids explore self-expression through drawing, writing, photos, and audio and video.

Ages: 7 and up

How it works: Kids create a digital diary of their lives by answering questions about themselves; making avatars for family members, friends, and other loved ones; and designing their own media. Kids navigate all these entries on their Me Map, a sort of multimedia landscape of their lives.

Why it’s great: Me: A Kid’s Diary helps kids creatively document their feelings, experiences, and loved ones through different media and modes of expression. In some ways, the app offers an experience akin to social media—uploading photos, making videos, writing reflections, and mapping personal connections—but in an entirely closed environment (there’s no actual communication or sharing within the app). This can create a space for kids to start to explore (and for parents to discuss) digital self-expression and sharing.

An app for emotions: Daniel Tiger’s Grr-ific Feelings

Daniel Tiger's Grr-ific Feelings (iOS, Android, and Amazon)

Exploring emotions.

The beloved PBS character helps young kids identify, act out, and explore their feelings through games, songs and creative activities.

Ages: 2 to 5

How it works: Kids explore the familiar world of the PBS Kids series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood ( iOS , Android , Amazon ) through simple games, songs, and art activities that focus on identifying and exploring feelings and emotions. It offers different ways for kids to practice, talk about, and experience emotions, such as by drawing a picture, taking a photo of themselves feeling angry or happy, or practicing a calming exercise with Daniel Tiger.

Why it’s great: The app is simple and accessible for very young kids, with frequent verbal cues and reminders to help them through the easily navigable interface. “Even without the Daniel tie-in, it could actually still be a pretty successful app for teaching a lot of social, emotional, and self-care skills,” said Harry Sawyers, Wirecutter senior editor and father of three. “But having the familiar characters and songs really helps jump-start their interest if, for example, they ‘have to go potty—stop, and go right awaaaaay!’”

An app for social play: Toca Tea Party

Toca Tea Party (iOS)

Tea for two (or more).

Toca Tea Party presents the elements of a tea party—drinks, desserts, and dishes—for unstructured imaginative play.

Ages: 2 and up

How it works: Toca Tea Party couldn’t be simpler: You set a tea table with plates, cups, drinks, and treats for three guests, and the rest is up to your imagination. There’s no objective beyond pouring drinks, munching treats, and wiping up spills, and the app has a built-in end point: Once you’ve finished the snacks and beverages, the table clears itself and the dishes drop into a sink, ending the party.

Why it’s great: Toca Tea Party isn’t so much a game as a scene for unstructured imaginative and social play for young children. Kids can play alone (perhaps by inviting dolls or stuffed animals as guests) or with one or two others—a unique feature for a tablet game to pull off well. My two daughters, now 4 and 5, haven’t tired of Toca Tea Party after two years, and their play centers on chatting, pretending, and sharing.

An app for reading: Epic! ebook subscription

Epic! e-book subscription

Endless ebooks.

This app allows young readers to choose from up to 35,000 different books for a low monthly cost.

How it works: For $8 a month, kids gain access to some 35,000 children’s books in an intuitively designed app. Epic’s library is updated regularly with new titles, including classics and the site’s original content. Many of the picture books have a “Read to me” function, where a narrator reads the text aloud and the pages turn automatically. The app also suggests books by age and based on what a child has previously read, allowing kids to easily discover new titles at their reading level. Epic! works on iOS, Android and Microsoft tablets and smartphones.

Why it’s great: While some subscription kids’ e-book apps tend to be populated with the kinds of uninteresting titles you’d find in a bookstore bargain bin, Epic! offers an impressive library of children’s books, including many of the beloved classics and award-winning authors you’d find in a well-curated children’s library. (The Wizard of Oz, with the original 1900 illustrations, was one memorable find that gave us many nights of rapt bedtime reading.) The app is simple enough to use that both of my daughters can independently browse books by the cover art and find what interests them—even though they are both pre-readers. Fairy tales abound, but I’ve also found them paging through books about geology, Ramadan, and coding.

Since we began researching learning apps in 2016, we’ve spoken with a range of experts, including a classroom teacher, a child developmental psychologist, a pediatrician, an astronomer, education researchers, app developers, and others.

These have included Kathy Hirsh-Pasek , a professor of psychology at Temple University who has written about and conducted research studies on educational apps for young children; Jennifer Auten , an award-winning teacher in Cupertino, California, who has been using tablet and smartphone apps in her first- and second-grade curricula since the iPad was released in 2010; Christine Elgersma , senior editor, parent education, for Common Sense Media, an organization focused on children’s media; and Pat Yongpradit , chief academic officer at Code.org, a nonprofit that advocates for computer science education. Last, we’ve spoken with parents on our staff for recommendations of apps they and their kids love in categories such as science, music, and coding.

We read articles and reports from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and child developmental psychologists and educational researchers to learn about kids’ media use and about principles for designing learning apps. Finally, we read through reviews and ratings from well-regarded children’s media sites such as Common Sense Media .

Similar to what we found when researching learning toys , we discovered that developers and app stores often label apps as “educational” with little research or evidence, and few experts, to support those claims. In 2016, the AAP released a broad report on children’s use of digital media, calling for more-rigorous evaluation of apps that claim to be educational: “Unfortunately, very few of the commercially available apps found in the educational section of app stores have evidence-based design input with demonstrated learning effectiveness.” Similarly, in a 2015 article , Hirsh-Pasek writes that educational apps “present a significant opportunity for out-of-school, informal learning when designed in educationally appropriate ways” but notes later on that “[o]nly a handful of apps are designed with an eye toward how children actually learn.”

Experts are still studying what makes learning apps successful pedagogical tools, as well as fun and interesting activities for kids. But after speaking with experts, reading research, and trying out apps ourselves, we identified a few features that seem to be common among great learning apps.

• Offer unique experiences: Several of the experts we spoke to noted that a good educational app should offer children something they couldn’t simply do, learn, or explore in a classroom or the real world. If the app is “basically a worksheet on screen, [or] an experience that could be replicated off screen, then that’s not a good use of the screen,” Elgersma said. “You want it to be an experience that kids could really only have in that screen world.”
• Be open-ended, with limits: Most of the apps in this guide are open-ended in the sense that they encourage kids to independently explore, create, and navigate within the app. But researchers say it’s important to have built-in limits, as well. The AAP has pointed out that digital games have traditionally been designed with rewards and reinforcement designed to keep kids playing as long as possible. The organization recommends that learning apps instead have “automatic ‘stops’ as the default design to encourage children and caregivers to pause the game use and turn to the 3-dimensional world.”
• Be engaging but not distracting: Apps have great potential to engage children through interactive features, but some research has shown that too many bells and whistles can distract children or reduce their comprehension. A good learning app uses interactive, animated, and responsive features to engage kids or enhance their comprehension, not simply to entertain. Hirsh-Pasek has written that parents should evaluate an app’s interactive features and ask: “Do the enhancements actually add value and increase engagement, or do they cause distraction?”
• Encourage interaction: The AAP and other organizations say that learning apps that encourage real-life interaction among multiple people—adult and child, or child and peers—can be especially strong at facilitating learning. The apps in this guide are fun and interesting for kids and adults, and many foster conversation and play outside of the app itself.

As with our guide to learning toys , we focused primarily on apps aimed at kids 3 to 9 years old, though older kids can enjoy many of our recommendations, as well. We chose this age range because, as Hirsh-Pasek has written , “there are so many apps targeted toward [children in this range] that parents and educators do not know how to navigate the marketplace of possibilities.”

All the apps we recommend in this guide adhere to the FTC’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act . Among other things, COPPA requires that websites and apps directed at children under age 13 obtain permission from parents before collecting or sharing personal information from children, or targeting them with behavioral advertising. None of the apps in this guide require children to enter personal information in order to use the app’s functions, and none offer social media sharing or connectivity.

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, et al., Putting Education in “Educational” Apps: Lessons From the Science of Learning , Psychological Science in the Public Interest , April 20, 2015

Yolanda (Linda) Reid Chassiakos, et al., Children and Adolescents and Digital Media , Pediatrics , October 1, 2016

Jana Grcevich, PhD, astronomer, science educator, author , phone interview , December 1, 2016

Jennifer Auten, first- and second-grade teacher, Cupertino, California , phone interview , November 8, 2016

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD, professor of psychology, Temple University , phone interview , January 8, 2019

Christine Elgersma, senior editor, parent education, Common Sense Media , phone interview , March 12, 2019

Pat Yongpradit, chief academic officer, Code.org , phone interview , April 18, 2019

Meet your guide

Courtney Schley

Courtney Schley, a senior editor covering sleep and appliances, has been at Wirecutter since 2014. She has held several roles at Wirecutter, including research editor, as well as supervising editor of baby and kid coverage.

Further reading

Kids Exercise Videos to Help Keep Your Family Moving (and Sane)

by Ingrid Skjong

Free online exercise videos can help everyone from toddlers to teenagers stay active and calm during a coronavirus self-quarantine. These are our favorites.

How to Set Up a Remote Learning Space for Your Kids

by Melanie Pinola

With many schools closed this fall, it’s time to set up a remote schoolwork area for kids that’ll make learning a little easier.

These Four Video Games Are Fun for the Whole Family

by Haley Perry

If you’re looking for a video game for your next family game night, these are the games we recommend for all ages and skill levels.

8 Time-Tested Sidewalk Games We Love

by Dan Koeppel

Old-school games from the sidewalks of New York are still surprisingly fun—and require not much more than chalk.

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

100 Last-Day-of-School Activities Your Students Will Love!

50 STEM Activities for Kids of All Ages and Interests

Inspire the innovators of tomorrow.

These days, STEM learning is more important than ever. Science, technology, engineering, and math are the keys to many modern careers, so a good grounding in them from an early age is a must. The best STEM activities for kids are hands-on, leading students to cool innovations and real-world applications . Here are some of our favorites, with challenges and experiments that will really get kids thinking about how STEM plays a part in their everyday lives.

Want some quick challenges to try with elementary students? Get free printable stem challenge cards for grades K-5:

• Kindergarten STEM Challenges
• First Grade STEM Challenges
• Second Grade STEM Challenges
• Third Grade STEM Challenges
• Fourth Grade STEM Challenges
• Fifth Grade STEM Challenges

For more STEM activities for kids across a range of subjects, take a look at these ideas.

1. Add STEM bins to your classroom

STEM Focus: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math

Prepare for a wide variety of STEM activities for kids with these cool bins. Incorporate them into literacy centers, create a makerspace, and offer early finishers fun enrichment ideas. Learn how to create and use STEM bins.

2. Conduct an egg drop

STEM Focus: Engineering

This is one of those classic STEM activities every kid should try at least once. Kids can do it at any age, with different materials and heights to mix it up.

Learn more: Egg Drop at Buggy and Buddy

3. Engineer a drinking straw roller coaster

This is such a fun way to encourage engineering skills! All you need are basic supplies like drinking straws, tape, and scissors.

Learn more: Straw Roller Coaster at Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

4. Find ways to slow soil erosion

STEM Focus: Science (Ecology), Engineering

Compare the effects of “rain” on hills of bare soil vs. those covered with grass. Have your 3rd grade science students predict which they think will stand up to erosion better and then test their hypotheses.

Learn more: Erosion Experiment at Third Grade Thinkers

5. Simulate an earthquake

The ground under our feet may feel solid, but an earthquake changes that pretty quickly. Use Jell-O to simulate the earth’s crust, then see if you can build an earthquake-proof structure.

Learn more: Earthquake Science at Teaching Science

6. Stand up to a hurricane

In a hurricane zone, houses must be able to stand up to strong winds and possible flooding. Can your students design houses that make it safer to live in these dangerous areas?

Learn more: Hurricane Houses at Carly and Adam

7. Create a new plant or animal

STEM Focus: Science (Biology)

Kids will really get into this project, indulging their creativity as they invent a plant or animal that’s never been seen before. They’ll need to be able to explain the biology behind it all, though, making this an in-depth project you can tailor to any class.

Learn more: Create a Creature at I Love 2 Teach

8. Design a helping hand

STEM Focus: Technology, Engineering

This is a great group science project. Students hone their design and engineering skills to make a working model of a hand. For a more advanced activity, challenge students to build a robotic hand that can be controlled remotely.

Learn more : Model Hand at Mombrite

9. Understand the impact of non-renewable resources

STEM Focus: Science (Environmental Science)

Discuss the differences between renewable and non-renewable resources, then have your class form “companies” to “mine” non-renewable resources. As they compete, they’ll see how quickly the resources are used. It’s a great tie-in to energy conservation discussions.

Learn more: Energy Resources at The Owl Teacher

10. Devise an amazing marble maze

Marble mazes are one of students’ favorite STEM activities! You can provide supplies like straws and paper plates for their project. Or let them use their imaginations and create marble mazes from any materials they can think of.

Learn more: Marble Maze on Raising Lifelong Learners

11. Fly clothespin airplanes

STEM: Engineering

Ask students what they think the airplane of the future might look like. Then, provide them with clothespins and wood craft sticks, and challenge them to build a new kind of airplane. Bonus points if it can actually fly!

Learn more: Clothespin Airplane at STEAMsational

12. Launch a catapult cannon

Catapult STEM challenges are always fun, but this one adds a new twist that allows kids to launch objects much farther than the usual wood craft stick version!

Learn more: Catapult Cannon and STEAM Powered Family

13. Bounce on a trampoline

Kids love bouncing on trampolines, but can they build one themselves? Find out with this totally fun STEM challenge.

Learn more: Trampoline Challenge at Student Savvy

14. Build a solar oven

STEM Focus: Science, Engineering

Learn about the value of solar energy by building an oven that cooks food without electricity. Enjoy your tasty treats while discussing ways we can harness the energy of the sun and why alternative energy sources are important.

Learn more: Solar Oven at Desert Chica

15. Build a snack machine

Incorporate everything students learn about simple machines into one project when you challenge them to build a snack machine. Using basic supplies, they’ll need to design and construct a machine that delivers snacks from one location to another.

Learn more: Snack Machine at Left Brain Craft Brain

16. Recycle newspaper into an engineering challenge

It’s amazing how a stack of newspapers can spark such creative engineering. Challenge students to build the tallest tower, support a book, or even build a chair using only newspaper and tape.

Learn more: Newspaper STEM Challenges at STEM Activities for Kids

17. Design a biosphere

This project really brings out kids’ creativity and helps them understand that everything in a biosphere is really part of one big whole. You’ll be overwhelmed by what they come up with!

Learn more: Biosphere Project at Laney Lee

18. See the effects of an oil spill

Learn why an oil spill is so devastating for wildlife and the ecosystem with this hands-on activity. Kids experiment to find the best way to clean up oil floating on water and rescue the animals affected by the spill.

Learn more: Oil Spill Cleanup at Kitchen Counter Chronicle

19. Assemble a steady-hand game

STEM Focus: Engineering, Technology

This is such a fun way to learn about circuits. It also brings in a bit of creativity, adding the “A” for STEAM.

Learn more: Steady Hand Game at Left Brain Craft Brain

20. Use cabbage to test pH

STEM Focus: Science (Chemistry)

Teach kids about acids and bases without needing pH test strips! Simply boil some red cabbage and use the resulting water to test various substances—acids turn red and bases turn green.

Learn more: Cabbage pH at Education Possible

21. Engineer a craft stick bridge

Here’s another one of those classic STEM activities that really challenge kids to use their skills. Build a bridge with Popsicle sticks and other materials, then compete to see which can bear the most weight.

Learn more: Bridge Challenge at Mommy Evolution

22. Forage and build a bird nest

STEM Focus: Science (Biology), Engineering

Birds build incredibly intricate nests from materials they find in the wild. Take a nature walk to gather materials, then see if you can build a sturdy, comfy nest of your own!

Learn more: Build a Bird Nest at Kids Craft Room

23. Drop parachutes to test air resistance

Use the scientific method to test different types of material and see which makes the most effective parachute. Your students also learn more about the physics behind air resistance.

Learn more: Parachute Challenge at Education.com

24. Find the most waterproof roof

Calling all future engineers! Build a house from LEGO, then experiment to see what type of roof prevents water from leaking inside.

Learn more: Waterproof Roof at Science Sparks

25. Build a better umbrella

Challenge students to engineer the best possible umbrella from various household supplies. Encourage them to plan, draw blueprints, and test their creations using the scientific method.

Learn more: Better Umbrella at Raising Lifelong Learners

26. Go green with recycled paper

STEM Focus: Science (Ecology)

We talk a lot about recycling and sustainability these days, so show kids how it’s done! Recycle old worksheets or other papers using screen and picture frames. Then, ask kids to brainstorm ways to use the recycled paper.

Learn more: Recycled Paper at Undercover Classroom

27. Brew up your own slime

Chances are good your students already love making and playing with slime. Turn the fun into an experiment by changing the ingredients to create slime with a variety of properties—from magnetic to glow-in-the-dark!

Learn more: Slime Experiments at Little Bins for Little Hands

28. Create a taxonomy system

Students can step into Linnaeus’ shoes by creating their own system of taxonomy using a handful of different dried beans. This is a fun science project to do in groups, so students can see the differences between each group’s system.

Learn more: Classification Systems at Our Journey Westward

29. Find out which liquid is best for growing seeds

As you learn about the life cycle of plants , explore how water supports plants’ growth. Plant seeds and water them with a variety of liquids to see which sprout first and grow best.

Learn more: Plants and Liquids at Lessons for Little Ones

30. Create giant bubbles

It’s easy to mix your own soap bubble solution with just a few ingredients. Let kids experiment to find the best proportion of ingredients to create giant bubbles, long-lasting bubbles, and other variations.

Learn more: Giant Soap Bubbles at Make and Takes

31. Make compost in a cup

This is an easy science activity, and you can turn it into a science fair project by experimenting with different mixtures, layering, and conditions for your compost cups.

Learn more: Compost Cups at The Happy Housewife

32. Help monarch butterflies

You may have heard that monarch butterflies are struggling to keep their population alive. Join the fight to save these beautiful bugs by planting your own butterfly garden, monitoring monarch populations, and more. Get all the info you need at the link.

Learn more: Monarch Education at Monarch Watch

33. See water pollution in action

STEM Focus: Science (Environmental Science, Chemistry, Biology)

Learn about the challenges of cleaning up polluted water sources like rivers and lakes with this interesting outdoor science activity. Pair it with a visit to a local water treatment plant to expand the lesson.

Learn more: Water Pollution at JDaniel4’s Mom

34. Test your local water quality

STEM Focus: Science (Chemistry, Environmental Science)

Once you’ve “cleaned up” your water, try testing it to see how clean it really is! Then head out to test other types of water. Kids will be fascinated to discover what’s in the water in their local streams, ponds, and puddles. Student water-testing kits are readily available online.

Learn more: Water Quality Experiment at The Homeschool Scientist

35. Explore with an edible Mars Rover

STEM Focus: Science (Space), Engineering

Learn about the conditions on Mars and the tasks the Mars Rover will need to complete. Then, give kids supplies to build their own. (Add to the challenge by making them “buy” the supplies and stick to a budget, just like NASA!)

Learn more: Edible Mars Rover at Library Makers

36. Bake the best potato

STEM Focus: Science (Physics)

This edible science project is a nutritious way to explore the scientific method in action. Experiment with a variety of methods for baking potatoes—microwaving, using a traditional oven, wrapping them in foil, using baking pins, etc.—testing hypotheses to discover which works best.

Learn more: Potato Science at Left Brain Craft Brain

37. Waterproof a boot

Ask kids to select various materials and tape them over the free boot printable. Then, test their hypotheses to see which ones work best.

Learn more: Waterproof a Boot at Science Sparks

38. Determine the best way to melt ice

Conventional wisdom says we sprinkle salt on ice to melt it faster. But why? Is that really the best method? Try this science experiment and find out.

Learn more: Melting Ice at The Chaos and the Clutter

39. Don’t melt the ice

We spend a lot of time in winter trying to get rid of ice, but what about when you don’t want the ice to melt? Experiment with different forms of insulation to see which keeps ice frozen the longest.

Learn more: Ice Insulation at Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

40. Build a straw house

Grab a box of straws and a package of pipe cleaners. Then task kids with designing and building their dream house, using only those two items.

Learn more: Building a Straw House at Deceptively Educational

41. Design a balloon-powered car

Explore the laws of motion and encourage creativity when you challenge students to design, build, and test their own balloon-powered cars. Bonus: Use only recycled materials to make this project green!

Learn more: Balloon-Powered Car at One Little Project

42. Learn map skills by designing an amusement park

STEM Focus: Science (Physics), Technology, Engineering, Math

For this cross-curricular activity, students investigate the parts of a map by creating an amusement park. After they create their map, they do a detailed drawing and write about one of their ride designs. Then they design an all-access park pass. So many STEM activities in one! Find out more about it here.

43. Reach for the ceiling

Round up all your building blocks and try this whole-class project. What will students need to do to be able to construct a tower that reaches all the way to the ceiling?

Learn more: Block Tower at Mama Smiles

44. Cast a tall shadow

STEM Challenge: Science (Physics)

Here’s another tower-building challenge, but this one’s all about shadows! Kids will experiment with the height of their tower and the angle of their flashlight to see how tall of a shadow they’re able to cast.

Learn more: Shadow Towers at No Time for Flash Cards

45. Devise a recycled toy bot

These adorable toy bots are made from pool noodles and recycled electric toothbrushes. So clever! Kids will have fun designing their own, plus they can tweak this idea to make other fun wiggling toys.

Learn more: Recycled Toy Bot at Artsy Momma

46. Link up the longest paper chain

This incredibly simple STEM activity really gets kids thinking. The challenge? Create the longest-possible paper chain using a single piece of paper. So simple and so effective.

Learn more: Paper Chain Challenge at Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls

47. Find out what you can make from a plastic bag

STEM Focus: Science (Environmental Science), Engineering

Plastic bags are one of the most ubiquitous items on the planet these days, and they’re difficult to recycle. Give each student a plastic bag and ask them to create something new and useful. ( These ideas from Artsy Craftsy Mom offer some inspiration. )

48. Start a school robotics team

STEM Focus: Technology

Coding is one of the most valuable STEM activities you can include in your classroom plans. Set up a school robotics club and inspire kids to embrace their newfound skills! Learn how to set up your own club here.

49. Embrace the Hour of Code

The Hour of Code program was designed as a way to get all teachers to try just one hour of teaching and learning coding with their students. Originally, the Hour of Code event was held in December, but you can organize yours any time . Then, continue to learn using the huge amount of resources on Hour of Code’s website .

50. Give kids a Maker Cart and a pile of cardboard

You don’t need a whole lot of fancy supplies to create a STEM Cart or makerspace. Scissors, tape, glue, wood craft sticks, straws—basic items like these combined with a stack of cardboard can inspire kids to create all sorts of amazing projects! See how these STEM activities work here.

What are your favorite STEM activities for kids? Come share in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, get 20+ free stem posters for your classroom .

You Might Also Like

25 Kindergarten STEM Challenges That Little Ones Will Love

They're never too young to create and explore! Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

Make Math and English fun for kids

With Prodigy, kids practice standards-aligned skills in Math and English as they play our fun, adaptive learning games. All with teacher and parent tools to support their learning in class and at home.

Master Math Grades 1-8 & English Grades 1-6

91% of parents said their children enjoy using Prodigy Math*

" Prodigy is a great way to get kids who don't like math into math. "

Caralena Luthi

" In less than 12 months... I’ve got kids that have elevated two to three grade levels. That’s huge when you look at those kids who’ve grown three grade levels with everything that’s going on. "

5th Grade Teacher

" Having access to Prodigy really helps supplement our math learning and tells me what areas of the curriculum I need to add more focus on. I think all teachers should use Prodigy if possible because it is an amazing learning tool. "

6th Grade Teacher

*In one survey of parents commissioned by Prodigy Education.

Our mission is to help every student in the world love learning!

That’s why all of our standards-aligned educational content is free and students can play prodigy at school or at home..

Here's how nearly one million teachers use Prodigy in the classroom at no cost!

Help students master math standards with a fun and engaging gameplay experience

Adjust and align Prodigy's in-game math content with your lesson plans

Track student development to decide where to best spend your time

No trial period, no hidden costs for educators. Our optional parent memberships ensure Prodigy stays free for all teachers.

Students reported an average of twice the level of math enjoyment in just a few months.

In one school district, students mastered an average of 68% more math skills per month .

96%** of parents and teachers were satisfied with the educational impact of Prodigy Math.

**Based on a survey of parents and a survey of teachers commissioned by Prodigy Education.

Invest in your child's learning journey with engaging games that make learning fun!

Help your child improve their math skills and confidence in a fun, safe and secure environment

Motivate learning, track their progress and inspire them to practice new skills

Get insights into their classroom progress with a Prodigy parent account

Optional Prodigy memberships provide additional features that are engaging and promote more math practice - and they also help us keep Prodigy free for all teachers! 

Learning made fun, in more ways than one

Our safe, curriculum-aligned games make online learning an adventure!

Prodigy Math

Discover the magic of math! Players embark on a journey filled with quests, battles, spells and rewards. Every battle brings more skill-building math questions for students to solve.

Prodigy English

Power your imagination! Create a custom-built world through reading and language practice. Every correct answer gives students more energy to gather supplies and build up your village.

Aligned to your curriculum

Prodigy Math provides comprehensive math curriculum coverage, including Common Core, TEKS and many more state-specific standards. Prodigy English also aligns with Common Core, with more skills and coverage on the way!

Ready to kickstart a learning adventure?

Keiki Learning games for Kids 4+

Toddler games for 2+ year olds, benipol limited.

• #51 in Education
• 4.5 • 27.4K Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

Ratings and Reviews

27.4K Ratings

Update to my review

I purchased the lifetime app thinking I could use it on any device connected to my Apple ID unfortunately not the case wish I had read the reviews first it won't give me access to all activities and keeps telling me my email can not be recognized I've communicated with support and feel that I'm getting system generated response I purchased THIS back in May 2021 and my kids can't even enjoy it I'm EXTREMELY disappointed. UPDATE ON MY REVIEW: Support reached out and helped me with my issue. I can now use the app on all my devices that I have an apple account on. The app itself is a great tool for teaching children through play, it also has helpful printouts for the parents to get them off screen time and interact. All in all, after gaining access to the app I’ve purchased I’m content with the app, the price I’ve paid, and the current customer support that was given.

Developer Response ,

Dear Valued Customer! Thank you for updating us on your Keiki Learning games for Kids experience. We are happy to hear that your request was successfully satisfied and you had amazing support from our team. We also thank you for your kind words about the quality of our educational materials. We hope that your experience with our application and your feedback will be helpful to other users. We appreciate members of our community like you who can give us this type of constructive feedback. Thank you very much for being our customer. Keep using and enjoying the app further!

Charged 15 times in a 2 month period

Response to Kiki I canceled the subscription that was the first thing I did prior to my 7 day free trial after I canceled you kept charging me so telling me to do something I did is redundant I said I canceled it charged me after that over 15 times in one day I had 15 charges of $7.99 in ONE DAY FOR SANE APP I CANCELED IT THREW MY PHONE I DIDNT JUST DELET MY APP ITS 2021 I’m not brand new I know how to delete apps versus cancel. I had over 30 charges in a two month period I have my bank records to show. I had to do a charge back for $240 when your app charges daily there’s a problem. please contact me you keep charging my account. I have over 15 charges I had to cancel my credit card then you start taking it from my Apple Pay. You charged me 3 times $7.99 in one day. Your app didn’t even work I canceled the trial the next day and 2 months later still getting charged. When you try and contact this company it directs you to the app. I’ve gotten nowhere and just when I thought it was over $7.99 more out of my Apple Pay. STOP TAKING MY MONEY!!!!! Calling state’s attorneys office next. This is how serious this has become. It’s fraudulent at this point. Please contact me as I have tried to contact your company for help for months.

Dear Valued Customer! We appreciate the time you took to update this feedback as it influences our improvement efforts for the product and user experience. To start with, we want to thank you for purchasing! Please accept our apologies if you are experiencing difficulties with our application. It uncommon situation with the application among our users. We would like to pay your attention that if you purchase a subscription from the AppStore, you can manage it only on your side. Besides that, we want to pay your attention that ll charges can be applied only after confirmation from the customer’s side. Probably, you have purchased a weekly subscription with a trial. If you need any assistance with instructions on how to cancel the subscription, you can contact us anytime at the [email protected] email address. Please be assured we are listening to your insights and encourage you to reach out to our support team if you have any additional questions or concerns. We wish you nothing but a great day!

Scam App! Stay away!

I’ve sent multiple emails and still no resolution to my issue. I paid for a year’s subscription but when I went to the app it wasn’t showing as paid. I signed out and signed back in and it didn’t fix my issue. I tried logging into the app on a different device and not only did it not appeared as paid but the account I had set up for my kid was also gone and I was back at step 1 in the second device. I emailed support and they asked for a screenshot or video of my issue. I sent both! The video showing I was signed in and still didn’t have access to my paid account. I just received back a generic email giving me instructions on how to sign in. I emailed back saying that I was signed in and if I wasn’t going to be able to access my paid subscription then I wanted a refund and to cancel everything. After that I NEVER received any reply. I sent a separate email to support as well as a follow up on the original email thread with no reply. At this point I just was a refund and to cancel reoccurring payment as well as cancel the account. Horrible customer service/support. I should’ve listen to the negative reviews on here.

Dear Valued Customer! Thank you for being interested in our product and for purchasing. We appreciate the time you spend to describe the matter in detail. We regret to hear of this issue and wish to resolve this as soon as possible for yourself, as well as, other customers which may be experiencing similar issues. Our support team is responsible for resolving technical matters as well as subscription-related difficulties. We believe we have made great strides in giving our customers the amazing support they deserve. We bet that if you gave us another shot you would be blown away by the great support! Please drop a line to our customer care agents at [email protected]. We are always glad to assist you and our agents are standing by to help.

HAPPENING NOW

App privacy.

The developer, BENIPOL LIMITED , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

• Contact Info
• Identifiers

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

• Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish

• Keiki World Premium $7.99
• Keiki World Premium $9.99
• Keiki World - 7 Days Trial $7.99
• Keiki World Premium $39.99
• Keiki World Premium $5.99
• Keiki World Premium $8.99
• Keiki World Premium $10.99
• Developer Website
• App Support
• Privacy Policy

More By This Developer

Keiki Preschool Learning Games

DRAWING Games for Kids & Color

Puzzle Games Learning Animals

You Might Also Like

Intellecto Kids Learning Games

Toddler Games for 3 Year Olds~

TinyTap: Kids' Learning Games

Toddler Games For 2 Year Olds.

Wonster Words Learning Games

Baby games for one year olds.