20 Best Apps for 4 Year Olds
If you are a preschool teacher or parent, looking for the best learning apps for 4 year olds, we’ve got you covered! Through this blog post, you’ll discover the best apps for 4 year olds in a variety of categories. Let’s dive in!
Our Top Picks
- Best overall: MentalUP
- Best for open-ended play: My PlayHome
- Best for entertainment: Wheels on the Bus
- Best for multifamily play: Let’s Name Things Fun Deck
- Best for math skills: Math Makers: Learn & Play
- Best for creativity: Drawing Games: Draw & Color
- Best for naturalistic skills: Magical Seeds
The Best Educational Apps for 4 Year Olds
Apps that offer a safe and interactive learning environment with a variety of features, like personalized content and performance tracking tools, can be put into the educational apps category. Here is an in-depth look at the best educational apps for 4 year olds.
1. MentalUP Educational Games for 4-Year-Olds
MentalUP is the best learning games app designed with an academic approach that 4 year olds love and parents trust. It has over 10 million subscribers all over the world!
MentalUP offers kids of all ages a safe and beneficial learning environment designed by educators, game developers, and pedagogical experts based on their age groups. It also allows them to enjoy screen time and accelerate cognitive development!
It includes 200+ fun cognitive games that improve memory, attention, logic, visual intelligence, and verbal intelligence skills. Plus, 240+ fitness exercises support both mental and physical development! Being one of the best apps for 4 year olds, it was granted the Evidence of Impact Award by University College London.
MentalUP allows 4-year-olds to reach personalized content, engage, learn, stay active with interactive games and exercises, and keep their abilities updated with the best content according to their development. 💪
Also, it allows parents to track kids' performance with 5 different analysis tools. 👪
If you are looking for the best educational apps for 4-year-olds, don’t waste your time!
Use MentalUP right now to support your kid's cognitive and physical capability with highly beneficial activities anytime, anywhere. 🧠👟
- Regional price
- Suitable for kids of all ages
- Support available: Help Center, email
| MentalUP Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Ad-free | Limited free version is limited |
| Pedagogically approved | |
| Family and school plan | |
2. Nick Jr
This is one of the best educational apps for 4 year olds who enjoy learning new things through watching videos. It includes fun games, short animations, and interactive videos featuring Nick Jr. characters.
The app is free of charge and can be used on laptops, smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs. So if your kids are interested in cartoons and TV shows, this might be a good alternative.
- Free
- Best for kids aged 2 to 7
- Support available: Help Center and email
| Nick Jr Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Engaging & rich content | Limited game content |
| Regularly updated content | |
3. Starfall ABCs
This is one of the best free alphabet apps for 4 year olds. It is a simple yet effective app that aims to promote kids' early literacy development through exploration, positive reinforcement, and play.
The app includes a variety of games, interactive short lessons, and exercises to teach kids letters, sounds, and sentences. It can be used on tablets, smartphones, and computers.
- Free
- Best for kids aged 2 to 5
- Support available: FAQs
| Starfall ABCs Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Ad-free | No performance tracking or reporting tools |
| Colorful and engaging content | |
| Highly interactive | |
4. Hungry Caterpillar Play School
This is a fun and playful educational app designed to help kids master their early learning goals in literacy, math, science, social studies, and art. It includes fun flashcards, activities, games, and stories.
It is one of the best educational apps for 4 year olds free with in-app purchases and great for utilizing a PC, tablet, or smartphone to accelerate kids' mental development.
- Free (with in-app purchases)
- Best for kids aged 2 to 4
- Support available: Email
| Hungry Caterpillar Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Promotes open-ended play | Somewhat limited content |
| Offers a variety of educational categories | |
5. The Monster at the End of This Book
This is one of the best educational apps for 4 year olds who enjoy Sesame Street stories. It is an animated storybook app that focuses on improving kids' emotional intelligence and promoting their early literacy skills.
It features interactive and animated stories narrated by Grover and word highlighting to help kids build better reading skills. It is really easy to use and can be used on any device to spark kids' spatial awareness and reading skills.
- $4.99 - $6.09
- Best for kids aged 3 to 6
- Support available: email
| The Monster at the End of This Book Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Efficient for early literacy | Limited number of activities |
| Fun and engaging | |
| Bookplate personalization | |
The Best Game Apps for 4 Year Olds
We all know that kids in this age group enjoy playing games and learn a lot while playing. Here are the best game apps for 4 year olds that will help young learners easily reach important developmental stages while also having fun.
6. Wheels on the Bus
The famous rhyme, “wheels on the bus,” has turned into a fun game app! This is one of the most simple yet entertaining game apps. It includes a variety of interactive games and nursery rhymes to promote kids' cognitive and motor development.
This is one of the best free educational game apps for 4 year olds to use on tablets or smartphones. So if you are looking for an alternative to spark your kid’s imagination as well as reading skills, you can check this one out.
- Free
- Best for kids aged 2 to 5
- Support available: Help Center and email
| Wheels on the Bus Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Coloring book with spray paint | Not multi-ethnic |
| 10 activity types to choose from | Includes too many in-app purchases |
7. World of Peppa Pig: Kids Games
This is one of the best educational game apps for 4 year olds who enjoy watching Peppa Pig. The app offers kids a safe learning environment to play games, watch animations, and complete beneficial activities.
The app offers a 7-day free trial and can be used on tablets, PCs, and smartphones. It mainly focuses on teaching kids basic subjects, like counting, reading, and writing, with regularly updated content.
- Free (with in-app purchases)
- Best for kids aged 4 and up
- Support available: Help Center
| World of Peppa Pig Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Fun and colorful layout | No performance tracking tools |
| Easy to navigate | Limited free content |
| Supports creativity | |
As a parent or teacher, one of the most significant features you are looking for a game app is most likely safety. A lot of apps on the market are free with ads that can contain inappropriate content for your kids.
MentalUP is here to put an end to all your concerns. It is designed to provide kids with the safest and most beneficial learning environment possible. That’s why it is trusted by world-leading communities like Washington University, Educational App Store, and Troy University. ✅
As a pedagogically certified learning app, it has no ads, inappropriate content, pop-ups, or external links. It only contains fun and beneficial content to improve kids' cognitive skills, like problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, and concentration, and fun exercises to keep them active. 😇
You can provide your kids MentalUP right away to enable them to use technology in a fun, engaging, beneficial, and safe way! ✨
8. My PlayHome
This is one of the best apps for 4 year olds promoting open-ended play through a highly engaging and detailed dollhouse layout. It offers kids a gaming experience that they can customize as they wish and play for hours.
It is one of the good apps that doesn't contain ads, in-app purchases, or continuous push notifications. Also, it can be used on smartphones and tablets to keep kids entertained for a long time.
- $3.49
- Best for kids aged 3 to 5
- Support available: FAQs
| My PlayHome Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Promotes imaginative play | Only offers one game mode |
| Colorful and detailed | |
| Great for entertainment | |
9. PBS Kids Games
This is a fun, educational app for kids. It includes various games featuring PBS Kids' characters, like Daniel Tiger, Wild Kratts, and Dinosaur Train. The app encourages kids to practice their creativity, science, early literacy, and math skills.
The app can easily be used on smartphones and tablets in offline and online modes. Additionally, it supports English and Spanish languages. So it is a good alternative for bilingual kids.
- Free
- Best for kids aged 2 to 8
- Support available: Help Center and email
| PBS Kids Games Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Easy to navigate | No performance tracking tools |
| Offers parent resources | |
| Ad-free | |
10. Let's Name Things Fun Deck
This is one of the best iPad apps for 4 year olds. It is a fun and beneficial vocabulary app that supports preschoolers' vocabulary, categorization, and thinking skills. It features a game that allows kids to listen to prompts and collect points for each correct response.
It is great that the app is free to use, doesn’t include any in-app purchases, and includes more than 50 flashcards. Still, it can only be used on iPads in online mode.
- Free
- Best for kids aged 4 and up
- Support available: Email
| Let's Name Things Fun Deck Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Colorful and engaging | No animation or music |
| Suitable for both preschoolers and older kids | Requires a parent or teacher to play |
The Best Math Apps for 4 Year Olds
So far, we have evaluated all the best educational and game apps for 4 year olds. Now, let’s take a look at the best math apps for 4 year olds that will spark your kid’s interest in mathematical subjects.
11. Math Makers: Kids Learn & Play
This is one of the best math apps for 4 year olds that focuses on teaching kids basic math skills through fun and interactive games. The app offers kids a place to practice counting, addition, subtraction, and more with colorful graphics and simple controls.
The app is suitable for both offline and online use and can be used on smartphones and tablets. It is also free with in-app purchases. So it is a simple and fun option to encourage kids' math skills while they play.
- Free (with in-app purchases)
- Best for kids aged 4 to 10
- Support available: email
| Math Makers Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Fun and engaging | No performance tracking |
| Math is hidden in the gameplay | No reporting modules |
| No reading required | |
12. Endless Numbers
Endless Numbers is a highly entertaining and engaging math app that supports kids' number recognition and counting skills. If you are looking for an app to promote young learners' basic numeracy skills, this might be one of the best free apps for 4 year olds.
The app offers various math puzzles and animations to reinforce number recognition, quantity, and counting. Also, it can be used on smartphones and tablets in online modes.
- Free (with in-app purchases)
- Best for kids aged 3 to 6
- Support available: email
| Endless Numbers Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Fun and engaging | Only the first 5 numbers are free |
| Great for young learners | No performance tracking tools |
| No reporting modules | |
13. Pinkfong 123 Numbers: Kid Math
This app features the famous character Pinkfong and teaches kids numbers and counting through games, animated videos, and tracing exercises. It also supports five languages, including English, Spanish, and Chinese.
For bilingual kids, this might be considered one of the best apps for 4 year olds free with in-app purchases. However, it can only be used on smartphones and tablets.
- Free (with in-app purchases)
- Best for kids aged 4 and up
- Support available: Help Center and email
| Pinkfong 123 Numbers Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Fun nursery rhyme songs | Limited to numbers 1 to 20 |
| Rich and engaging content | Contains ads |
| No performance tracking tools | |
Are you looking for a five-star learning app featuring both engaging content for kids to expand their math skills and reporting tools allowing parents to track progress? Our math app alternatives are going to end soon. But don’t worry! 🌝
As one of the best math apps for 4 year olds, MentalUP provides your kids with a safe learning environment where they can expand their math skills with a wide range of counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division games and exercises. 👶
You can download MentalUP to join the millions of parents, kids, and teachers all over the world using the best app ever for kids of all ages! 🌍
14. Zap Zap Kindergarten Math
This is one of the most entertaining math learning apps for kids. The app consists of a collection of fast-paced math games to introduce the essential foundation of mathematical concepts to young learners.
It includes various games and activities to teach kids about addition and subtraction, place values, measurement, data, and more. It can be used on smartphones and tablets in offline and online modes.
- $2.99
- Best for kids aged 3 to 6
- Support available: Help Center and email
| Zap Zap Kindergarten Math Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Ad-free | No performance tracking |
| Gameplay narration | No reporting modules |
| Rich content | |
15. Elmo Loves 123s
As one of the best learning apps for 4 year olds free with in-app purchases, this math app focuses on teaching kids numbers and counting through games, activities, and videos featured by famous Sesame Street characters.
The app offers numbers one, two, and three for free and requires an upgrade for the rest of the numbers up to 20. Also, it can be used on smartphones and tablets in online mode.
- Free (with in-app purchases - per item priced $4.99)
- Best for kids aged 3 to 5
- Support available: Email
| Elmo Loves 123s Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Rich content | No performance tracking |
| Fun and engaging | Too many in-app purchases |
| Great for cognitive skills | |
The Best Free Apps for 4 Year Olds
If you're searching for the best free apps for 4 year olds that support their cognitive and developmental growth while providing safe and educational entertainment, just scroll down a bit to find the top-rated free apps for young learners.
16. Hopster: Pre-School Kids Learn
This app includes a wide range of content specifically crafted to meet the developmental needs of preschoolers. It offers games and videos to improve kids' math, literacy, creativity, and emotional intelligence skills.
The app can be used on smartphones and tablets in both offline and online modes, which makes it a great option to keep kids entertained and educated while traveling.
- Free (with in-app purchases)
- Best for kids aged 4 and up
- Support available: Email
| Hopster: Pre-School Kids Learn Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Colorful and engaging user interface | No performance tracking |
| Great for cognitive development | Limited free content |
17. Fish School
This is a totally free app designed to teach preschoolers about letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. It includes eight different educational activities to teach kids basic skills and school subjects.
The app uses bright, colorful graphics and engaging sound effects to keep kids interested and entertained. It can be used on smartphones and tablets in online mode.
- Free
- Best for kids aged 3 to 5
- Support available: Help Center and email
| Fish School Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Great for early development | No performance tracking |
| Easy to navigate | Might be too easy for older kids |
| Ad-free | |
18. Sesame Street
If your kids enjoy watching famous Sesame Street characters like Cookie Monster, Grover, and Elmo, this is a great option. The app offers a variety of videos and games in an ad-free learning environment.
It can be used on smartphones and tablets for free to teach kids school readiness skills with a wide range of fun and engaging content in art, science, math, social development, literacy, and other subjects.
- Free
- Best for kids aged 3 to 6
- Support available: email
| Sesame Street Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Ad-free | No parental control |
| Kid-friendly interface | No performance tracking |
| Variety of categories | No reporting modules |
19. Magical Seeds
This is one of the best iOS apps for 4 year olds to promote their naturalistic skills. It provides kids with a virtual garden where they can plant six different seeds and grow their plants by taking care of them.
It is a great app for sparking kids' creativity, patience, and problem-solving skills while teaching them about responsibility. However, it can only be used on iPads.
- Free (with in-app purchases)
- Best for kids aged 4 and up
- Support available: email
| Magical Seeds Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Simple and engaging | Only compatible with iOS devices |
| Great for naturalistic skills | |
20. Drawing Games: Draw & Color
If your kids enjoy coloring, they may love this app. This is a simple and entertaining coloring app designed specifically for young learners. The app features coloring pages that kids can color, along with mini-games and puzzles that help them learn shapes, numbers, and other concepts.
The app is great for promoting creativity and supporting kids' artistic skills in a fun and educational learning environment. It can be used on smartphones and tablets for free.
- Free
- Best for kids aged 3 to 5
- Support available: Email
| Drawing Games: Draw & Color Pros & Cons | |
|---|---|
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Ad-free | Too many in-app purchases |
| Great for creativity | No performance tracking |
| Highly engaging | No report modules |
Did you know that you can start using MentalUP for free? That's right! You can try MentalUP right now to test your kid's physical and cognitive skills and reach a variety of games and exercises to support their overall development. 🎉
Furthermore, you can easily shift into the full subscription to reach more content and learn about your kid's development by using rich performance tracking tools and report modules. 📊
It is time to try MentalUP right now to boost your kid's skills with the most entertaining and educational games and exercises! 🎈
20 Best Apps for 4 Year Olds Features Summary Table
| Best Apps for 4 Year Olds Features Summary Table | ||
|---|---|---|
| App | Subscription Fees or In-App Purchases | Features |
| Nick Jr | Free |
✓ Child-safe/No in-app ads X In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| MentalUP | Regional Price |
✓ Child-safe/No in-app ads ✓ In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content ✓ Performance tracking ✓ Supports both cognitive and physical development |
| Starfall ABCs | Free |
✓ Child-safe/No in-app ads X In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| Hungry Caterpillar Play School | Free (with in-app purchases) |
X Child-safe/No in-app ads ✓ In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| The Monster at the End of This Book | $4.99 - $6.09 |
✓ Child-safe/No in-app ads X In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| Wheels on the Bus | Free |
✓ Child-safe/No in-app ads X In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| World of Peppa Pig: Kids Games | Free (with in-app purchases) |
X Child-safe/No in-app ads ✓ In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| My PlayHome | $3.49 |
✓ Child-safe/No in-app ads X In-app purchases X Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| PBS Kids Games | Free |
✓ Child-safe/No in-app ads X In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| Let's Name Things Fun Deck | Free |
X Child-safe/No in-app ads X In-app purchases X Comprehensive content X Performance tracking ✓ Entertaining content |
| Math Makers: Kids Learn & Play | Free (with in-app purchases) |
X Child-safe/No in-app ads ✓ In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| Endless Numbers | Free (with in-app purchases) |
X Child-safe/No in-app ads ✓ In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| Pinkfong 123 Numbers: Kid Math | Free (with in-app purchases) |
X Child-safe/No in-app ads ✓ In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| Zap Zap Kindergarten Math | $2.99 |
X Child-safe/No in-app ads X In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| Elmo Loves 123s | Free (with in-app purchases - per item priced $4.99) |
✓ Child-safe/No in-app ads ✓ In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| Hopster: Pre-school Kids Learn | Free (with in-app purchases) |
✓ Child-safe/No in-app ads ✓ In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| Fish School | Free |
✓ Child-safe/No in-app ads X In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| Sesame Street | Free |
✓ Child-safe/No in-app ads X In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| Magical Seeds | Free (with in-app purchases) |
X Child-safe/No in-app ads ✓ In-app purchases ✓ Comprehensive content X Performance tracking |
| Drawing Games: Draw & Color | Free |
X Child-safe/No in-app ads X In-app purchases X Comprehensive content X Performance tracking ✓ Great for creativity |
Parent Tips to Find the Best Learning Apps for 4 Year Olds
Educational apps should be appropriate for kids' skills, ages, and interests to contribute to their mental and physical development, especially if they are preschoolers or young kids. You can use these tips to find the most appropriate apps for kids.
- Try to find educational apps appropriate for your kid’s age, developmental stage, and interests.
- Choose apps with clear educational goals and a focus on specific skills, like literacy, math, creativity, or social-emotional development.
- Avoid apps with excessive advertisements or in-app purchases.
- Check if the app offers both learning and fun, with interactive and engaging content.
- Utilize apps that are available for tablets, PCs, and smartphones.
- Look for apps that allow you to track your kid’s screen time, performance, and progress.
- Choose apps that provide parental controls and privacy protection.
- Consider apps that offer a variety of activities and games to keep your child engaged and motivated.
Today’s kids consider computers and digital devices as a part of their toy boxes and enjoy spending time on them. Therefore, when they are properly chosen, educational apps provide a highly engaging experience that teaches kids new subjects and improves their skills. 🎯
Unlock your preschooler's potential with MentalUP! As a parent or teacher, you want the best for your kid's future. Give them a head start by challenging their minds with MentalUP's fun and interactive educational games and exercises. 🏆
Trusted by parents and educators and certified by pedagogs, MentalUP enhances your child's cognitive skills, memory, focus, and fitness level with scientifically designed games and exercises. 🎮
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that we have evaluated the best apps for 4 year olds, let’s discover answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Which app is best for gaining knowledge?
Although the answer to this question depends on the kid’s age, skills, and interests, some examples of the best apps for gaining knowledge include MentalUP, World of Peppa Pig, and Hopster, as they include more comprehensive content.
Are educational apps good for preschoolers?
Yes. They provide kids with numerous benefits to improve their cognitive skills and allow them to learn through play.
How can I tell if an app is educational?
If the app intentionally promotes learning and skill development in a specific subject or educational area, it can be educational.
What are the benefits of preschooling apps?
Benefits of preschooling apps include enhanced early childhood education, improved cognitive and motor skills development, and increased engagement and motivation for learning.
Clearly, educational apps play a crucial role in a kid's development and future success. As a parent or teacher, it's essential for you to find high-quality apps that not only engage your kids but also challenge and support their development. 🎮
That's where MentalUP comes in! With its scientifically designed game and fitness modules, it supports your kid's cognitive and physical development and sets them up for a better future. 🎈
It also provides personalized training plans, daily progress reports, and helpful tips to help your kids stay on track and reach their goals. You can support your kids during their developmental process with MentalUP. 🎁
