This app got my kids off YouTube and into learning through play

“The best kids app in the universe.” “My daughter loves this app.” “My two-year-old can’t get enough.” These are just some of the review comments about the much-loved Lingokids app.

The specific and personal comments are backed up by a download count of 165 million. This is clearly an app that has captured the hearts of children around the world, and one that parents are prepared to spend money on to gain access to its features.

Lingokids is an education app that promotes independent learning through a series of interactive games. It’s intuitive, easy to use, and, maybe most importantly for parents, it’s 100% ad-free.

My children already love the Super Mario Bros. style app called Thinkrolls as well as the super-popular Bluey app. Based on our first impressions as a family, I expect Lingokids to be a regular favorite among my children.

Educational games to suit your children

Educational apps often adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to learning. This results in only a narrow group of children being able to meaningfully access the content. With Lingokids, I was impressed by the wide range of games, videos, lessons, and activities on offer.

Lessons are split up into categories with specific content aimed at pre-K, kindergarten, and first-grade age groups. My children are all in school, and they loved the Space+ lessons, which are produced in collaboration with NASA. They also enjoyed ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’ thanks to the BBC Earth lessons. There’s so much to capture your children’s imaginations. And with new lessons being added all the time, there’s always something new to enjoy.

But maybe your child lacks motivation when it comes to learning. Not only are they disinterested in certain subjects at school, but even the lure of learning on a screen is not enough to get them engaged. That’s where lessons featuring the likes of children’s characters Blippi and Pocoyo can be super helpful. If your children are already besotted with these shows, then that might be enough to get them on board.

Parents are given access to a progress area that details progress that has been made across the last two weeks. This includes activities completed and skills achieved. You can then see which specific areas your child needs to work on before suggesting specific activities they might want to try.

Helping children with additional needs

Lingokids has broad appeal across a wide range of different types of children. It also has specific content for children with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. These lessons can be accessed through the literacy and math sections. If your child has been diagnosed with these conditions or is having difficulty with reading and math basics, then this could be a great place to start.

If your child would benefit from additional support, then there’s also a whole ‘Family Time’ section of the app that enables you to work with your child to think, create, and cook. Sitting down and doing these things together can really help to provide a safe context for your child to not only enjoy learning but also feel like they are succeeding.

Try it for yourself

With a 7-day free trial, you can access all features in the Lingokids app without having to part with any money. This is more than enough time for you as a parent to decide whether it’s an app you can support, as well as whether your children actually enjoy the content.

After this time, you’ll need a premium subscription that costs $13.49/£14.99 per month. Lingokids is far from the cheapest app, but you do get a lot for the money. If you’re confident that it’ll be an app you’ll keep using, then you can save money by signing up for a whole year, which works out at only $5.99/£5.99 per month.

See for yourself by downloading the Lingokids app on iOS and Android.