You might not think of smartphones and tablets as student aids, but they play just as big a role as pencils, paper, and trapper keepers. Choose the right apps for your mobile device and get a portable calculator, notepad and learning aid all in one.
As kids head back to school, it’s time to take a closer look at the apps they need to bring to the classroom. We’ve reviewed tons of apps for a wide range of grades from elementary to high school, and these are our favorite mobile apps for students.
Application for primary school students:
Khan Academy Kids (Android, iOS): Non-profit education site Khan Academy offers a wide variety of free educational videos and online lessons, and the Khan Academy Kids app continues the same trend. Kids’ videos and courses help your students work on language skills, math, logic, and emotional development, all presented in a kid-friendly environment and format.
Amazon Free Time Unlimited (Android, iOS (Opens in new tab)): Search Amazon Free Time Unlimited for a fun, kid-friendly space filled with books, movies, TV shows, and videos from a variety of kid-friendly and educational brands. including Disney, PBS and Nickelodeon. With Parental Controls, you can easily set boundaries, set educational goals (and select appropriate media), close lessons, and search for discussion topics and discussion questions to help you connect with what your kids are watching and reading. The app also includes a safe web browsing mode that allows kids to access a carefully curated collection of sites and videos. Users can try the service for free for a month, and subscriptions cost $2.99 per month for Amazon Prime members and $4.99 per month for everyone else.
BrainPOP Featured Movie (Android, iOS): BrainPOP is an educational media advocate with a wide selection of animated videos aimed at 12-year-old college students, and now the BrainPOP mobile app brings these videos directly to your child’s smartphone or tablet. The Featured Movies app offers a small library of free videos along with a featured movie and quiz each day; subscription options increase the number of videos you watch by unlocking the entire BrainPOP mobile library of educational videos and quizzes.
Epic (Android, iOS): With over 35,000 children’s books, audiobooks, educational videos, and quizzes, Epic is a $7.99-per-month subscription service that’s basically the Netflix of education. Epic gives kids access to a huge library of child-safe content, with materials designed for preschool through 7th grade reading levels and personalized reading recommendations to help you discover new material. The Epic for Educators version, intended for librarians and educators, is available for free.
DragonBox Algebra 5+ (Android, iOS (Opens in a new tab)): DragonBox Algebra 5+ is a really smart educational math game that cleverly hides that it teaches your kids algebra. Intended for kids ages 5 and up (really!), the DragonBox Algebra starts with simple logic games where kids match symbols and clear one side of the screen. Each puzzle adds new quirks and game rules that cleverly mirror the basic rules of algebra until your kids unknowingly balance the sides of an algebraic equation to isolate the treasure chest symbol, which is gradually replaced by an X. The game contains 10 chapters with a total of 200 puzzles and includes addition, division and multiplication. A more complex version, Drago box Algebra 12+ (Android, iOS) covers elements of the original algebra in more depth for an older audience.
Prodigy (Android, iOS): Another app that plays with math, Prodigy uses an MMORPG-like framework where you use your math skills to win. The game keeps track of your profile and adjusts the selection of challenges based on the player’s strengths and weaknesses. His math questions are aligned with the state level and general education programs. The core of the game is free to play, although the premium membership level allows for faster leveling and access to parts of the app for members.
Application for high school students:
OneNote (Android, iOS): Comprehensive, well-organized study notes are incredibly useful for studying and reviewing lessons. OneNote is a powerful cross-platform note-taking app that helps you keep your notes in sync between mobile devices and desktop or laptop computers.
