As parents, we often look for shortcuts or trusted seals of approval when it comes to just about anything for our kids, right? From toys to food, we want to know it’s “good.” The world of educational apps is no different. The ultimate stamp of approval, for many of us, comes from the people who dedicate their lives to education: teachers.
Teachers are in the trenches daily. They understand developmental stages, curriculum requirements, learning challenges, and, perhaps most importantly, what truly engages children in a learning context. They see what works (and what doesn’t!) in real classroom settings, often with diverse groups of learners. So, when an app gets high marks from an educator, you can be pretty confident it’s worth your time and your child’s screen time.
What exactly makes an app “teacher-approved”? It’s more than just being fun. Teachers look for apps that:
- Align with Curriculum Standards: Do they teach skills relevant to what children are learning in school (e.g., National Curriculum in the UK, Common Core in the US)?
- Offer Real Educational Value: Is there a clear learning objective, or is it just busywork? Does it deepen understanding?
- Are Age-Appropriate: Not just in content, but in user interface, complexity, and attention span demands.
- Are Engaging and Motivating: Do they make learning active and enjoyable, encouraging persistence?
- Provide Meaningful Feedback: Do kids understand why their answers are right or wrong?
- Are Safe and Private: Crucially, no intrusive ads, no inappropriate content, and strong data privacy policies.
- Support Diverse Learners: Can the app be adapted for different learning styles or needs?
- Are Easy to Use: For both students and, if applicable, for teachers to manage or monitor.
Many app stores, like Google Play, even have dedicated “Teacher Approved” programs where apps are reviewed by experts and educators based on a specific framework. This is a great place to start your search!
Having spoken to countless teachers and seen which apps consistently get integrated into classrooms (or recommended for home use), here are some apps that truly get high marks from educators.
Teacher-Approved: Apps That Get High Marks from Educators
These apps are consistently praised by teachers for their educational quality, engagement, and alignment with learning goals.
1. Khan Academy Kids (Ages 2-8)
- Why Teachers Love It: It’s a comprehensive, 100% free, and ad-free learning platform that covers a huge range of subjects for early learners (reading, writing, maths, social-emotional skills, logic). Teachers appreciate its adaptive learning paths, diverse activities, and engaging characters. Its non-profit backing means it’s solely focused on education, not monetisation, making it a trusted resource. Many teachers recommend it for home practice.
- Key Subjects: Early Literacy, Numeracy, STEM, Social-Emotional Learning.
2. Teach Your Monster to Read (Ages 3-6)
- Why Teachers Love It: This app is a phonics powerhouse. Teachers consistently recommend it because it follows a systematic synthetic phonics progression in a highly engaging, game-based format. It’s multi-sensory and incredibly effective at teaching children to decode and blend sounds into words. Its clear learning objectives and fun monster-building aspect make it a favourite for supporting early reading.
- Key Subjects: Phonics, Early Reading, Sight Words.
3. Duolingo & Duolingo ABC (Ages vary)
- Why Teachers Love It:
- Duolingo (for older elementary/middle school): Teachers commend its gamified approach to language learning, making vocabulary and grammar practice engaging and addictive. It’s a fantastic supplementary tool for children learning a foreign language at school.
- Duolingo ABC (Ages 3-8): This free, ad-free app is praised for its effective, bite-sized lessons that make early literacy accessible and fun for young learners, aligning well with phonics instruction.
- Key Subjects: Foreign Languages (Duolingo), Early Literacy, Phonics (Duolingo ABC).
4. Prodigy Math Game (Ages 6-14)
- Why Teachers Love It: Prodigy turns maths practice into a highly engaging fantasy RPG. Teachers use it to differentiate learning, as the game adapts to each student’s skill level, providing targeted practice on curriculum-aligned concepts. Kids want to play it, which means they get a lot of valuable maths practice without feeling like they’re doing “work.”
- Key Subjects: Maths (all elementary and middle school topics).
5. CodeSpark Academy (Ages 5-9)
- Why Teachers Love It: Educators value CodeSpark Academy for its word-free interface, which makes it accessible for very young children to learn foundational coding concepts and computational thinking. It uses engaging puzzles and allows kids to create their own games, fostering logic, sequencing, and problem-solving skills in a fun, intuitive way.
- Key Subjects: Coding, Computational Thinking, Logic, Problem Solving.
6. Seesaw (All Ages – more of a platform)
- Why Teachers Love It: While not a subject-specific learning app, Seesaw is widely used and loved by teachers (especially in primary schools) as a digital portfolio and communication platform. Students can upload their work (photos, videos, drawings, audio recordings), teachers can provide feedback, and parents can see their child’s progress. It promotes student agency and bridges the home-school connection, showcasing learning across all subjects.
- Key Subjects: All subjects (as a portfolio/communication tool).
7. BBC Bitesize (Free, UK-Specific, All Ages)
- Why Teachers Love It: For UK educators, BBC Bitesize is an invaluable, free, curriculum-aligned resource. It provides revision notes, videos, quizzes, and activities across all core subjects (English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, etc.) for Key Stages 1, 2, and 3. Teachers often direct students to Bitesize for homework, revision, or to consolidate learning.
- Key Subjects: All UK National Curriculum subjects.
8. Quizlet (Free with Premium features, Ages 8+)
- Why Teachers Love It: Teachers use and recommend Quizlet for its versatility in memorisation and active recall. They can create custom flashcard sets for vocabulary, historical facts, scientific terms, or definitions, or have students create their own. The various study modes (Learn, Write, Spell, Test) and competitive games make revision much more engaging than traditional methods.
- Key Subjects: Vocabulary, History, Science, any subject requiring memorisation.
9. Toca Boca & Sago Mini Apps (Paid/Subscription, Ages 2-8)
- Why Teachers Love Them: These apps are often used in early years classrooms for open-ended imaginative play, fostering creativity, and developing social-emotional skills. Teachers appreciate that there are no scores or strict rules, allowing children to explore, experiment, and tell their own stories, which is crucial for holistic development. They are also known for their strong privacy practices.
- Key Subjects: Creativity, Imaginative Play, Social-Emotional Learning, Storytelling.
10. Minecraft Education Edition (Subscription/License, Ages 8+)
- Why Teachers Love It: Leveraging the immense popularity of Minecraft, the Education Edition provides a powerful platform for interdisciplinary learning. Teachers use it to teach coding (block-based and Python), engineering design, historical simulations, scientific principles (e.g., geology, ecosystems), and collaborative problem-solving. It’s a highly engaging way to apply academic knowledge in a creative, virtual environment.
- Key Subjects: STEM, History, Cross-curricular projects.
How Teachers (and Parents!) Evaluate Apps
When teachers vet an app, they consider factors like:
- Instructional Design: Is the content clear, well-structured, and scaffolded?
- Feedback Mechanism: Is the feedback immediate, specific, and helpful?
- Engagement: Is it genuinely fun and motivating for kids?
- Usability: Is the interface intuitive and easy for kids to navigate independently?
- Accessibility: Does it cater to diverse learners (e.g., clear fonts, audio support)?
- Management: Can progress be tracked? Is it easy to assign specific content?
- Value for Money (if applicable): Does the educational benefit justify the cost?
By choosing apps that get high marks from educators, you’re not just picking something popular; you’re selecting a tool that has been tried, tested, and approved by the very people who understand how children learn best. This gives you extra confidence that your child’s screen time is truly contributing to their academic growth and overall development.