The 9 best apps for toddlers that are educational and fun

ABC Mouse is one of the best educational apps for kids, as it encourages early reading, from pronouncing the names of each letter, with the sounds they represent. Your little one will gradually be able to identify words, starting with a few and upgrading to paragraphs. It also includes sentence structure, punctuation, parts of speech, and practice writing.

One review said: "Love the progressive activities! I don't have to take the time to search for activities for my 3-year-old, and my 5-year-old just follows along when she's playing by herself... So I know everyone's doing the right things for their ages!"

When we think of the best free apps for toddlers, Elmo Loves 123s comes to mind. Learning numbers can be a little tricky for toddlers, but with this clever app, it will help put them onto the path of counting numbers and maths. The free preview will get your child confidently starting on their 123's, and allow you to download the full package to get some exciting games, videos and numbers from 1-20.

One review said: "Thanks for creating a fun and intuitive app. This has kept our daughter engaged, happy and on-top of her numbers throughout."

This bright and colourful animated app lets kids place characters in different scenes, encouraging their imagination. From real-life looking locations, like the corner shops to exotic locations like the zoo, your child will be able to use their own initiative, and tap on items while learning new phrases.

One review said: "My daughter love this cute little game which allows her to move and interact with elements in a variety of scenes; all the while learning what each is. The graphics are super cute with some very cute simple annimations. They were thoughtful of parents too, hiding the settings behind a protected area."

This app will teach your toddler new shapes, colours, pairing and sorting in this preschool-friendly and entertaining app. Kids can challenge their brains while identifying pattern recognition and playing some fun games.

One review said: "My son is two and I’ve scoured the internet trying to find good apps to help him learn. I read about this app I forget where, and when I found it on the App Store I wasn’t sure about spending the money, but figured what the heck. Well he has totally taken to this app, and searches for it on the iPad. It’s just little touches like when he touches the Sun it goes oOo :). He’s learning his colors and shapes, and enjoying it!!! I just bought the whole bundle, and hope the rest of this developers apps are also good!"

Is your little tot a lover of animals? Come and play at the Peek-a-Zoo! Through a range of fun animal activities, kids will learn and recognise animals, emotions, actions, sounds, and colour.

One review said: "I just can't say enough good things about Duck Duck Moose apps, they are just great!"

Lego Duplo World is one of the best apps for 2 year olds all the way up to adult age (we know us parents get enjoyment out of these games too)! Jam-packed with fascinating play experiences featuring animals, buildings, exciting vehicles, and trains to help your child's imagination and creativity through fun learning. Your child can explore each scene to figure out what’s in it, discover how everything works and—of most importantly—play with it in 3D.

One review said: "This app is simply fantastic! My child loves them and so do I. The variety of game scenes, the promotion of early childhood skills and the opportunity to play together with my child make this app a real treasure. In addition, the regular updates and new content are a nice surprise."

Your child will be able to learn and recognize letters while forming the skills they need to become bold and comfortable readers. It's recommended for all ages and anyone who needs help learning the alphabet, but we think it's particularly one best apps for 3 year olds, to get them ready with basic skills before school.

One review said: "My mom is an elementary school teacher and has this on her iPad. We were surprised to see my 17 month old son pick up the iPad and able to play the game despite never having used an iPad before. Fast forward a month later and my now 19 month old has his own fire tablet with this game being his favourite. He’s still so young, get he plays the game proficiently and repeats the letters and words clearly. Today, I even heard him saying the letter H when he heard the horn in the game.

Epic children's book writer Sandra Boynton is known for her many board books for little ones, and this app brings one of your favorite ones to life. With this app, her Moo, Baa, La La La! book involves interaction, and animal sounds, while magically tapping the screen to turn day to night.

One review said: "My kids have loved this book for a long time! There are many interactive elements of it!"

Baby Games is a fun collection of fun toddler games to entertain your baby. Included are bursting the balloons, playing music until jack pops up, touching a mole before it disappears, listening to animal sounds, car noises, planes and trains.

One review said: "Very entertaining, even for a 1 year old. I like that they made it hard to back out of the game so little ones can play without mom having to re-enter the game (because of little fingers accidentally closing it).. The balloon pop is her favorite (she is 12 months old)! Starting out, little ones often just keep their hands on the screen. This doesn't affect the game, and the balloons popped as they rose up to her fingers. She eventually figured out how to pop them! Success! Great little App!"