We Reviewed Dozens Of The Best Apps For Teaching Kids About Science So You Don’t Have To. Here Are Our Top Picks.
The subject of science doesn’t have to be intimidating! Kids are born scientists from the time they first learn to experiment with tossing food off the high chair tray. All you need to do most of the time is just get out of the way! Of course, providing some explanations and some guidance will help speed the process along.
Aside from creating meaningful hands-on learning experiences for your child, you can also encourage a child to learn about science technology like your smartphone. From engineering to plants to space, chemicals and everything in between, science is a huge field that captures the imagination of children. Our list of awesome science apps you can help your child learn all about science.
Top Science Apps for Kids
Getting excited about science is a whole lot easier than it used to be. Now, instead of laboring over a text-heavy book, students and parents can use interactive apps to learn science in a fun and educational way.
Here’s our list of the very best apps for teaching kids about science.
3D Brain
Price: Free with in-app purchases
iOS App Store / Google Play Store
Rotate and zoom around 29 interactive structures of the human brain with 3D Brain, a thrilling interactive app that displays how each brain region functions, what happens to the brain after injury and how mental illness can impact brain function. All information is based on current case studies and often modern research studies are cited and linked to within the app.
This app is free to download and use. It offers a ninety-nine cent in-app purchase to expand its capabilities.
Classify It
Price: Free
What do grass and an ants have in common? How do dolphins and goldfish differ? Learn all this and more with Classify It, a 30 level educational game that challenges those of all ages and skill levels to learn as you earn rewards.
This app is completely free to download and play. It progresses from simple to complex reasoning, and has gamified classification-see if you can collect all 39 cards to win!
The Elements in Action
Price: $6.99
Bring the Periodic Table to life with over 75 fabulous videos about the properties and weirdness of different elements. It’s the ultimate guide of roles the different elements play in our world. Young scientists will be fascinated and amazed.
It is unique in that there is a companion app called The Elements by the same developers ($12.99). The two apps find each other and sort of link together to give the best of both of them in one seamless operation.
Play and Learn Science
Price: Free
iOS App Store / Google Play Store
From our friends at PBSKids, be sure to check out this offering! It’s a suite of educational games that encourage science learning for youger folks. There are 15 games that teach core concepts, such as basic physics interactions, sun and shadow, and learning about the weather.
Best of all, the app also includes guidance for parents about how to encourage and nurture science learning both on the app and in the real world. You’ll discover how to talk to your kids about science topics and how to take full advantage of teachable moments when the very best learning happens.
STEM Buddies
Price: Free with in-app subscription and other purchases
iOS App Store / Google Play Store
How does a club that hangs out in a treehouse sound to get your 4 to 9 year old child excited about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning? Awesome, that’s how it sounds! What kid wouldn’t be intrigued? The developers use story-telling, animations, and activities to make this app fun, fun, fun!
More content modules are available for ninety-nine cents each, or you can choose a subscription if you wish for $9.99 annually. A six-month subscription is $5.99.
Science Experiment School Lab
Price: Free with in-app purchases
iOS App Store / Google Play Store
This app includes narrated directions for 7 simple experiments that can be done with common items around the home (with supervision, that is!). Learn about static electricity, the path of light, gravity, and more. Each experiment includes step by step instructions for safe science, as well as a debriefing section where kids can think about what they’ve learned. There’s also a new science quiz that will make trivia buffs out of everyone.
You can remove the advertisements from this app for ninety-nine cents. There are also several levels of in-game currency that can be purchased for prices up to $2.99.
Arduino Science Journal
Price: Free with in-app subscription purchases
iOS App Store / Google Play Store
This app allows young scientists to use the device’s sensory equipment (like camera and microphone) to make observations about the world around them, and then record their information and analysis in an easy-to-use digital format. It’s great for home science as well as for school programs.
The app is completely free for individuals to use, and also has subscription programs intended for classroom use that include powerful features like assignments and group projects. The subscriptions for classroom use are $7.99 monthly or $63.99 annually.
GoSkyWatch Planetarium
Price: Free
Apple was so impressed by this app that they featured it during one of their iPad presentations. GoSkyWatch Planetarium is your key to the night sky. Take this telescope app outside, point it at the stars, and it will tell you which constellation has captured your attention. Aim your iPad’s camera at a planet and the app will speak the planet’s name aloud, plus recite a series of facts and statistics.
This app is completely free. One unique feature is that while it easily identifies what you are looking at like most astronomy apps, it also allows you to find what you are looking for.
iNaturalist
Price: Free
iOS App Store / Google Play Store
Snap pictures and video of plants, wildlife and other things you see outside and learn about your surrounds with the intuitive iNaturalist app. All images can be shared with an online community where you can connect with others who enjoy the great outdoors and want to learn more about nature.
This app is completely free to download and use. It’s made in conjunction with the National Geographic Society.
K12 Periodic Table of the Elements
Price: Free
Learn the periodic table elements in a fun, colorful way with the free K12 Periodic Tale of the Elements. Click on any element to read more about its classification, melting and boiling points, electronegativity and so on. This periodic table includes all the newest named elements and is kept up-to-date.
The app is completely free to download and use. It will be a real help for older students who have chemistry homework because it includes all the information about classifications, properties of each element, and even Lewis Dots.
Toca Lab: Elements
Price: $3.99
iOS App Store / Google Play Store
Each element here has its own personality in this app that’s designed to give elementary aged students an introduction to the idea of elements. Kids can conduct experiments and find out all about these animated critters.
It’s animated, engaging, and FUN!
Coaster Physics
Price: $1.99
This app will help kids put a real world face onto abstract physics knowledge. They get to design, build and try out roller coasters and see the forces of physics in action on their creations. After all, there are few things more exciting to kids than roller coasters!
One unique feature is that kids can use cardboard 3D glasses to get a real feel for how their ride would be in the real world.
We’d like to thank our friends at Twine, who helped us curate this list. Check out these additional science resources that may help your student!