Parents Guide to Digital Apps > What makes a great kids app?
What makes a great kids app?
With over a million kids’ apps on the App Store alone, sifting through them all and finding ones compatible with your child’s limited screen time can feel like a herculean task.
But we’re here to help! We’ve created an easy tool, which you can use to find your kids great apps that have been tested and named as the “best of the best” by the Tappity team. After considering thousands of apps, the ones we recommend are the only ones that have passed our 10-point test. Keep reading if you want to learn more about our grading criteria. Or, if you want to jump right in, take the quiz here.
Why you can trust us
Our team has released dozens of kids' apps with millions of users since the iPad first launched. Over the years, we’ve partnered closely with thousands of families, with Apple, and with child development experts to develop high-quality, safe, and privacy-first apps that educate as well as entertain young learners around the world.
How we evaluate kids’ apps
We review and test apps by evaluating them against three criteria: (1) features (functionality), (2) performance, and (3) safety and privacy guardrails for children. We also recommend that you consider these criteria when you complete your own evaluation of apps before giving them to your child.
Note: An app is simply "great" or "not great" in our grading system. If an app doesn't pass every single one of our criteria, we do not recommend it. Because there are so many apps in the sea, we see no reason to compromise on quality when it comes to children's apps.
1. Features (What the app offers):
☑️ Educational Value - Does it teach or offer hard or soft skills for the child?
☑️ Level of Interactivity - Does the child actively participate? Does the app require active participation by the child through physical movement or digital manipulation?
☑️ Offline Mode - Can you play the app without being connected to the internet? Can you download the content for play later?
2. Performance (How well the app works):
☑️ Play time - Are there at least a few hours of play offered in the app?
☑️ Ease of use - Can a child independently navigate the app or does it require an adult or guardian?
☑️ Performance - How often does the developer update the app? Are there updates at least once every 2-3 months?
3. Safety & Privacy:
☑️ App Communication - Can a child message or otherwise contact another person? Can any form of communication with another user be disabled?
☑️ Advertisements - Are there ads in the app? Are there additional features being sold to children?
☑️ Camera policy - Is there a policy for camera usage in the app? Can the functionality be disabled?
☑️ Tracking - Does the app not track or store your child’s movement or personal identity?
Let's find great apps for your kids
Now that you understand what we value in kids' apps, try out our App Quiz and get a personalized recommendation for apps that have passed our test.