Back to School: 5 Educational PC Apps to Help Your Kids Succeed

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Although we can hopefully look forward to several more weeks of summer weather, it is never too early to employ some of the best educational PC apps available to help set up your child for success. These games and apps provide invaluable academic skills in subjects including STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math), history, English, social studies, logic and reasoning, virtual tours of famous locations, and much more. So check out these back-to-school educational PC apps to give your child the knowledge and confidence they need to navigate their school days. 

1. ABCmouse.com 

ABCmouse.com is well-known for its robust and varied lesson plans for preschoolers, making it more valuable than a conventional app. While this app is ideally suited for younger children who have yet to begin kindergarten, ABCmouse is designed for children ages 2 through 8. 

As a multi-platform program that can be installed on your PC as well as your mobile device, your child can gain access to hundreds of videos, interactive games, and activities to help bolster subjects including math, science, art, and reading. Although ABCMouse offers a free version with less available content, premium access to the app will run you approximately $10 per month. Even if your child cannot attend preschool in person for whatever reason, this app can help impart crucial skills and knowledge in preparation for elementary school. Parents can even use the app to track their child's progress as needed to help ensure the lessons are absorbed. 

Depending on your socio-economic worldview, one feature that may either attract or repel you as a parent is ABCMouse's use of tickets to reward students for completing activities. Children can subsequently use these tickets to purchase digital items, which may go against the grain of those who want to raise children who reject consumerism. Parents should also note that the app is currently only available in English and Spanish. 

2. Khan Academy  

Given the impressively broad range of courses on offer for students of all age groups at no cost, Khan Academy is considered the high-water mark for educational apps. Its expansive library of YouTube videos covers many subjects at various academic levels, including AP courses, test prep, math, engineering, science arts and humanities, social studies, history, and economics.  

Unfortunately, Khan Academy does not provide many options for studying ELA (English language arts), although there are some limited offerings for second to ninth-grade students. Lessons from Khan Academy are offered in dozens of languages, although the number of available course offerings differs depending on the language. Khan Academy does not currently offer any foreign language courses either. 

The Kahn Academy app is beloved among parents, teachers, and students due to using content emphasizing visual learning techniques. With engaging video content that extensively uses illustration elements, including maps and photos, students can enjoy learning and the freedom to complete their studies at their own pace. 

With a recent shift towards developing materials to help students prepare for Common Core examinations, parents of toddlers to kindergarteners can rest assured that Khan Academy will help them make the grade. This mobile device app covers various subjects and uses games, songs, videos, and books to make learning fun. 

3. Scratch 

If your child is in the market for an app to learn a programming language in a safe online community where they can program to their heart's content while sharing positive media, including animations, games, and stories with people worldwide, Scratch is the solution. When your child utilizes Scratch, they are also learning to use systematic reasoning, to collaborate with others on projects, and are encouraged to develop lateral thinking and creativity.   

Created, maintained, and overseen by the nonprofit organization Scratch Foundation, this app can be used by all age groups, although it is generally intended for children between the ages of 8 and 16. If you have a child between 5 and 7 interested in coding, the simpler ScratchJr may be a more accessible alternative. You can even create projects on Scratch or ScratchJr without an internet connection. 

4. Busy Shapes 

For parents and guardians who agree with the Montessori learning method that uses hands-on, self-directed activities, Busy Shapes is the app for you. Since your child is constantly learning how to manipulate objects and how said objects relate to each other, this app is ideal for children to learn how to interact with technology safely while facilitating the desired behavior. With a total lack of instructions to avoid upsetting your toddler, Busy Shapes consists of dragging objects into matching holes that correspond with each other. As they complete and match the shape and hole, the app will become more challenging by adding different-shaped holes and multiple objects to drag. 

5. Google Arts and Culture 

Although you are almost undoubtedly familiar with Google and its host of services, the company also provides a free mobile app with an incredible bounty of digital sightseeing and travel. You can also peruse articles about a given art collection and search by category and keyword for more specific results.  

Google Arts and Culture's original claim to fame is its ability to compare your selfie photos alongside well-known art pieces. However, it is also worth noting that the app and its corresponding website offer a plethora of information on the theater and other performance arts, events hosted by museums, profiles of historical figures, artists, and art collections worldwide. 

Google Arts and Culture can provide incredible resources for any adolescent needing assistance with historical and cultural research projects. In addition to providing access to many written resources, the app also includes videos and images to appeal to a broad range of learning styles. 

If you want to give your child the best possible start to their pre-k, kindergarten, or more advanced grades, these apps will deliver measurable improvements. Make learning fun and easy with PC app and give them the head start they deserve.

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About Dan VanPatten: Dan is a full-time technology writer with interests in gaming, gadgetry, and all things PC tech related. He writes about a variety of topics including technology news, product reviews, and software. His experience stems from years of experience writing & producing content for technology newsletters & publications.