📚 Reading apps and reading coaches · ➗ Math apps and platforms · 🧸 Early learning (ages 2-6)
Khan Academy Kids
By Khan Academy (nonprofit). Visit Khan Academy Kids
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A free app for ages 2 to 8 with thousands of short games, books, videos and drawing activities in early reading, phonics, math, social-emotional skills and movement. Kodi Bear and friends guide a child along a personal learning path, or the child can explore a library of books and activities. Parents set up the account and can add several child profiles. Teachers get free tools to assign lessons and see progress.
Our take: An easy first learning app for preschool and early grades; families who want a structured phonics program may want to pair it with one.
| Ages it suits | 2-8 (preschool to grade 2) |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | Meant for children under 13 only with a parent's consent and oversight, or through a teacher or school. An adult with a verified email must download the app and create the account first. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Free, with no subscription (Oct 2026). |
| Works on | iPhone and iPad, Android |
| Account | A parent's account |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | No AI; the learning path adapts to the child's answers. |
What's good
- Completely free with no ads, subscriptions or purchases
- Collects very little about the child
- Covers reading, math and feelings in one calm app
- Several child profiles on one parent account
Watch for
- Only one small independent trial so far
- Reward stickers and collectibles can pull young kids to keep tapping
- Still screen time for very young children; an adult sets the limits
Data and privacy
The app collects the parent's email and a child's nickname and age, plus usage data; the policy says it collects no other personal information from the child, shows no ads in the app and does not sell data. Khan Academy may run ads for the app on other sites, which it says are not based on data from the app. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
One small peer-reviewed randomized trial by University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers (49 preschoolers from low-income families, 10 weeks at home) found larger gains in early literacy skills than a control app group. Khan Academy promotes it but did not run it.
In the Big Index
- On the list 10 AI reading apps and reading coaches for kids
- On the list 16 AI math helpers: the ones that teach and the ones that just answer
- On the list 16 AI coding tools and AI-assisted coding for kids and teens
- On the list 14 AI homework helpers for teens that build understanding
- On the list 14 AI study tools for high schoolers (flashcards, NotebookLM, quizzes)
- On the list Top 50 free game sites for kids (2026)
- On the list 16 best reading and word games for kids
- On the list 18 best learning games for preschoolers
- On the list Top 50 free learning sites for kids (2026)
- On the list 21 best homeschool resources online
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- On the list 20 best summer learning ideas and programs
- On the list 19 best apps for preschoolers (2026)
- On the list 23 best free online courses for teens
- Khan Academy
- Khan Academy for teachers
- Khan Academy Kids
- Khan Academy
Alternatives to Khan Academy Kids
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ABCmouse
Age of Learning, Inc. · ages about 2-6 (preschool to kindergarten)
A full preschool program for families who want one paid app; cancel carefully and watch the reward loop.
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Animated Drawings
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A fun parent-run activity with a child's drawing if you read the consent screen and click Disagree unless you want the drawing in a dataset; skip if your child would use it alone.
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Bedtime Math
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A good pick for parents of 3-9 year olds who want a five-minute math chat at bedtime; families looking for an app a child can use alone should skip it.
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Bedtimestory.ai
Bedtimestory AI · ages about 3-8 (bedtime stories read by a parent)
Fine for a parent who wants quick custom bedtime stories and reads them first; families who want clear child-privacy promises should look elsewhere.
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Bee-Bot and Blue-Bot
TTS (RM Educational Resources) · ages about 3-7 (Blue-Bot also used into Key Stage 2)
A proven, privacy-light first robot for ages 3-7; older kids will outgrow it quickly.
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Blipblox
Playtime Engineering · ages 3+ (safety-certified; built for all ages)
A lasting music-making toy for families who will use it across ages; parents wanting a cheap first instrument can start smaller.
Where these facts come from
- https://www.khanacademy.org/kids
- https://www.khanacademy.org/kids/privacy-policy
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/khan-academy-kids/id1378467217
- https://blog.khanacademy.org/khan-academy-kids-improves-pre-literacy-skills-in-preschoolers-research-confirms/
- https://www.khanacademy.org/about/docs/khan-academy-terms-of-service
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.