21 Must-Have Kindle (Android) Apps for Toddlers
I used to have a Kindle Fire, but now I do everything on my phone because my Kindle Fire has become JW’s Kindle Fire. He actually refers to it as “My Candle.” He spends lots of time playing games on his Kindle. Many of the apps below cost a buck or two, but I’d say I’ve gotten probably 90% of them for FREE because I religiously check the Amazon Appstore every day for the free app of the day (FAOTD). What’s great is that whether you get this app on your Android phone or Kindle, it’s available on all of your linked Android devices.
 ABC Puzzles HD by Codegent Limited |
There is one puzzle for every letter of the alphabet with an animal that starts with that letter. JW didn’t like this one at first, but after mastering other puzzle games, he now loves it. The pieces are a bit smaller than other puzzle games, so it may be a bit more advanced then some other puzzle apps. | |
 Alphabet Car |
This game should be called Alphabet Bus instead of Alphabet Car. Just take a look at the graphic to the left. Does that look like a car or a bus to you? Anyway, in this game you hold the Kindle in your hands like a steering wheel, and steer the bus to run over letters that spell a word. If you miss a letter, it will show up again until you get the whole word. Once you spell the entire word, an image is displayed on the screen for words like ant, ear, etc… You can slow down or speed up the car and you can select a difficulty level suitable for your child. JW doesn’t understand how to steer this yet, but he likes to watch me do it, and sometimes plays it on his own. | |
 Bag-It |
This should be a required app for all grocery store clerks. Do they train them to purposely pack grocery bags to the point that they break as you take them out of the trunk of your car? JW loves this game and would play it for hours if I let him. Although the purpose of the game it to fill the bags as much as you can without breaking anything, JW sometimes gets a kick out of crushing a dozen eggs or a loaf of bread on purpose. I have to admit it is quite satisfying to watch things smush under the pressure of a watermelon. | |
 Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood |
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is a great chill out app. There really is no game here, you are virtually immersed in Daniel’s world and can do things like brush your teeth and go to bed. Great bedtime app to get kids thinking about a nighttime routine and settled down for the night. | |
 Dictadroid Lite |
This one is for a phone rather than the Kindle (Kindle doesn’t have a microphone). If your phone doesn’t have a built in recorder, this is perfect to capture special moments with your little one. Buy the paid version and the 5-minute limit per recording is lifted. I recently recorded JW and I singing lullabies together. Precious. | |
 Fireworks Arcade |
This is a fun little app where you create fireworks by touching the screen. There are a few arcade games with this or you can just watch/create a fireworks display. This was the first app that JW used as a game with the Spark-a-Mole arcade game and does quite well with touching the dots quickly to create fireworks. | |
 First Puzzles HD (Dinosaurs, Farm, and Ocean) |
This puzzle app has three different modes: dinosaurs, farm, and ocean. Each puzzle has pieces that become their own puzzle when selected. For instance, on the farm puzzle you can put together puzzles of a farmer, tractor, cow, chicken, etc… that create the overall bigger picture of the farm once you’ve put them all together. | |
 Fruit Book |
This is just what it says, a book of fruits. Page through and see a picture of a fruit with the name of the fruit spelled out and pronounced. Some classics like banana and apple are in here, but I learned a few new ones that I’m still not sure what they are. Warning: Watch out for advertisements in this app. You have to close up to about a dozen ads just to get to the fruit book. Annoying, but once you get there ads are no more intrusive than any other free app. | |
 Kaleidoscope Drawing Pad |
I used to L-O-V-E my Spirograph! This is basically an electronic version of a Spirograph that you control with your mere finger. It’s fun to create a psychedelic experience on your Kindle which you can then playback as a trippy movie. | |
 Kids Animal Piano Pro |
I got the free version of this first, but JW was getting super frustrated when he tried pressing buttons and things didn’t work. There are 11 different animals, four instruments, and 10 different songs. You can play songs using different animals or instruments or use the keyboard to create new melodies. This is a fun one to play around with and hear different sounds. | |
 Kids Connect the Dots |
Connect the numbered dots to draw a picture. Once you’ve connected all the dots, a picture of the object magically appears and corresponds with the theme of the background on the page. Great for learning sequence of numbers. | |
 Kids Doodle – Movie Kids Drawing |
This is one of my favorite toddler apps. You use your finger to draw anything you’d like. There are different colors “pens” and backgrounds so you can really get creative. At any point you can watch a movie of your creation which is a replay of your drawing from start to finish. Only thing I wish were different is that you could save the movie, however you can save the end creation to look at later. | |
 Kids Preschool Puzzle |
This is the most abstract of all the puzzle games I’ve seen. Instead of the puzzle pieces having a bit of the final picture on them, they are random colors that you piece together into an outline of the object. Once you’ve put all the pieces in place, a colored picture appears along with the word and and a woman’s voice pronounces the word. JW loves to guess what the puzzle is going to be before it comes together. | |
 Kids Trucks (Puzzles) |
This is probably JW’s favorite of all the puzzle games. Small versions of the pieces are on the left side, and when you slide them over to the puzzle on the right they become actual size and you can slide them into place. Once the puzzle is complete the puzzle becomes animated and sometimes interactive. For instance, in at least one puzzle there are bubbles that you can pop during the animation. JW loves the number puzzle the best. | |
 Little Piano (Free) |
This is just a simple piano keyboard. No frills here. Just a fun, free app that gives kids a chance to appreciate music. | |
 Netflix |
The Netflix app is free, but you do need a Netflix subscription ($7.95/month) in order to use it. Perfect for when mommy wants to watch her show, and JW can still see what he wants on the Kindle at the same time. This app on my phone was a lifesaver during a parking lot meltdown. Instant calm once I turned on Shaun the Sheep so we could get safely in the car seat and go home. | |
 Node Beat |
Create music with Node Beat without any musical aptitude or knowledge. Place nodes on the screen, and use your finger to change the melody. Everything sounds good in Node Beat. The music is calming so it’s good for wind-down time. | |
 Pair Up |
This one is still a little tough for JW, but that doesn’t stop him from playing it from time to time. It’s a matching game where you find things that are identical or at least related. I have a tough time with a few of them, but you catch on after awhile. | |
 Picasso – Mirror Draw |
Picasso Mirror Draw one is similar to Kids Doodle, except that for everything you draw, a mirror image is created. Fun to just play around and see what you can create. | |
 Sound Board Lite |
Sound Board Lite is a collection of sounds that play when you hit a button. There are several screens of buttons, however most of them are only available in the paid edition. So far JW hasn’t complained to much about not all the buttons working, but I may upgrade at some point. I think he would use it more if all of the sounds were available. | |
 Toddler Colors |
I really didn’t like Toddler Colors the first few times JW played with it as it can be a tad bit annoying. You touch a color and a song plays while a man says the name of the color. You do get used to it after awhile, and music is a wonderful way to reinforce learning. Don’t expect too much here, but it does help with color identification. |
What are your favorite Kindle apps for kids?
About Emily Carpenter
Emily is a Web Whiz, Blogger, Speaker, Student, and Mom. She is the owner of WhizBang! Web Solutions LLC, and the founder of Marvy Moms. She loves working from home so that she can be there for every possible moment with her son, JW. Learning as she goes, Emily breastfed, bought cloth diapers (but never used them), made her son’s baby food, had a family bed for nearly two years, and loves spending time with her son. Emily is a certified Level II Reiki practitioner and offers her services both in-person and remotely to people interested in this energetic healing modality. Emily is currently enrolled as a student at the American Academy of Homeopathy to become a Certified Classical Homeopath and has earned a diploma in botanical medicine at Botanical Medicine Institute. She is also a Certified Aromatherapist, and received her training from Aromahead Institute.
May 19, 2015 @ 2:32 pm
Thank you so much! This is so helpful! I’ve downloaded several of your recommendations for my 2 and 4 year olds to entertain them on our upcoming trip!
March 24, 2016 @ 11:37 am
I love the overview of the apps. I just have one question. Are they apps that have to be loaded on to a kindle or can they all be loaded onto a Galaxy S5. I upgrades to a s7 so my grandson gets the s5 to use as his device.
March 30, 2016 @ 4:38 pm
Tammie, most Amazon apps can be used on an Android device, and I’m guessing most of these apps are also available in the Google Play store.