Khan Academy Kids Reviews

by CrocoPhile

My 4-year-old has been cruising through several apps over the summer and most seem to be designed to entertain kids with a hope that they’ll learn something, or they’re a mashup of kid shows and other “silly” content. I’m not saying they’re *bad* but my daughter is definitely more checked out after being on them after a while. They also don’t take into account kids different learning levels. The apps are the same for every kid.

Khan Academy Kids is not like that. You can pick the difficulty level to match your kid’s ability which is awesome. I set up two profiles for my daughter. One set at kindergarten level that she can use in her own, and one at 1st grade level that she can do with a bit of monitoring if she gets stuck. It’s awesome.

The whole experience is designed to promote learning in a way that’s engaging for kids but not silly. Everything has been designed with purpose. There are so many small details that I’ve noticed in KhanAcademyKids that help my daughter get unstuck. They really do such a good job keeping kids focused on the right things and instructing in a way that is easy to understand and relatable for kids. Even the characters voices are soothing and child-like, as if it was a veteran kindergarten teacher speaking. Brilliant all around!

by Eflour2009

Our 4 year old loves KhanAcademyKids, and so do we! It is better than most paid preschool apps out there. It covers reading, writing, math, communication, etc. with engaging games and a fun reward system. I got the idea from another reviewer to do two separate profiles; one specifically dedicated to following the outline for the learning games, and one to play on in whatever order my 4 year old wants. I sit down with him each weekday for 15-20 minutes to do the games on the learning profile. Then he can play on the other profile however he wants. It’s so easy to navigate that he can do it on his own. He loves the books section where he can listen to the book being read to him. He prefers KhanAcademyKids to most of the other games he has on his iPad and chooses it every time he gets to play on the iPad. We highly recommend KhanAcademyKids!

by SelenaHart

My wife and I downloaded KhanAcademyKids for our 2.5 year old son, and I couldn’t be happier with it. They mean it when they say 100% ad free learning that you don’t have to pay for. I am a pediatric behavior therapist and my wife is a teacher, so we know a lot about child development and learning. KhanAcademyKids exceeds both our expectations. I love that you can choose between picking your own lessons and the pre made lesson path based on age. Our son has a deep love of learning already, and with Khan Academy Kids, we are able to better support him. It also has an offline section so when you aren’t connected to the internet, kiddos can still use KhanAcademyKids . We are very happy with Khan Academy, and definitely recommend this to anyone with young children.

by MKitch20

We’re about to start homeschooling our four year old next school year but when I tried seeing if she knew any of the kindergarten curriculum on the khan academy website she didn’t. She’s familiar with abc’s and 123’s but I hadn’t realized she was falling behind. KhanAcademyKids is amazing! It teaches everything they need for their age group and more! My daughter absolutely loves her “school work time” now. She’s excited to learn something new everyday. There’s also a coloring and story time section they can choose. If they aren’t getting an activity there’s always encouragement from the characters and you have the option to go back to any activity and redu it if you feel they didn’t quite understand it. It’s free there’s no adds and it’s encouraging actual learning! What more could you want for you kiddos?

by Ben Tolosa

Khan Academy Kids is excellent in every respect: teaching, entertaining, FREE, humungous database of great quality content. It is a 5 start app, no question about it.
But... the problem is that most activities are loaded from their servers and even if you have a very fast connection; their servers are overwhelmed because this is such a popular and super amazing app, especially being FREE; that millions of parents around the world use it constantly. I use it with my two daughters (2 and 4 years old) every single night. They love it! But often times we have to wait 20 to 30 seconds for a particular module or activity to load. We have a 300mbps Comcast connection with a strong WiFi router which is basically next door. Oh, and I am an IT guys with over 25 years of experience.
I am not complaining since KhanAcademyKids is FREE and it is the best educational app in the planet by a long stretch. But I wish their servers offer would be more on par with their demand. I have no idea how this amazing company makes money out of KhanAcademyKids because they don’t even show you ads. So, I understand why this will continue to be an issue for a while.
However, this is an EXCELLENT app, by far the best in the world to teach your kids all that it’s offered inside KhanAcademyKids . 5 stars and super highly recommended!!

by HomemamaRN

After extensive research on the best educational app for toddlers, I downloaded Khan Academy for my three year old son. I am so happy I did! I allow him thirty minutes a day, with and without me at times, and he plays in KhanAcademyKids with joy. I am amazed at what he is able to do and how much he has learned. I love that it touches on so many different subjects and teaches in many different ways. All age appropriate. I also love the ability to use offline as we have a 13 hour car ride to visit family every year— this will allow him to interact with KhanAcademyKids and learn while we drive versus watching movies all day. I am just so thrilled I found this and love that it is free so that truly any child can have access to a great learning tool! KhanAcademyKids will grow with my son and I hope it continues to foster his love for learning.

by K.Honey_Miller

My kids and I love KhanAcademyKids so much. I homeschool my 4 babies, Using Khan Academy for my 9 and 14 year old. It was so hard finding an app that was free and appropriate for my 3 yr old twins. A lot of apps seemed a bit advanced in some areas or not advanced enough in others or appeared to be free then had all kinds of in app purchases.
When I found out Khan Academy kids was launching I was extremely excited. This has been a great experience. Being able to adjust the difficulty level as they progress has been great making for very easy transitions. I can’t wait to see what’s next to come with Khan Academy kids!
I tell everyone I know with small children about how amazing KhanAcademyKids is. An actual free app that is fun, easy to use for parents and especially for kids, that allows you to easily track their progress. Khan Academy kids is by far the best I’ve ever use!!!! ❤️❤️❤️

by Ms. Ceton

As a mother and a teacher, I’ve personally tried no less than 20 educational apps for kids age 2 to 6, and Khan Academy Kids is doubtlessly THE best one! I’m so glad and grateful that Khan Academy finally launched this awesome app for younger kids! I’ve just recommended it to all my friends and parents.

1. The lessons are the perfect combination of education+fun. They seem to be more age-appropriate in the difficulty level than other apps I’ve tried, and therefore more engaging to younger learners .

2. It’s fast. No need to waste your or your kids’ time waiting for the next lesson to load up.

3. IT’S FREE! Thank you Khan Academy for your goodwill to give the learning opportunity to less privileged children!

A few recommendations for parents:
1. We should always try to stay with our children when they are using KhanAcademyKids. In other words, don’t let the screen be the parent. That way, we can be aware of their academic progress and able to offer help. We don’t need to sit right next to them, but should be within a short distance or in the same room to be able to hear/see what they are working on.
2. We should have a time limit for screen even with great apps like KAK. My personal preference for my kids and students is no more than 60 min / day.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoy KhanAcademyKids and thank you Khan Academy!

by Nomorepampers

There’s always a huge learning curve with first borns and KhanAcademyKids has helped me bridge that gap. My child was proficient with the alphabet, counting to 30, colors, and shapes prior to using KhanAcademyKids. However, it has become more difficult to work one on one with my child after the birth of my second child. KhanAcademyKids has helped refine their current skill set. He has the freedom to choose different lessons at his whim. Also, it’s opened a new world of other lessons that he had previously shown little to no interest in before. The songs on here have helped them in non academic ways such as create more of an interest in things like bathing and dressing himself which I had not been able to get him interested in trying before. My child is very academically inclined but it’s hard to get him interested in learning life skills. So having KhanAcademyKids is a great tool in a parents teaching arsenal.

by VerUnique

I never rate apps regardless if I feel positive or negative about it, HOWEVER, it is my pleasure to give POSITIVE reviews about KhanAcademyKids. My 2 year old absolutely loves it. She’s even at the point where she wants to start doing the lessons when she first wakes up! She loves it when we do the activities together and I can see what areas she’s struggling with or commands she hasn’t heard in a certain way so that I can incorporate them into our every day. Some of the activities are too easy while others are difficult for her and I am extremely proud when she accomplishes them on her own. In other words, it helps build her confidence to handle the more difficult tasks. And did I mention IT IS FREE!!!!! This is such a blessing and an absolute gem. Please keep up the amazing work. Parents and kids thank you from the bottom of our hearts! ❤️❤️❤️

by Shrutidingi

My twin boys 4 year old love Khan Academy app and as a mom I love when kids are learning and using their skill while using a given screen time. Khan Academy app is just made right for their age, the challenging level are made fantastic to keep them learning continuously while enjoying all the tools. I loved this easy to use KhanAcademyKids with minimal tools which help them to keep away from distracting, the cute characters, neat instructions to follow while they learn how to be a good listener and most importantly clearly spoken in an actual standard manner. I was a HOMER app fan but Khan Academy won the trophy as they have more content for kids in one single box before it throws them to choose another, which is I think is great for repetitions. Stories content are the BEST, this momma don’t have to hunt for one now at the naptime. Thanks Khan Academy!!

by 25hr On Call Momma

We love KhanAcademyKids! Why? Well, it’s free and it’s absolutely wonderful! I almost never write reviews but since Khan Academy seeks to make education accessible to all, I thought it was best to give back!
First, KhanAcademyKids is engaging. The functionality is user-friendly and uncomplicated. The worst thing in the world is downloading a kids app that you cannot figure out. I love the fact that there are ebooks available in KhanAcademyKids . Also, the graphics are engaging and full of bright colors and cute characters. I do wish that more of the educational material from the regular website was available through Khan Academy Kids. It would be good to see things my second, third and fourth graders can do. I have ended up using both Khan Academy and Khan Academy Kids. Finally, it would be great to access the same content from a website. My kids do not always have access to my iPhone.

by Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee1234

It’s here! I can’t believe it, someone who actually cares about the education of children! Thank you Khan Academy for making an app with no subscription, hidden purchases needed, annoying pop ups every time you open KhanAcademyKids to “sign-up”. KhanAcademyKids runs seamlessly unlike some other apps that “care about children’s education” but you have to subscribe weekly or monthly. Other competitors apps that you even have to pay for don’t run that smoothly and aren’t that engaging. This is an app created by people who care, and engages our 4 year old with healthy brain building challenges. KhanAcademyKids is good for kindergarten preparation and they challenge our child in all required skills for well-rounded educational development. Again, thank you Khan Academy, I have Sal teaching me trigonometry and algebra and now your teaching my children to read and write, you help our entire family haha. Thank you guys from the bottom of our hearts!

by Sabrina Lee 33

My 3 year old daughter, Katherine, has always had trouble learning. She just can’t keep up with what me or the teacher says. Once me and her teacher Mrs. Lee had a serious conversation that I should do better parenting. She got 3 N’s on her report card last week... I was literally crying in my room, praying for help. One day, I came across Khan Academy Kids. There were so many great reviews, I immediately installed KhanAcademyKids on her tablet. I signed in and made a profile for her. She started that day and I saw a HUGE difference, and I mean HUGE, improvement in her math skills, problem solving, social emotional skills, reading, letters, etc. The next report card she got... I was in joy tears, reading that EVERY GRADE ON THE CARD WAS AN O!!!!!!!!!!!!! Katherine absolutely LOVES the exercises and games! The teacher even had a private conversation with me and said how much she GREW, and she was TOP OF HER CLASS!!!!! I can NEVER, EVER tell the Khan Academy Kids developers how much this MEANS TO ME!!!! I can never thank you enough, GOD BLESS YOUR SOULS😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

by Ana C Maia Menard

This game can help so much in reading comprehension, mathematics and just about anything, this game can still be available without internet connection which is a pretty cool tool. This is such an engaging game it’s really unbelievable. One of the teachers in my school used Khan Academy Kids. Long story short I walked in on a normal Thursday and saw her students on tablets and any device this game could be played on (except for phones because none of her students have them). This game is fun for anyone. I teach a room of older kids and I thought (Khan academy not kids) was a nice tool for teachers but very boring for students but Khan academy kids really made it better for younglings. This game is great but developers please make Khan academy (normal bigger kid) more engaging. Me and the teacher Mrs Nowel and I love Khan academy kids. Thanks. Thank you developer for the reply. Our school currently has no questions. When we do we will gladly ask you. Thanks for no adds. We don’t want kids to see things that they shouldn’t be seeing.

by Lovelnl

I love the graphics on KhanAcademyKids and the fact that everything is free. It has some really cute, fun ways to teach concepts. My son loves the coloring section and I love that I can select particular lessons based on what I want him to learn.
My son is 3 but already knows all his letters and phonics and numbers 1-20 so I like that I can switch around to different age levels to pick something that will be new for him. I had paid for a different learning app where it made him follow a path and do every activity in order to move forward. I only allow him really limited screen time so I want to be really intentional in what he is learning and I like that KhanAcademyKids allows me to do that.
My biggest suggestion for improvement would be to have some sort of questionnaire at the start for parents to input what things their kids already know and what skills they would like to focus on and then have KhanAcademyKids suggest particular activities. As it is now I have to spend more time to switch around the age levels to find new concepts to teach him.

by TiffanyVaughan

We’ve been using khan academy for a few weeks now and are really impressed. All the content is the same as these pre-k and kindergarten workbooks I bought for my 5 year old, yet he had no interest in the workbooks, but when I introduced him to khan academy he was instantly engaged and asking to spend more time doing the exercises and activities through KhanAcademyKids . The way it’s set up is fun for kids, and there are prizes they can collect as they complete different activities. My son loves bugs, and it happens that one of the prize options is always a big choice, so he loves that! There’s a large library of books to choose from, which khan partners with National Geographic to bring many kids science books to KhanAcademyKids . The only downside is a child won’t learn how to hold a pencil/pen for that fine motor skill, but that is pretty minor in comparison to everything else they will learn through KhanAcademyKids . I just add in additional non-screen time activities to help my kids fine motor skills, and I feel like they are getting a well rounded education.

by Nuovo-ikat

This is a really excellent app, not for the least of which because it is FREE (truly free). There is a ton of content in KhanAcademyKids. My son especially enjoys the books. He is difficult to read books to because he wants to talk about the pictures, or which words rhyme, or his feet, instead of listening to me, and doesn’t want to read aloud himself (though he can), if he is even willing to sit still at all. The books in KhanAcademyKids can be read without sound or KhanAcademyKids will read it to you. He usually chooses to have it read aloud to him, and he actually sits and listens patiently 😅. The tasks started off too easy so my son became bored at first but I encouraged him to keep going because they do get harder. That would probably be my only complaint: it takes a while to get to level appropriate material because of the linear progression. Of course, my son purposefully gets it wrong sometimes to see what happens, then laughs his head off, so maybe it’s not KhanAcademyKids ’s fault. The rewards are cute, though, and keep him interested. There is both online and offline content, and it is easy to check your child’s progress. A++.

by Nishadal

We recently purchased an iPad as corona and sheltering in place got the better of us. We were parents who avoided screen time like plague for our 2.5 year old son. But with schools closed and work from home getting challenging, we caved. However, the only app on his iPad is Khan Kids and with that, we have no regrets. He has learnt so much from watching those videos and playing the interactive word and logic puzzles that he has mastered most 3 letter spellings. Having been schooled in india, we as parents also found it informative to watch some of the phonics videos and unlearn our ways of learning and learn to teach him the way things are taught in schools here: the best part is no ads. We love KhanAcademyKids so much that we are now recurring monthly contributors to khan kids. One suggestion for developers is to be able to increase the pool of words that feature in the word puzzles or allow parents to increase difficulty level once kids have aced a certain section of the learning. When the same set of 3 letter words repeat, my son begins to lose interest and gets visibly frustrated. He says ‘I just did this cody’ and gets upset when Cody gives him the same choices over and over again :)

by Ekwimes

I download certain educational apps in my 5 year old granddaughter’s iPad (which I’m using now) due to blocking almost everything besides what’s appropriate for her age. She is in the moderate stage of Autism but her reading skills of sight words is at a level of a second grader. She loves reading a book and listening to the audio’s and searching through the Library of KhanAcademyKids. I find KhanAcademyKids keeping her attention longer with other learning skills that is needed and helpful for her. She feels a sense of learning on her OWN which is very important to her. She allows no one to help her which is a problem. So a Educational app as this helps with several learning skills such as reading, math, opposites, less than, more, equal. Just a fun app fun of Happy Learning. One note - l notice I am not that clear of certain settings of the parent guide section. But I am pleased you have it. Lol
Thank you

by App Res

App is confusing and buggy.

An example of confusion: they used an existing YT video where bears roll off the bed, and the kid is supposed to count the number of bears. Khan lazily fast forwards the video. So it starts out with “10 bears” but the video is FF, and you hear “1 fell out” but there are now 6 bears left. So the kid may think “10 - 1 is 9” and chooses 9 (which is an option!) and now the kid it confused.

Another example is when dragging and dropping in boxes. PBS Kids is liberal with this. Khan seems to require exactness and if the center of mass of the object isn’t inside the square, it tells the kid they are wrong.

It is buggy mostly in that it requires an internet connection. There have been login issues (why do you need to log in? Why? There is no rationale I can think of. I thought Khan was a nonprofit?). When switching between modes like reading and logic it has to wait for a server response or something. Why have an app? The point of apps was to take advantage of the mobile device. Instead this is just a web site masquerading as an app.

I feel ultimately KhanAcademyKids developers and PMs just didn’t do well here. Instead of creating a bunch of mediocre activities in a mediocre “app” they should have built a great app experience with excellent content and added more excellent content every week or two.

by Niyalicous

My daughter is in kgarten. She was heavily addicted to yt kids and i despised that because a lot of content is garbage and depending on what they watch it’s a constant commercial with stuff being directly and indirectly targeted at them. So finally weaned her off of ytk and ioad in general. Now that I hit the reset button on her. I told her the majority of her time needs to be spent on educational apps and then she can have 15m on ytk. Khan kids she loves and will stay on at last a 1/2 hour learning while playing. Then the singalongs is something she enjoys as well. Hopefully they can put more site words for different age and stages but this goes up to 6 years old which is 1st grade and by that time they can use khan academy! Which I use for my other 3 kiddies and adults can use it too. That’s the icing on the cake!!!

by Happymomma-rjg

You know we all feel bad when we have to hand over the iPad to the toddler because we need to get something done… Well no more! With KhanAcademyKids he is doing something genuinely educational while he has his screen time. Perfectly designed for a toddler’s learning pace. He loves it and is really learning. We have been doing 20ish minutes most days for a couple months now. Now, he understands first and last in line, can count to 10 and recognize all the numbers by sight, and knows the entire alphabet (can even spell his own name!). He isn’t even three yet. This is awesome. And free! Keep up the good work, Khan Academy. I will definitely be donating towards it.

by Myyodafrogy

Kahn Academy Kids is an amazing app for teaching kids. And it’s free!! We limit screen time, but when we do allow it, this is one of the only apps we use because I know my kids are safe, learning and having fun! One of the greatest things is that we can use what they learn in KhanAcademyKids and engage with each other later, or vice versa. KhanAcademyKids itself is very well designed and easy and fun to navigate without a lot of clutter (unlike some other free or paid apps). And there are parental tools to keep track of what the kids are learning. I recommend Kahn Academy Kids to everyone who needs or wants another tool to keep their kids engaged and learning.

by Digiblac

Love it! Love it! Love it! My kids can Easily navigate through KhanAcademyKids . The directions for all the learning exercises are articulated perfectly so my kids(ages 1,3, and 5) can easily comprehend and understand the objectives without my wife and I having to constantly intervene. I feel this creates a more organic learning experience for them. Khan kids academy also creates a truly fun and exciting learning experience for my kids. They used to love watching Netflix on their iPads now all they want is khan kids academy. I can’t believe these guys aren’t charging for KhanAcademyKids. I feel This is the exact kind of application the great Steve Jobs envisioned when he created the iPad. Great job guys👍🏾 thank you.

by Janette3260

My daughter is 2 1/2 years old, an only child, and is not yet in preschool or any sort of daycare. She spends a good amount of time with her elderly grandparents while we are at work. I had considered ABC Mouse for her to use while with them so she could have some educational interactive entertainment while at their house since we see their commercials all the time on the Disney Channel. I heard mixed reviews about them and so I couldn’t quite commit to paying the monthly subscription fee. That’s when I stumbled upon Khan Academy Kids. It’s completely ad free and very educational. My daughter loves it and can navigate with ease. Her grandparents love sitting with her and doing the different activities together.

by Lmlsjfs

I’ve have 5 kids and have gone through a lot of learning apps. I’ve been very happy with Kahn Academy Kids. My older kids use the Kahn Academy website for help with math and I love that they have something great for younger kids. The closest comparison that I’ve seen is ABC mouse which requires a monthly subscription (which I have had- I like Kahn Academy Kids better). I really can’t believe KhanAcademyKids is free. I would say that this is more along the lines of a “learn together” experience with parent and child rather than a give it to your kid in the grocery store while they are crying type of app. My preschooler can and does do it on his own but this is a legit learning app, not just entertainment with the label “educational.”

by Friendo

This is perfect for my 4.5yo. There are so many activities, and I love how it automatically moves through a variety of disciplines rather than just always sending the child back to the main menu. My kids usually find one section of an app and then hang out there until they’re bored with KhanAcademyKids , whereas this keeps things moving along and therefore keeps them interested. My 6yo is already a good reader, but it’s a nice review for her. She enjoys the songs and also the huge book section where she can read the page and then listen to the narrator if there are any tough words. I would love to see a more advanced parental panel in the future. We homeschool and use the regular Khan Academy for math and grammar, so I’d love to see a parental panel along those lines here. Either way, keep up the great work!

by Zakaro13

I downloaded KhanAcademyKids just happy to have a free progressive learning app, but what I found was our favorite songs mixed into a great learning app. If your child loves super simple songs you are going to love KhanAcademyKids! All the games and activities are based on different songs from the super simple song group! Best of all the books they have actually highlight each word as it’s read. I can’t tell you how many book or academy apps I’ve tried and have been so disappointed with because it lacks that simple function! This is a free app so if your child wants to have fun, sing silly songs, read and learn simply then you have no excuse for not downloading KhanAcademyKids!

Way to go Khan and Super Simple Songs!

by Gvbbnbjjjnbbbbnnnnnnncfddss

After visiting my local library, my 5yo sister wanted to keep going back to play on the iPads where they have educational games. She loved it but the library was closed this weekend so I downloaded a bunch of kids game apps on my phone hoping to find educational ones. Unfortunately, I found that all the apps I downloaded for her would ask for a payment to upgrade to have access to all lessons. I remember using Khan Academy in highschool to learn math and am so glad I downloaded it. My sister loves the games (my phone has 5% because she fell asleep playing!) and I really feel like she’s learning. I love that Khan Academy has provided KhanAcademyKids and all their learning tools free of charge. I am super happy about this. DONT EVER PAY FOR KIDS EDUCATION APPS! This one is perfect.

by Ms, Sandwiches

Get KhanAcademyKids👌
I’m enjoying the Kindergarten version on IPad apps, KhanAcademyKids/ program is thoroughly planned and creatively assembled to enhance learning and even entice viewers to want to learn. The visuals are ‘hip’ with fun characters and pleasant student feedback and recognition for their accomplishments as well as an accumulative path and chances to get the tasks correct adding more time and opportunities to learn the varied skills ex: logic, motor skills, memory challenges, exercises, Nature, sequencing, identifying emotions opposites.....so many more all presented in a very engaging but low fi, interesting and creative app.
I will use it for all my students- nephew, neighbors kids it’s so good. Full of exactly what you’d want in a very complicated/ yet easy to access and user kid friendly sophisticating and modern enjoyable learning app 🎈

by Misskiki123

Not only is KhanAcademyKids FREE (for real) but the content is engaging and fun. My 3 year old loves it. I downloaded it yesterday and he is always asking to play the “animal game” as he calls it. I love watching him demonstrate his abilities and learn more.
I have one suggestion:
Diversity! Diversity! Diversity!
Almost all of the human children are white. I’ve seen only one child of color. There needs to be more! Like half of the children should be people of color, of various ethnicities. Not just African American, but Latinx, Middle Eastern, Indian, and East Asian. It’s important that children see themselves in stories, but also for my white son to see children that don’t look like him.