The 10 Best Educational Games For Preschoolers
This wiki has been updated 19 times since it was first published in July of 2019. Just because your child is too young to enroll in school, that doesn't mean it's too early for him or her to start learning. These educational games for preschoolers offer fun and engaging opportunities for kids to improve their skills in matching, reading, and even coordination. Keep a close eye on age recommendations, however, as there are some pieces small enough to choke on. When users buy our independently chosen editorial selections, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Richard Scarry's Busy Busy Airport
2. Peaceable Kingdom's Where's The Bear
3. Sneaky Snacky Squirrel
Editor's Notes
July 12, 2019:
Part of the challenge in curating this list was ensuring that a given game could be considered educational. We wanted to make sure that there was some learning value, even if it was something as simple as color matching or coordination. Where's The Bear at number two is one example of a product that toes this line pretty closely, but we ultimately decided that — since its base age is just two years old — its ability to create a sense of object permanence and teach kids about the divisions of space within a household were enough to earn it a spot. Educational value couldn't be our only criterion here, however, as things like the actual potential for fun had to be considered. These are games after all, and no one stands to learn anything if the kids don't want to play them. To that end, something like Boggle Jr., which offers a tiered approach to learning letters and four-letter words associated with pictures, couldn't get higher than the ninth spot because it was a little too dry.
Special Honors
ABC Mouse This learning academy is accessible online or through the company's app on any mobile device. It's designed to be introduced to kids as young as two years old, and to stay with them on their early educational journey until they're about eight. Yearly subscriptions are reasonably priced for the hundreds of lessons through which your kids will be able to play. abcmouse.com
ABC Ya With complete mobile access on up to five devices, this company offers a slew of titles designed to teach your kids letters and words, math and numbers, strategies, skills, and more. There's even a themed holiday section to reinforce how the lessons they learn have real world applications. abcya.com
Lingo Kids Whether you child is growing up in a non-English-speaking country or in a multilingual household, this gaming program builds fantastic English skills for kids with the help of fun and engaging lessons. The drawings of animals involved are incredibly cute, as well. lingokids.com
4. Peaceable Kingdom's Feed The Woozle
5. Melissa & Doug Smarty Pants
6. Pete The Cat And The Missing Cupcakes
7. Peaceable Kingdom's Hoot Owl Hoot
8. Educational Insights Raccoon Rumpus
9. Boggle Junior
10. Trend Enterprises Rhyming Fun-to-Know Puzzle
Daniel Imperiale holds a bachelor’s degree in writing, and proudly fled his graduate program in poetry to pursue a quiet life at a remote Alaskan fishery. After returning to the contiguous states, he took up a position as an editor and photographer of the prestigious geek culture magazine “Unwinnable” before turning his attention to the field of health and wellness. In recent years, he has worked extensively in film and music production, making him something of a know-it-all when it comes to camera equipment, musical instruments, recording devices, and other audio-visual hardware. Daniel’s recent obsessions include horology (making him a pro when it comes to all things timekeeping) and Uranium mining and enrichment (which hasn’t proven useful just yet).