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Do English learning apps work for young children? What to look for

Some apps can help young children learn English words, but the proof is limited. Children can learn new words from well-made screen media, yet we could not find a single randomized trial of an app that teaches foreign-language words to children aged 4 to 8.

Kadoo's town map, with its eleven places

So what matters most is how an app is made and how your child uses it. A checklist is below.

What does the research say about learning words from screens?

A 2023 review combined 63 studies of children up to age 6. In experiments, children did learn words from screens, with a small to moderate effect. The effect was stronger for e-books than for videos, games or apps. In everyday life, more screen time was not linked to knowing more words, except for educational media, which had a small link.

But most of these studies tested first-language words, with short tests soon after, and most of the children lived in English-speaking countries.

Children up to age 6 also learn clearly less from video than from a person, a review of 59 reports found, though the gap gets smaller with age. And a review of 35 controlled studies of apps for children under 6 found some learning benefits, especially for early math, but called the evidence "emerging".

Is there proof that apps teach English to children learning it as a new language?

Not yet. As we said above, we found no randomized trial for this age and this task. The closest research is on first-language words, small classroom studies, or older children. So be careful with any app that says it is "proven" to teach English. Treat an app as one part of your child's English, next to people, books and songs.

What makes an app good for learning?

In 2015, a group of learning scientists described four things that help children learn from apps, all built around a clear learning goal:

  • Active: the child has to think, not only tap or watch.
  • Engaged: the child stays on the task, without distractions.
  • Meaningful: what they learn connects to their own life.
  • Socially interactive: the child talks about it with other people.

In 2021, researchers scored the most-downloaded children's educational apps on these four points. Scores were low on all four.

Does tapping on the screen help children learn?

Only when the tap is about the word. In a study of 2- and 3-year-olds, the youngest children learned a new word when they had to touch the object that was named. Being asked to touch anywhere did not help. For slightly older children, who could already learn by watching, the touching seemed to get in the way.

In another study of children aged 2 to 4, dragging the named object helped some children more than tapping, which the researchers think can happen without much thought. Some children learned more just by watching.

These children were mostly younger than 4 to 8, so take the main lesson: a tap should mean "I found the thing you named", not "tap for a star".

What are the signs of a low-quality app?

The American Academy of Pediatrics' 2026 policy lists them. Lower-quality content tends to include "dark design patterns" such as frequent rewards for play, distractions such as ads, and too many things to tap. It also warns about "educational" apps with shallow learning goals and lots of game-style rewards. Better content has clear learning goals, room for free play, and makes children think.

For children under 5, the UK's 2026 expert report asks for content that is "slow-paced, repetitive and predictable", and the UK government says to avoid fast-paced, social-media-style videos.

What should I check before I download an English app?

Read the App Store page, and try the app yourself before your child does. Check these points:

  • Who it is made for. Is it for children learning English as a new language, or for English-speaking children learning to read? A child new to English first needs to learn what the words mean.
  • Reading needed or not. Can a 4-year-old play without reading? Look for spoken instructions and actions that are shown, not written.
  • Help in your language. Can you read the help and settings in a language you know well?
  • Ads. Does the app show ads, or ask your child to watch videos for rewards? Apple's rules for its Kids category limit ads and put purchases and links out of the app behind a gate for grown-ups.
  • The privacy label. Every App Store page has an "App Privacy" section, filled in by the app's maker. It says what data the app collects and whether it is used to track the user. "Data Not Collected" is the shortest answer.
  • An account. Does it ask for an email, your child's name, a photo or a birthday? Under US law, an app for children under 13 must get a parent's consent before it collects personal information such as a name, a photo or a voice recording. Asking for fewer details is better.
  • Offline play. Does it work without the internet, for example on a trip?
  • Play-time limits. Can you set how long a session lasts, or a daily limit?
  • A place for you. Does the app invite a grown-up to join in, or suggest things to do together away from the screen?
  • The tap is about the word. Does your child have to find the thing that was named, or can they tap anywhere and still get a reward?

How should my child use an English app?

Join in when you can. The AAP says good educational apps have stronger effects when a caregiver joins in. A 2020 review of 42 studies found that watching together went with stronger language, while more screen time overall went with weaker language. Both links were small.

Keep sessions short. For ages 2 to 4, the World Health Organization advises no more than one hour a day of sitting screen time, and less is better. For ages 6 to 8, there is no single official number. The AAP says good content and time for sleep, play, reading and being active matter most.

Bring the words off the screen: "You found the apple! Where is our apple?" The AAP also suggests a shared family tablet, not one that belongs only to the child.

How Kadoo fits

Kadoo is made for children aged 4 to 8 learning English as a new language, and it needs no reading: an Explorer says each word, and your child shows they understand by finding, feeding or coloring the thing. It has no ads and no links out of the game, its App Store privacy label is "Data Not Collected", it has no accounts, and it works offline. You choose sessions of 10 to 30 minutes and can add a daily limit, and the help and parents' area, with ideas to try together at home, come in eight languages. Kadoo doesn't use the microphone, so it can't hear your child speak, and the research above describes principles: it does not test Kadoo.

Sources

Kadoo is free to download.

For iPhone and iPad, and Macs with Apple silicon. The house is free to play; Kadoo Full Access or Kadoo Family Plus opens the whole town.

Download on the App Store