1. Can they start it without you?
Most two- and three-year-olds can’t read yet, so an app for them should start with a picture, not a paragraph. Hand it over and watch the first minute. Can they begin a game on their own, or do they keep passing it back to you? Pictures and spoken prompts help a child who can’t read. A screen of text and small buttons doesn’t.
2. What happens when they get it wrong?
For a toddler, a wrong answer is part of playing. Notice whether the app treats it that way: a hint and another go, or a buzzer, a red cross and a lost life. Get one wrong on purpose, then a few in a row, and see whether anything is taken away or a “game over” screen appears.
3. Does it let them stop?
Some apps are built to keep children playing for longer than they, or you, would choose. The ways they do it are well known: rewards for coming back every day, countdowns, surprise boxes, coins to spend, characters who are sad when you leave, and the next level starting by itself. None of these is a crime on its own, but together they turn stopping into your job.
Our free checklist has ten questions for this, each checked in about a minute, with a rating from very good to very poor.
4. Is anything for sale where they play?
Prices, padlocks and “unlock the full game” in the part of the app your child uses put you in the position of saying no. Better apps keep any purchase behind a step only an adult can take. Both stores also let you approve purchases yourself: Ask to Buy through Apple’s Family Sharing, and purchase approvals in Google Family Link.
5. Does it show ads?
On Google Play, apps with ads say “Contains ads” on their store page. Whichever store you use, play for five minutes with the internet on and see whether anything interrupts, or offers an extra life for watching a video.
6. What does it send off the device?
Every app on the App Store has an “App Privacy” section, and every app on Google Play a “Data safety” section. They list what the app collects and whether any of it is used to track you. The developer writes them, so read them as the developer’s own statement rather than a guarantee.
7. Does it work offline?
Switch on aeroplane mode and open the app. One that works offline is easier on a journey, and while it is offline, nothing from the internet can appear in it.
8. Play it yourself first, then together
Ten minutes on your own tells you most of the above. Playing the first few times together tells you the rest: what your child enjoys, what frustrates them, and whether it is an app they put down easily.
What this guide can’t tell you
Whether an app teaches well, whether it suits your particular child, or how much screen time is right for your family. For screen time, your national health guidance, or your child’s doctor or health visitor, is the place to ask.
Where our own app stands
We make Little Meadow: eleven quiet games for children aged 2 to 9, with two sisters, Dawny and Page. It isn’t out yet. Held up against this guide:
- Each game starts from a picture, and with sound on the guide reads its hints aloud, so a child who can’t read can begin.
- A wrong try is answered with a spoken hint and another go. Nothing turns red.
- On our own checklist it comes out good, not very good, and the page shows where it falls short.
- Nothing is for sale in this version, and there are no ads.
- It plays offline.
- It does send usage and crash reports to Google Firebase. The privacy notice says exactly what goes.
We don’t claim it is the best app for your child. This guide is how you would find out.
