Educational apps that actually worked

Dec 11 min read

Apps we've had genuine success with:

Duolingo (10yo loves it, actually retained Spanish vocabulary)
Khan Academy (saved my butt when he needed to catch up on fractions)
Scratch (started learning actual coding logic, not just games)
Prodigy Math (he'll play this voluntarily which is insane)

Apps that were trash:

ABCmouse (paid subscription, he got bored in 2 weeks)
Most of the "educational" games that are just ads with some math

Not gonna pretend the apps are a substitute for real teaching but they've genuinely helped bridge some gaps. The key seems to be picking one thing he actually cares about instead of downloading 47 apps hoping something sticks.

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Comments(10)

GGreg M.Regularjust now

Khan Academy literally saved my kid's entire math grade. The fractions thing is REAL - my son watched like 3 videos and suddenly got it when I couldn't explain it

JJake M.Regular1d ago

Duolingo is legit. My 9yo has been using it for 6 months and actually asked me what something means in Spanish the other day unprompted. Never thought that would happen.

JJared C.Regular11h ago

Scratch is incredible but heads up - if your kid gets into it, they'll want to show you EVERY project they make. I've sat through like 47 iterations of a sprite that jumps. Worth it though

JJerome S.Regular10h ago

Duolingo is wild because my 8yo actually asks to do it. Never thought I'd see the day. He's actually using Spanish words too, not just grinding for streaks

MMarcus L.Regularjust now

Scratch is incredible but fair warning - my 11yo spent the first month making super simple games and then suddenly understood loops and variables in a way that clicked way better than his coding class at school. Just gotta let them mess around first.

GGreg H.Regularjust now

Khan Academy saved us too but for a different reason - my kid could actually PAUSE and rewind the math videos. His teacher's explanations moved too fast but Khan lets him go at his own pace.

RRob K.Regularjust now

Prodigy Math gang here too. My 9yo will legitimately beg to play it which is insane because it's actual math. The game mechanics are just engaging enough without being annoying

SSam F.New Dad5h ago

The fact that your 10yo retained Spanish from Duolingo is huge. I tried forcing flashcards on my kid and it was painful. Duolingo just... works because they think they're playing a game

DDanny R.Regularjust now

Has anyone had success with Prodigy getting kids to actually like math? Mine will play it but I'm never sure if he's actually learning or just clicking randomly lol

HHank C.Regularjust now

The fact that your 10yo RETAINS vocabulary from Duolingo is wild to me. My kids forget everything unless I make them use it constantly. How often is he using it?