art – Whole Heartily

10 Must-Have Educational Apps for Kids Going Back to School (2025)

As the new school year kicks off, many parents and teachers are looking for ways to keep kids engaged, learning, and motivated — both in and out of the classroom. Thankfully, educational apps can bridge the gap between fun and learning, helping children sharpen their skills in math, reading, science, and even social-emotional development.

Here are 10 highly recommended educational apps for kids heading back to school in 2025 — suitable for a range of ages and subjects.

1. Khan Academy Kids (Ages 2–8)

Subjects: Reading, Math, SEL, Logic.
Why it’s great: This award-winning, free app covers a wide range of topics through colorful characters, story-based lessons, and hands-on activities. Perfect for preschool and early elementary learners.
Price: Free.
Available on: iOS, Android.

2. Prodigy Math (Ages 6–12)

Subjects: Math.
Why it’s great: Combines curriculum-based math practice with a fantasy-style role-playing game. Kids solve math problems to battle monsters and complete quests.
Price: Free with premium options.
Available on: Web, iOS, Android.

3. Duolingo ABC (Ages 3–7)

Subjects: Early Reading & Phonics.
Why it’s great: From the makers of Duolingo, this app helps young children develop basic reading skills with bite-sized lessons, traceable letters, and no ads.
Price: Free.
Available on: iOS, Android.

4. Moose Math (Ages 3–7)

Subjects: Counting, Addition/Subtraction, Number Patterns, Geometry, Measurement.
Why it’s great: Moose Math uses fun, interactive games like smoothie-making and pet bingo to teach math skills. It offers personalized feedback and encouragement as kids play. Children earn rewards to decorate their own city, keeping them motivated. The app follows Common Core standards for kindergarten and first grade and includes progress tracking for parents and teachers.
Price: Free. No ads or in-app purchases.
Available on: iOS, Android.

5. Toca Boca Jr. (Ages 6–12)

Subjects: Creativity, Storytelling, Imaginative Play.
Why it’s great: While not strictly academic, this app encourages creativity, emotional expression, and storytelling — all key developmental skills.
Price: Free with in-app purchases.
Available on: iOS, Android.

6. BrainPOP Jr. (Ages 5–9)

Subjects: Science, Social Studies, Reading, Health.
Why it’s great: Animated videos, short quizzes, and interactive games make big topics easy to understand. Used widely in schools.
Price: Subscription required (some free content).
Available on: iOS, Android, Web.

7. Writing Wizard (Ages 4–8)

Subjects: Handwriting.
Why it’s great: Helps kids trace and write letters and words with audio feedback and customizable word lists. Great for early learners and special education.
Price: Paid app.
Available on: iOS, Android.

8. ABCmouse 2 (Ages 2–8)

Subjects: Math, Reading, Art, Music, Science.
Why it’s great: A full curriculum in one app — kids earn rewards as they progress through thousands of lessons across multiple subjects.
Price: Paid subscription (with free trial).
Available on: iOS, Android, Web.

9. Epic! (Ages 5–12)

Subjects: Reading.
Why it’s great: A digital library of over 40,000 books, audiobooks, and videos — sorted by age, grade level, and interest. Great for reluctant or advanced readers.
Price: Free for educators, paid for parents.
Available on: iOS, Android, Web.

10. Sago Mini First Words (Ages 2–5)

Subjects: Speech and Language Development.
Why it’s great: Designed with speech therapists, this app helps toddlers and preschoolers expand their vocabulary through interactive play.
Price: Free trial, then subscription.
Available on: iOS.

Tips for Parents:

Set a daily screen time limit to encourage balance.
Use apps alongside real-life learning (e.g., reading books or practicing math at the grocery store).
Let kids choose topics that excite them — curiosity is the best teacher.

Whether your child is in preschool or upper elementary school, these apps can make back-to-school season a little smoother — and a lot more fun.

Do you have a favorite educational app you swear by? Share it in the comments!

DIY Heart Handprint Painting for Valentine’s Day

Welcome back friends!

My little girl hasn’t quite reached the age of exchanging multitudes of valentines amongst her classmates and/or friends so I thought we would create a few fun pieces of artwork instead! These heart handprint paintings are the perfect Valentine for moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles; the sky is the limit!

Let’s have some fun and get painting!

SUPPLIES

Small mounted canvas (large enough for a handprint)
Foam paint brushes
Acrylic paint
Heart shaped paper, small
Scissors
Sticky tape

INSTRUCTIONS

Select the colors you would like for a background, this can be one or more dependent on your preference.
Squeeze dots of the background paint color(s) you selected on the canvas in any pattern you prefer. I was going for a gradient look so I arranged my dots from light to dark.
Using a a foam paint brush, you and your little one can spread and blend the paint over the canvas in back and forth strokes.
For a completed look, paint the edges of the canvas if you have not already done so, then set it aside and allow it to fully dry.
Print and cut a heart out of paper and use sticky tape to attach it to the dry canvas.
Select the colors you would like to use to create the handprint, this could be one color or more, we did six, one for each finger and another color for the palm!
Using a different foam paint brush for each color, brush the colors onto your little one’s hand. Gently press the painted hand down on the canvas, aligning the heart under their palm.
Gently pull the hand away, then peel away the heart if it did not come off onto the hand.
If needed, use a small paint brush to touch up the edges of the heart, then allow the painting to dry.
Enjoy!

DIY – Ghost Pom Pom Painting

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is making things that delight her; I want to create fun, educational crafts for her that are made with love and will be loved! This week we’ll be creating pom pom paintings of a ghost for halloween!

I remember when I was a kid we made halloween crafts at school and my mom would bring them out every year as part of our halloween decor. It made me feel super happy and proud that she would take the time to save and display my art every year and that is the feeling I want to inspire in my own daughter.

Let’s get painting!

SUPPLIES

Ghost Pattern Download

Ghost pattern (see above)
Printer paper
Scissors
Scotch tape
Black cardstock paper (8.5 x 11”)
Clothespin
Pom pom
White paint

INSTRUCTIONS

Print this ghost pattern I’ve created and cut it out of it’s frame, then set the frame aside.
Cut the eyes and mouth out of the ghost shape.
Break off three small pieces of tape, roll them into cylinders, and use them to attach the eyes and mouth where you want them on the black cardstock paper.
Pour non-toxic white acrylic paint into a pie plate (or something similar) and use a clothespin to grab ahold of a pom pom.
Place the ghost pattern’s frame around the edges of your cardstock page and dab the pom pom in the white paint, then dab it around in the edges of the ghost’s shape to create a dotted pattern for your little one.
Remove the frame and allow your little one to dab the paint away to their heart’s content.
Allow the paint to dry and then gently peel off the eyes and mouth to reveal!
Hang it up and enjoy!

Family Friendly Autumnal Activity Ideas

Welcome back Autumn! Every year I look forward to the Autumn and the warmth it generates inside my home and soul. Where I live, September and October are still rather warm on some days, and turn wet and cold as the months progress toward Winter. I cannot get enough of the rain this time of year. The cold, wet weather begins to take over outside, driving us all inside to be together and warm. There’s nothing like cuddling up with people you love, reading a good book, watching a movie or playing a video game while the weather misbehaves outside.

I intend to spend a lot of time with my family this year and came up with some family friendly ideas I’d like to experience with Zoey! Follow along and try some of these activities for yourself, this is a time we should all enjoy!

We intend to:

Bake bread.
Bake cookies for family and/or friends.
Collect acorns and make art.
Collect leaves and make art.
Collect rocks and make art.
Make nature pressings or rubbings.
Donate to a food bank.
Go on a hayride.
Go puddling in the rain.
Have an indoor picnic on a stormy day.
Make a bird feeder.
Make Halloween decorations.
Go trick or treating!
Make fresh tortillas.
Make homemade play dough.
Make stovetop popcorn.
Pick apples.
Bake apple pie.
Drink apple cider.
Make caramel apples.
Pick out pumpkins at a pumpkin patch.
Give pumpkins a bath.
Carve, decorate and/or paint pumpkins.
Bake pumpkin bread.
Roast pumpkin seeds.
Roast s’mores.

DIY Chalkboard – Made from a Vintage Wall Frame

DIY upcycled chalkboard made from vintage wall frame. Years ago, I purchased an old empty frame from a Goodwill store. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to use it for, I just knew that I loved the decals on each corner and wanted to fix it up and give it a home. After years of procrastinating while the frame sat around and gathered dust, I finally decided to paint it and create a chalkboard.

DIY upcycled chalkboard made from vintage wall frame. First, remove and sand one side of the mounting board to smooth it out. Once it’s as smooth as you prefer clean it off and prime it, then begin layering coats of chalkboard paint until you’ve reached your desired chalkboard depth and texture.

Scuff the frame with sanding paper all over to allow for the paint to adhere better. Clean the frame and prime it, then begin layering coats of white paint until you’ve reached your desired depth of color (or lack of color in my case since I used white); I used acrylic paint.

DIY upcycled chalkboard made from vintage wall frame. Once both pieces are dry, you can reassemble the frame. Before writing or drawing on the chalkboard, you’ll need to prime it by coating it with chalk.

DIY upcycled chalkboard made from vintage wall frame. As you can see I just wrote the first thing that came to my mind here, but I intend on leaving this frame up as decor year round and changing it for different events, seasons or holidays!

DIY upcycled chalkboard made from vintage wall frame.