Keeping kids and young children busy during trips in the car or on an airplane can be hard, but in this digital age, it isn’t so bad when there are games to play! However, not everyone has an unlimited data plan, money to make ongoing app purchases, and playing games online can get pricey quickly.
Or if you’re like our family, our kids do not have access to WiFi unless we give it to them. As I’ve mentioned before, our kids only have our old phones. They do not have data plans, nor do we have WiFi in the house, so they are not connected to the internet. That makes it all the more important to find entertaining and educational games that don’t use WiFi.
These are some of the best apps that have a good mix of games, interactive books, and learning tools to keep your kids entertained anywhere! As long as you remember to download them ahead of time, these apps can be used offline, making them perfect for those times where you just don’t know if there will be WiFi.
Some of these apps are available on both iTunes and Google Play. Links are provided when applicable.
The Best Apps for Kids that Don’t Require WiFi
The Very Hungry Caterpillar – First Words
Younger kids will love learning to read with The Very Hungry Caterpillar! This app is a fun way to introduce children just learning to read to an easy way of learning words with familiar objects and pictures.
Highlights: All About
Popular children’s magazine Highlights released this app to share their All About series of books digitally and interactively! Kids can read, watch, learn, and play through the series, just be sure to download things ahead of time.
Labo Brick Car (3+)
Kids can get creative with shapes and designs while building their own cars! After building, they can take them for a drive through a number of different courses. The block by block building style of this app is easy for kids to understand and pick up quickly and a great way to offer hands-on learning!
The Robot Factory by Tinybop
Build, test, and collect robots! Young and older kids have total imaginative freedom with this app to make a robot only they could dream up! The app even allows their creations to be sent as stickers in text messages once they’re done! This is a great app for sparking creativity.
Word Magic
Learn spelling and basic words with Word Magic. Simple styling and intuitive use make this a great pick for the younger kids. Positive reinforcement in the form of reward stars keeps them learning for longer! The early years age group would be perfect for this app.
Weirdwood Manor
An interactive storybook for children reading well on their own, Weirdwood Manor is a mystery/adventure story with interactive elements. Solve puzzles, solve riddles, and find hidden items to progress!
Zoombinis
Teaching logic and reasoning skills at any age, the Zoombinis app is a faithful recreation of the 1990s PC game of the same name. Use this fun app to help fashion problem-solving skills and critical thinking skills. Old and young learners alike would enjoy this free app.
Disney Story Central
Hundreds of Disney and Pixar digital books are available at your child’s fingertips! The books do cost money individually, but this is a great alternative to lugging all those picture books around on family trips. The classic stories available are perfect for kids of all ages.
Minecraft
A favorite game of children and adults alike, Minecraft is available as an app for crafting on the go! Your kids will be immersed in a world of cubes, finding resources and crafting items to progress and build anything they can imagine! Minecraft always provides a great learning experience and certainly something the whole family can enjoy.
Monument Valley
Monument Valley is a 3D puzzle game and is perfect for children who have good spatial reasoning skills. They must guide the princess to safety by moving platforms around, changing perspective, and by thinking ahead so they don’t get stuck!
Final Thoughts
These app suggestions come in handier now that we are a travel schooling family. I can download these free activities and my kids can go to their favorite app without needing WIFI. The good news is that’s super simple to do and my kids will get work on key skills in the meantime. These are just a few of the best educational apps that allow your kids to work at their own pace.
What are your favorite Non-Wifi apps? For kids? For teens? For adults?
Annette lived many years as an exhausted wife of 1 and mother of 6. Grab your fuzzy blanket, pour your favorite drink, and browse through our encouraging tips, printables, and curriculum options. Read more about me and the ministry here at In All You Do