Khan Academy Kids app focuses on maths, reading and writing skills

More than 15 million adults are using the Khan Academy website and app to learn about… well, all manner of things. Its online courses range from maths and science through to computer programming, history and economics.

Now it has a new spin-off for pre-school children called Khan Academy Kids. It has launched today as an app for Apple, Android and Amazon devices, focusing on maths, reading and writing skills for 2–5 year-olds.

“Open-ended activities and games like drawing, storytelling, and colouring encourage creativity and self-expression,” promises its app-store listing. “And colourful main characters will guide children through the learning experience, keeping them engaged on their educational journey.”

Phonics and spelling, vocabulary and grammar, various maths skills as well as memory games and problem-solving tests are all included, as well as music from YouTube channel Super Simple Songs, and material from National Geographic’s Young Explorer magazine.

The app also wants to get parents involved, from seeing how their children have been progressing through the app, to reading stories and ‘co-playing’ together on whatever device it’s being used on.

This app has been coming for a little while: back in 2016, Khan Academy bought a children’s apps company called Duck Duck Moose, which had been responsible for some of my favourite apps for kids in the past — Pet Bingo, for example, was one of the first apps my children used to practise their early maths skills. Now the Duck Duck Moose team are involved in the new Khan Academy Kids app.

“We worked with educators from the Stanford Graduate School of Education and notable book authors to create a curriculum and library of original books that teach key academic skills as well as social-emotional and physical development,” says Duck Duck Moose co-founder Caroline Hu Flexer, who’s now head of Khan Academy Kids.

The new app looks fun and polished — and I’m enjoying the launch video, with Khan Academy boss Sal Khan struggling manfully not to be upstaged by his own child (above). The app is also free, like Khan Academy’s courses for adults: the company is a non-profit organisation funded by donations.

Khan Academy Kids can be downloaded for Apple devices, for Android devices (in beta) and for Amazon devices (also in beta). I’ll be keen to see how it develops over time: there’s clearly plenty of stuff to explore in the launch version, but a regular supply of new material will be important to keep kids (and parents) interested.