Have you been thinking about trying ABCMouse with your little one? Before you do, you’ll want to read our in-depth, honest ABCMouse review below…
Young kids love to learn, discover, and explore. Anyone who has ever spent time with a preschooler knows they’re curious about everything and love to ask questions.
Kids at this age are incredibly receptive to learning new skills and concepts. They’re even more likely to retain new information when the learning process is fun and engaging.
When we make it fun to master new skills, we prevent learning from feeling like a chore. Kids are set up to see learning in a positive light and feel confident about making discoveries.
An engaging learning routine will also hold your child’s interest longer… and we all know young kids aren’t exactly known for having long attention spans.
This is where educational apps for kids can be a huge help. Kids can build fundamental skills in a way that feels more like play than work.
And when it comes to learning apps, there’s one name that almost every parent has heard of — ABCMouse.
ABCMouse is a highly-rated learning app geared towards early elementary schoolers, from ages 2-8. The program is designed to help little ones learn everything from the ABCs to counting to the planets in the sky.
Of course, we all know how popular ABCMouse is, but does the app really live up to the hype? Is it worth your money?
In this ABCMouse review, we dive into all of the learning opportunities available through this popular app. We’ll discuss how the site works, explore pros and cons, and hopefully help you decide if it’s a good fit for your child.
Read on to learn more about everything ABCMouse has to offer!
Disclosure:Â Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost for you, we might get a commission if you click the link and purchase.
How Does ABCMouse Work?
ABCmouse
ABCmouse is one of most popular learning apps for little kids ages 2-8. It includes educational games, books, puzzles, and more to help kids learn in a fun, effective manner.
ABCMouse, powered by EdTech company Age of Learning, is a subscription-based learning program that allows young kids to grow their knowledge in reading, math, social sciences, and art.
Once you’ve joined the site, parents can register up to three children by creating their Child Profiles. There’s also a Caregiver Profile for you, so that you can monitor their progress.
When your child is registered, they’ll begin their journey on their individualized Learning Path.
Each Learning Path is tailored to your child’s abilities, so they’ll always be working on appropriate skills.
In fact, ABCMouse includes 850 lessons over 10 different levels. The program boasts over 10,000 different learning activities, making it one of the most comprehensive learning apps on the market.
Your child will continue to move forward on their Learning Path as they complete new lessons. They’re also free to access ABCMouse content outside of their individual path (think printables, games, and art activities) as they go along.
Learners are rewarded with tickets for completing lessons and making progress. Tickets can be used to buy virtual prizes, like accessories for their avatars and pets, on the ABCMouse site.
What Does ABCMouse Offer Kids?
ABCMouse is tailor-made to hold kids’ interest. The activities are simple and engaging, with read-aloud instructions available for younger users.
ABCMouse includes books, puzzles, songs, animations, games, and art activities. There’s something to please every kind of learner.
For example, there are more than 450 books for beginning readers on ABCMouse, including some bilingual titles. No matter what your child is interested in, ABCMouse is bound to have a book that will spark their interest.
Aside from the books themselves, ABCMouse includes lessons on phonics, letter-sound recognition, rhyming words, and sentence structure to help learners have fun while becoming stronger readers.
Math activities on ABCMouse also help kids build a solid foundation, whether your child is working on addition and subtraction, recognizing shapes, creating patterns, or identifying shapes.
Learners can also access science and social studies content on ABCMouse. Topics include the planets, the seasons, the regions of the United States, and tons of activities on plants and animals, including a virtual zoo, farm, and aquarium.
ABCMouse’s comprehensive lessons mean your child can make progress across all content areas. Studying different subjects also helps keep learning fresh and entertaining.
ABCMouse builds motivation with their rewards system, too. Completing a lesson or improving a skill comes with a big payoff in the form of virtual tickets.
Kids can use tickets to buy prizes, including fish, pets, and outfits from the ABCMouse store.
Not only does this keep young learners motivated, it also provides a built-in economics lesson as kids keep track of how many tickets they’ve spent and how many they want to save.
All in all, ABCMouse makes learning fun for kids while getting quality results that meet parents’ expectations.
What Does ABCMouse Offer Parents?
While kids will be hooked on ABCMouse’s games, songs, and activities, parents will enjoy the program’s easy-to-use progress tracking.
All of your child’s progress is available from your ABCMouse Caregiver Profile, so you’ll be able to see the learning activities your child has completed in each category.
Your child’s data is presented in a straightforward graph format, so you can keep track of their academic growth in each subject area at a glance.
The program is also guaranteed to be ad-free, meaning you won’t have to worry about inappropriate or distracting pop-ups appearing while your child is using the app.
In fact, ABCMouse is COPPA Certified, meaning the program’s collection, use, and disclosure of personal information from children under the age of 13 are compliant with the principles of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
ABCMouse is hugely popular in the homeschooling community, as it’s a simple way to diversify your child’s instruction and keep them motivated to learn.
The program is also used in over 65,000 classrooms nationwide, which speaks to its efficacy as a learning resource.
Pros & Cons of ABCMouse
Pros
The biggest pros for ABCMouse are obvious: kids will enjoy it, and you can be sure that the activities they’re doing are actually helping them learn.
The tailored Learning Path structure of the app is another big win, since it means activities will progress along with your little one.
The Learning Path takes the guesswork out of figuring out the best lessons for your learner and prevents them from getting bored or overwhelmed.
The array of different activities on ABCMouse is another big advantage. Many learning apps focus only on one content area or subject, which can get repetitive, especially for young kids.
Practically speaking, the app is easy to use (for kids and adults alike) and can be accessed from any device, whether your child is using a laptop, iPad, or smartphone.
It’s also worth pointing out that even though ABCMouse isn’t free, it’s very affordable. You can get a full one-year subscription to the app for $45 right now (regularly $59.99/year). That works out to less than $4 a month for one of the most robust learning apps out there — up to 70% off the regular month-to-month price.
Plus you can try ABCMouse free for 30 days before you commit to paying a thing.
Cons
Of course, there are some potential drawbacks to consider as well.
One of the biggest aspects to consider here is the cost. Though a 30-day free trial is available, eventually ABCMouse does require a paid subscription.
Now, as we said above, ABCMouse pricing is very affordable when you compare it to other apps in its class, but the reality is still that some families won’t want to spend the money.
Most notably, the monthly subscription cost will set you back $12.99 if you opt to pay month-to-month, which is a bit steep. However, as noted earlier, the annual subscription is only $45 right now for a full 12 months of access, which basically gives you 8 months free when compared to the regular monthly cost.
It’s important to remember, of course, that most free learning apps rely on pop-ups and ads to make money.
ABCMouse is ad-free and meets safety requirements for children’s online privacy, so your child won’t face any unwanted distractions.
Another potential drawback to ABCMouse is that a subscription only comes with three child profiles.
This is ideal for families with three kids or less, but those with larger families might have to purchase two subscriptions to make sure every child has their own account.
Lastly, it’s important to note that while ABCMouse includes a ton of fun and educational activities for young kids, older students will probably not find much value in the app.
ABCMouse states that it’s aimed at kids ages 2-8 for a reason, so if you’re hoping for an app that will appeal to both your little one and your middle schooler, this probably isn’t it.
However, parent company Age of Learning does offer a similar program for kids ages 8-13 called Adventure Academy, which could be a great stepping stone for learners once they’ve graduated from ABCMouse.
ABCMouse Review Final Thoughts
In today’s world where there are a million learning apps available, ABCMouse is a valuable resource for early elementary schoolers.
Kids who use ABCMouse have access to a wide variety of lessons and games in every subject area, from reading and math to science and art. Plus, there’s a built-in reward system for finishing lessons.
Parents, meanwhile, can track their kids’ growth and breathe easy knowing ABCMouse is guaranteed to be ad-free.
ABCMouse is user-friendly and compatible with any electronic device your child might use.
While it probably won’t be a big hit with older students, ABCMouse is sure to appeal to kids from preschool to third grade.
The site does require a paid subscription, costing from $12 to $5 per month depending on what package you purchase.
When you consider everything the app provides, however, it’s clear that ABCMouse is a worthwhile educational investment.
With hundreds of engaging books, songs, puzzles, games, and activities, it’s perfect for any family hoping to give their young learners a leg-up.
Click here to try ABCMouse free for 30 days!
Have your kiddos used the ABCMouse app before? Have any insights or ideas about other great learning apps for elementary schoolers? Have any additional questions about our ABCMouse review? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
