Most kids would rather have fun than learn anything. However, these educational mobile games educate and entertain at the same time.

For parents who want their children's smartphone time to be more productive, here are the best educational mobile games kids will enjoy playing.

1. Khan Academy Kids

Khan Academy Kids is one of the best educational mobile games available. Led by a cast of colorful animal characters, children can learn skills like reading, writing, and problem solving by partaking in drawing, storytelling, and lots of other fun activities.

It's suitable for children aged six and under. Each child has their own profile and learning path. They can also bring up a collection of books and videos to enjoy at any time, at their own pace. As they learn, kids are rewarded with fun things like hats for the animals or bugs for their collection.

And best of all? It's entirely free, with no ads or in-app purchases.

Download: Khan Academy Kids for Android | iOS (Free)

2. ABC Kids - Tracing and Phonics

ABC Kids is a game entirely focused on helping children recognize and draw letters. Hosted by an upbeat lion, alongside other animal companions who dance and cheer in encouragement, kids can switch between a variety of games in order to have fun while learning the alphabet.

Whether it's tracing letters, matching lowercase to uppercase, or pairing through phonics, this is perfectly designed for children in the early stages of education. There's also a handy parent's mode, where you can track progress and enable specific parts of the app if there's something you want your child to focus on.

Download: ABC Kids - Tracing and Phonics for Android | iOS (Free)

3. Algorithm City

Aimed at older children, Algorithm City is a fun game that teaches the basics of programming across more than 50 levels. The aim is to guide a little blocky penguin along stages, collecting all of the coins possible. This is done by selecting actions through a simple graphical interface and then watching how it plays out.

There's a smooth learning curve, with difficulty increasing with every level. Although there's only ever a limited set of functions at the child's disposal, they must learn how to create efficient code in order to get the highest score. Algorithm City is a great, subtle introduction to programming.

If your kids enjoy Algorithm City, we also recommend these other coding games for kids to learn programming.

Download: Algorithm City for Android (Free)

4. Astronomy for Kids

Space, the final frontier. There's nothing quite like the excitement of space and this app lets children explore the solar system and wider universe with high quality animations and audio. They will learn about planets, constellations, comets, and more.

Information can be gathered by visiting places like the observatory and cinema, before eventually blasting their friendly cow companion into space. Occasional quizzes also pop up to test knowledge, blending the fun and learning together perfectly.

Download: Astronomy for Kids for Android | iOS (Free)

5. Math Land

In Math Land, kids take control of a pirate called Ray. He's out to find the gems that have been stolen by the evil Max. With the gems scattered around various islands, children must solve math problems in order to unlock spy glasses and sail the sea.

The game covers all sorts of math problems---addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and more---and adjusts the complexity depending on the child's age. There is a one-time fee to unlock the later islands, but it's worth it thanks to the quality puzzles and bright, charming experience.

Do you want even more math fun? Then check out our suggestions for free math games your kids will love.

Download: Math Land for Android | iOS (Free, premium version available)

6. Logic Land

Logic Land Android screenshot

Logic is just as important as more traditional subjects like math and science. This is where Logic Land can help. All the games within are designed to improve development of logical reasoning, spatial intelligence, and memory.

These games include identifying the odd one out, completing a sequence, calculating how many blocks are in a shape, and more. As children solve them, they earn treasure and allow the characters Jack and Alice to progress to other islands.

Download: Logic Land for Android [Broken URL Removed] (Free)

7. Sesame Street Alphabet Kitchen

You can't go wrong with Cookie Monster and Elmo. Children can join both of them in the kitchen to help bake three and four letter words. They can adorn their cookies with colorful, tasty-looking decorations and then share them with Cookie Monster and Elmo.

Along the way, children will be practicing their literacy skills. While baking, the Sesame Street characters will be teaching children how to speak the words, what they mean, and how vowels are used to make different words. If you want to unlock all words, you'll need to pay a one-off fee.

Download: Sesame Street Alphabet Kitchen for Android (Free, premium version available) | iOS ($2.99)

8. Play and Learn Science

Play and Learn Science is all about exploring how science surrounds us in everyday life. Kids can test experiments, engineer solutions, and learn about things like temperature and shadows. There are loads of games and activities to keep them busy for a while.

It's best to use this app as a co-learning solution. Each game has parent notes that prompt you with questions to ask your children to get them thinking and taking the lessons beyond the app. There's even a Spanish mode, should you want to encourage your youngster to be bilingual.

Download: Play and Learn Science for Android | iOS (Free)

9. Shaun Learning Games for Kids

Shaun the Sheep and his friends are on hand to make learning an incredibly fun experience for kids in this app. Primarily targeted at children aged three to eight, the difficulty can be adjusted depending on the child's needs.

There's a huge amount of games to enjoy here, covering topics like math, direction, memory, and creation. Kids can also take a break from it all and let their creativity flow as they draw, paint, and sticker various scenes. Around a third of the games are free, with the rest unlocked through a single purchase.

Download: Shaun Learning Games for Kids for Android | iOS (Free, premium version available)

10. Chess for Kids

Playing chess will help improve your child's problem-solving skills, pattern recognition, concentration, and more. There's a reason that the game is so popular with all ages.

This app is designed specifically for children, which means it's colorful, easy to use, and kids are protected from chatting or adding friends without parental permission. It lets kids play chess with others around the world or tackle the bot at different skill levels. A single payment will unlock puzzles and videos, but the app is perfectly good without them.

Download: Chess for Kids for Android | iOS (Free, premium version available)

More Educational Apps for Kids

Hopefully, your kids will enjoy playing these games, but also learn a thing or two along the way. After all, that's what these educational mobile games are striving to achieve.

And once your children get bored of these games, they can move onto the best educational apps for children or perhaps these great augmented reality games for kids.