We Reviewed Dozens Of The Best Apps For The Transportation-Loving Kids So You Don’t Have To. Here Are Our Top Picks.
What little one is not in love with things that go? From the time they can push that first vehicle and gleefully say “Vroom-Vroom” to when they get a bit older and set up whole towns to drive through, things with wheels and wings are a passion. And best of all, many of these apps will help them learn while they play!
Download and play the best Car, Train and Planes games and apps. Your children will love these classic children’s apps, full of their favorite vehicles. Cars, Police Cars, Firetrucks, Rockets, Motorbikes, Trains, Trucks, Helicopters and much more.
Toca Train
Price: $3.99
iOS App Store / Google Play Store
The Toca Boca apps are perfect for preschool age children. With Toca Train, kids will take over as train conductor in a fun steam train simulator experience. The controls are very intuitive and there are no written instructions, kids will simply pull the levers, push the buttons and explore all on their own and make the train smoke, whistle, spark and change speeds. There are lots of characters to load and unload, as well as cargo to pick up and deliver.
The app features wonderful scenery and 6 stations along the way, and little ones can change the camera angle by swiping and pinching as they chug along. If you would like to share a fun-filled train experience with your little one, be sure to check out Toca Train! It’s a great investment.
Dr. Panda Bus Driver
Price: $3.99
The Dr. Panda apps are another great collection of educational apps for preschoolers. With Dr. Panda Bus Driver, kids will take the wheel and drive the bus around the city, picking up cute animal passengers and taking them where they want to go. The app features very simple, intuitive controls. I love how the world is randomly generated so there is always a brand new world to discover as you drive along, and the graphics are amazing…little ones will drive past craggy mountains, rushing waterfalls and flower-filled fields. As kids drive there are lots of real-life traffic situations, like railroad crossings, tunnels, and even drawbridges!
There are fun activities besides driving as well, such as: painting and customizing your bus, filling up the gas, going through the car wash and more. If you would like to introduce your child to the great apps that Dr. Panda has to offer, maybe start with this one! The app is well worth the investment.
Toca Cars
Price: $3.99
iOS App Store / Google Play Store
The Toca Cars app is a great app for little ones that like things that go! With Toca Cars, kids can cruise around anywhere they want to go, even through big puddles of ice cream. There is an editor mode where kids can arrange their own jumps, races, trees, animals, houses and more.
Little ones will love the “no rules” aspect to driving, and can choose from two fearless drivers. There is a fun “crash and restore” mode, if your little one knocks something over while driving, just hit the restore button and do it all over again! The app will keep kids entertained for hours. If you would like to share a fun, creative driving app with your child, be sure to check out Toca Cars!
Dr. Panda Airport
Price: $2.99
The Dr. Panda Airport app is a great app for any little one who loves planes! With Dr. Panda Airport, kids can take flight in 10 airport-themed activities, including: stamping passports at customs, making sure luggage gets loaded properly, and even landing planes. The app features bright, cheery graphics and fun animal characters. I love how the controls are simple and intuitive for even the youngest kiddos.
This is a great app to share with your child to familiarize them with the process of heading through an airport, from checking in to taking off – perfect for those little ones who may be about to travel for the first time. If you would like to share a fun airport-themed app with your child, be sure to check out Dr. Panda’s Airport! It’s only $2.99, so what’s to lose?
Labo Car Designer
Price: Ninety-nine cents
The Labo Car Designer app is a great creativity app for preschoolers. With Labo Car Designer, kids get to build and then drive their very own car designs. There are fun and easy tutorials to follow, or kids can draw in the free play mode. The app features lots of customization options, including: 10 colors, 14 types of tires, 27 stickers and lights and more. There are also 25 creativity (templates) tutorials. Kids can save an unlimited number of vehicles in their garage to choose from and drive anytime!
This app is a great deal. There are 15 fun-filled roads to explore with all sorts of fun ramps and obstacles along the way, as well as 4 weather modes. If you would like to share a fun creativity app with your child, be sure to check out Labo Car Designer!
Dr. Panda Toy Cars
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Dr. Panda’s Toy Cars provides children with a fun mix of exploration and problem solving. With Dr. Panda’s Toy Cars, little ones can explore two huge cities and drive all sorts of different cars and trucks. This app is a great way for kids to explore and use their imagination as they drive through the cities and make up their own stories. There are 8 different vehicles to drive, including a fire truck, a police car, an ambulance and a cargo truck.
Little ones can help complete missions with each car, such as: helping put out a fire with the fire truck, helping catch the robber with the police car, and delivering cargo with the cargo truck – kids will need to take the correct car to each situation, etc. (there are icons to guide them). If you would like to share a fun car-themed app with your child, be sure to check out Dr. Panda’s Toy Cars! It’s free with in-app purchases ranging from ninety-nine cents to $2.99 for additional environments.
My First App – Airport
Price: Free
My First App – Airport is a great app for the little future pilots of the world. With My First App – Airport, little ones can explore and play through all the different areas of an airport. There are several different games within the app, including: Puzzles – with 4, 6, and 9 pieces, Turning Game – your child has to match two sections of a scene together, once complete a fun animation happens, Pinball Game – pinballs can be dragged and dropped, or pinballs can be rolled into holes, and a Spot the Difference Game – kids will figure out what is different between two scenes.
This app is great for helping children with their spatial awareness, problem solving, and visual motor skills. It has no in-app purchases or advertisements. Ratings on the App Store are consistently five star. If you would like to share a fun plane-themed app with your little one, be sure to check out My First App – Airport!
My Little Work- Garage
Price: $3.99
iOS App Store / Google Play Store
The My Little Work – Garage app is an excellent children’s app and one of my four year old son’s favorites! With My Little Work – Garage, kids can take over as mechanic and run their very own shop. Kids will run the garage and help all sorts of customers get their cars serviced and repaired. There are lots of little jobs to be done, including: putting on new tires, fueling up, performing an oil change, washing the cars, adding a new custom paint job, or even just adding some cool new accessories!
As kids perform jobs, they will earn money to buy new parts for their own dream racing car which they can race together with up to 4 players on the device! This app is a wonderful bargain. If you are looking for a fun “fix-it” app for your child, be sure to check out My Little Work – Garage!
My First Vehicle Universe
Price: Free with in-app purchases
This combination game and ebook will be a real treat for your vehicle-loving young child. The app is full of matching and memory games that will help your child grow and develop while they are enjoying the things that go. There are eight different vehicle categories and countless places to match drivers to vehicles.
With 17 pages of interactive fun, this app will keep your young driver engaged for hours. The app is free to download, and includes opportunities for in-app purchases. The costs range from $1.99 to remove the advertisements to $7.99 to unlock the entire wealth of content. You can also personalize with purchase of just the type of transportation that interests your child.
Trucks HD – by Duck Duck Moose
Price: Free
iOS App Store / Google Play Store
Amaze and amuse your truck-happy child with this entertaining app! Kids will love using the carwash, the tow truck, the garbage truck, the bulldozer, and more. Parents and teachers will appreciate the opportunities to solve problems, develop fine motor skills, master sequencing, and develop many other critical and foundational skills for later learning.
This app includes five engaging activities and six familiar and upbeat tunes, like “Hurry, Hurry, Drive the Fire Truck.” Developers at Duck Duck Moose have the backing of Khan Academy, so you know there’s loads of valid research that goes into making every app valuable for preschoolers.
Build a Truck
Price: Free
iOS App Store / Google Play Store
Build A Truck is another offering from the people at Duck Duck Moose. This game allows young elementary students to work in the factory to create their own unique vehicles, then race them. They will learn quickly that the decisions they make in the design process have a big impact on the speed and utility of the truck! The app features a realistic physics engine that allows experiments with speed, inertia, torque, friction, gravity, and more to help kids gain a great intuitive understanding of these factors.
As always, the developers at Duck Duck Moose have hit the proverbial nail on the head, creating an app that’s sure to please the 6-9 year old crowd. Check it out!
Bamba Airport
Price: $2.99
Bamba Airport is the perfect app for preschoolers who want to run the show (who doesn’t!). Kids get to choose which passengers go on the vacation, and then perform all the airport duties, such as stamping passports, scanning passengers, loading baggage, and more.
This interactive gem gives kids a great feeling of control as they step through the process of getting tickets and boarding the plane. Along the way, they will learn about numbers, patterns, sequence, and much more.