The 10 best thinking-skills games for ages 4 to 7

The best thinking-skills game for most 4 to 7 year olds is the one that practises several skills, adapts to the child and has nothing pulling them away. On those points we rank Jupo World first for ages 4 to 7, with Khan Academy Kids the best free choice and Think!Think! the best for a short daily puzzle habit.

How we chose

We wrote these points before ranking, and judged every app on them, including ours:

• Range of skills: memory, self-control, flexible thinking, logic and problem solving, not one skill only.
• Fit for ages 4 to 7: a child can play without reading and without help.
• Adapts to the child: difficulty moves up and down with how they play.
• Nothing pulling them away: no ads, no chat, no purchases a child can reach.
• Something behind it: a teaching method, a curriculum or a team of educators.
• Fair price: what you pay for what you get.

The list

1. Jupo World

A castle world where every character brings a game, built on the Chess Palace method of Judit Polgár. More than 20 games practise six superpowers (Communication, Memory, Movement and Fine Motor Skills, Creativity, Self-control and Collaboration), mapped to 26 skills in 9 areas, and difficulty adapts as a child plays.

• Best for: families who want one app that covers many thinking skills, for ages 4 to 10.
• Watch out for: the full world needs a subscription. It is not a chess course for children who already play chess.

2. Khan Academy Kids

Thousands of games, books and videos for ages 2 to 8 from the non-profit Khan Academy, completely free with no ads and no subscriptions. It covers early maths, reading and social-emotional learning as well as thinking skills.

• Best for: families who want a broad, free early-learning app.
• Watch out for: it is a wide curriculum, so thinking skills are one part among many.

3. Think!Think!

Puzzles, mazes and mini games built by a team that also writes problems for maths competitions. Free play is limited to 10 minutes a day, which suits a short daily habit. It won a Parents' Choice silver award in 2018.

• Best for: a short daily puzzle routine.
• Watch out for: more than 10 minutes a day needs a subscription.

4. Thinkrolls

Logic puzzles for ages 2 to 8 from Avokiddo, where children roll characters through mazes and move objects to clear the path.

• Best for: the youngest logic fans, from about 3.
• Watch out for: the full set of puzzles needs a subscription.

5. Pok Pok

Calm, open-ended digital toys for ages 2 to 8, with no text, no speech, no levels and no scores. It won a 2023 App Store Award and an Apple Design Award.

• Best for: calm, creative play and children who do not read yet.
• Watch out for: it is open play, so it does not set goals or practise one skill on purpose.

6. LogicLike

Thousands of logic puzzles and riddles for ages 4 to 8, from odd-one-out pictures to spatial puzzles and beginner chess puzzles, grouped into courses by age.

• Best for: children who enjoy riddles and want lots of puzzles.
• Watch out for: some puzzles involve reading, and the full courses need a subscription.

7. Montessori Preschool

A Montessori-based app for ages 3 to 7 from Edoki Academy, covering phonics, numbers, shapes, colours and early coding, with a parent dashboard.

• Best for: families who follow Montessori ideas and want early academics too.
• Watch out for: the focus is broad preschool learning more than thinking skills alone.

8. Kahoot! Numbers by DragonBox

Numbers appear as characters called Nooms that children combine and split, building number sense through play.

• Best for: early number sense.
• Watch out for: it practises one area, and access needs a Kahoot! Kids subscription or a one-off purchase.

9. Lingokids

Thousands of games, songs and shows for ages 2 to 8, ad-free and kidSAFE certified, with offline play and a parent progress area.

• Best for: families who want English, early academics and play in one app.
• Watch out for: thinking skills are a smaller part of a large catalogue.

10. PBS KIDS Games

More than 280 free curriculum-based games for ages 2 to 8 with characters from PBS KIDS shows, with games you can download for offline play.

• Best for: free play with characters children already know.
• Watch out for: games vary a lot in depth, so a parent may want to pick a few.

Questions parents ask

What are thinking-skills games?

Games that ask a child to remember, plan, wait, switch rules or solve a problem, rather than react fast. Memory matches, logic puzzles, mazes and simple strategy games all count.

Which of these is completely free?

Khan Academy Kids and PBS KIDS Games are free. The others are free to try and need a subscription or a one-off price for the full game.

Which games work for a child who cannot read yet?

Jupo World, Pok Pok, Thinkrolls and Khan Academy Kids can all be played without reading. Some LogicLike and Lingokids activities use words.

Why is Jupo World first on a list Jupo World wrote?

Because on the points above it covers the widest range of thinking skills for ages 4 to 7 in one place. We said who we are at the top, and we listed what to watch out for in our entry as we did for the others.