Lovely Play & Recreation

Fun for parents and kids! A smartphone game app for elementary schoolers that combines learning and play.

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked for 10 years as a kindergarten teacher and for 7 years as an after-school childcare instructor, then took a post as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I also engaged in activities that shared Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational play, working with many children. Afterwards, through freelance writing, planning, and editing work at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and conveying ideas. Leveraging the perspective cultivated in educational settings and my experience as an editor, I aim to deliver practical information—focusing on fields related to music and children—that values both input and output. Hobbies include instruments, singing, handcrafts, toys, drawing, traditional play, the outdoors, books, DIY, and crafts. Special skill: spinning-top tricks.
Keyboard playerSAKI
I’ve been playing the Electone since I was six, mainly performing Disney music, anime songs, and music from dramas and films. I post performance videos on YouTube and social media, and I also give concerts. Building on my Electone experience, I took up synthesizer and piano during my student years and performed at school-sponsored events. As a writer, I’ve covered not only music-related topics but a wide range of genres, so I hope to draw on my experience to deliver articles that make readers think, “I want to try that!” or “I want to listen to that!”

“Can elementary school kids play smartphone games?” “Which apps are safe to let them play?” Many families may share these worries and questions.

Here, we introduce a variety of smartphone game apps—from popular titles among kids like Monster Strike, Pokémon, and Disney character games to educational options.

They’re high-quality apps that are easy to enjoy with simple controls and can help develop thinking skills.

Explore a new world of play together with your child!

Fun for parents and kids! Balancing learning and play with smartphone game apps for elementary schoolers (11–20)

Capsule English WordsNEW!

Since English classes have become compulsory even in elementary schools, just like learning kanji in Japanese, students now have to memorize many English words.

However, it’s not enough to simply memorize vocabulary—you also need to learn proper pronunciation.

In such cases, try using this app, which utilizes your smartphone’s speech recognition to evaluate your pronunciation.

It will rigorously distinguish sounds like R and L, which many Japanese learners find difficult, helping you acquire correct pronunciation!

Capsule English Vocabulary - Have fun mastering pronunciation, meow! Mana-Nyan
Category: Education Free iOS Universal Rating: 4
iPhone / iPad

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Princess Math

Princess Math is perfect for anyone who wants to enjoy learning arithmetic in a cute world.

Each time you solve a problem, you earn tiaras, dresses, and sparkly items, letting you coordinate your very own princess—that’s the charm! As you progress in a playful way, your calculation skills naturally improve.

It supports a wide range of problems from single-digit to four-digit numbers, so you can take on challenges at your own level without strain—another nice point.

With its gentle atmosphere and irresistible cuteness, even adults might find themselves enjoying it, turning everyday study time into something a little special.

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kanji kana

KanjiKana – KanjiKana DEMO

kanji kana

Perfect for kids who want to enjoy reading even difficult kanji, “Kanjikana” converts kanji to hiragana and adds furigana when you enter text, so you can instantly see “How do you read this?” and feel relieved! You can keep reading with confidence.

It feels like a kind teacher gently guiding you, and it’s great that you can use it casually! As you use it like you’re playing, your reading skills will steadily improve before you know it.

It’s an app that turns small moments each day into fun learning time.

kanji kana
Category: Education Free iOS Universal Rating: 3.55556
iPhone / iPad

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One-panel Kanji

Practice kanji enjoyably with an app! ~ I tried the fun one-panel kanji!

One-panel Kanji

If you want to make kanji learning more fun for elementary school students, this is perfect.

It covers all the kanji taught in elementary school and aligns with the new curriculum guidelines, so it’s well linked to what they study at school.

In addition to writing practice, it’s packed with unique playful elements, letting kids enjoy learning like a game.

As they clear each challenge, they’ll feel a sense of achievement, and before they know it, kanji will come naturally—another big plus.

It’s easy to use even in small pockets of time, helping kids keep up a fun daily study habit, so feel free to give this app a try.

Elementary School Kanji Drill: One-Panel Kanji
Category: Education Free iOS Universal Rating: 4.76471
iPhone / iPad Android

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Programming Seminar

[Programming Seminar] Collect Them #1 – Give It a Try

Programming Seminar

An app is perfect for children who want to start engaging with programming from the early elementary grades.

It was developed based on lessons conducted for first- to third-graders at public elementary schools, incorporating plenty of feedback from both the children’s user experience and the on-site teachers’ opinions, resulting in a safe and reliable design.

The controls are intuitive and easy to understand, and because children can learn as they progress through it like a game, they naturally develop computational thinking even before studying difficult theories.

By trying repeatedly, they cultivate the “ability to think” and the “ability to organize things step by step,” turning small moments of each day into enjoyable learning time.

Since it feels like play, even beginners in programming can learn with excitement!

Programming Seminar [A programming app usable from lower grades]
Category: Education Free iOS Universal Rating: 3.52074
iPhone / iPad Android

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Romanized Quest

Learn Romaji on your smartphone! Introducing “Romaji Quest” (Android, iOS)

Romanized Quest

Students start learning romaji in third grade.

Once they’ve memorized A–Z, they’ll want to learn how to use them, too.

This app is perfect for that.

Questions appear in Japanese, and you choose the correct romaji from three options.

When you pick the right answer, it makes a “pin-pon” sound, which kids will love.

There are multiple question patterns, so they can learn in a game-like way without getting bored.

If you tap the romaji chart, balloons with hiragana appear, making it convenient for reviewing romaji as well.

Romaji Learning App ~ Romaji Quest ~ with Romaji Chart
Category: Education Free iOS Universal Rating: 4.40495
iPhone / iPad Android

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Fun for Parents and Kids! Balancing Learning and Play with Smartphone Game Apps for Elementary School Students (21–30)

Elementary School Handwritten Kanji Drill 1026

Recommended app: “Elementary School Handwritten Kanji Drill 1026”

Elementary School Handwritten Kanji Drill 1026

After finishing hiragana, students begin learning kanji.

Over the six years of elementary school, they memorize more than 1,000 characters.

There are many different readings, and once kids stumble, many may develop an aversion to it.

That’s why we recommend this app.

You can write directly on the screen with your finger, and it even marks your answers.

Of course, it also shows the correct answers, so you can instantly see where you went wrong and fix it.

It covers kanji from first through sixth grade, making it great not only for review but also for learning ahead.

Elementary School Handwritten Kanji Drill 1026 - Kanji Ninja
Category: Education Free iOS Universal Rating: 4.55985
iPhone / iPad Android

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