Best Simple Machines Apps for Kids
Best Simple Machines Apps for Kids
Product recommendations are based on editorial evaluation. Verify age-appropriateness for your child. Affiliate links may be present.
Simple machines — levers, pulleys, inclined planes, wheels and axles, wedges, and screws — are the foundation of mechanical engineering and physics. Every complex machine, from bicycles to cranes, is a combination of these six fundamental devices. Understanding simple machines helps children see physics in everyday objects: a door handle is a lever, a wheelchair ramp is an inclined plane, a jar lid is a screw. The best apps teach these concepts through interactive simulations where children build, adjust, and test machines rather than memorizing definitions.
How We Evaluated
Each app was tested by children aged five through twelve over a three-week period. We assessed the ability to identify simple machines in everyday objects and explain mechanical advantage. We scored on five criteria:
- Coverage — Does the app teach all six simple machines with accurate physics?
- Interactivity — Can children build and modify machines, change variables, and observe outcomes?
- Mechanical advantage — Does the app explain how simple machines multiply force or change direction?
- Real-world connections — Does the app help children identify simple machines in everyday life?
- Value — Is the educational content proportional to the price?
Top Picks
| App | Age Range | Price | Platform | Our Rating | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tinybop Simple Machines | 5-10 | $2.99 | iOS | 4.8 / 5 | Best overall |
| Rube Goldberg Machine | 8+ | $1.99 | iOS, Android | 4.7 / 5 | Best creative building |
| PhET Forces and Motion | 9+ | Free | Web | 4.7 / 5 | Best physics depth |
| LEGO Technic Builder | 7-12 | Free | iOS, Android | 4.5 / 5 | Best building instructions |
| Crazy Machines | 8+ | $4.99 | iOS, Android, Steam | 4.6 / 5 | Best puzzle-based learning |
Detailed Reviews
Tinybop Simple Machines — Best Overall
Tinybop Simple Machines dedicates a full interactive section to each of the six machine types. Children manipulate levers by adjusting fulcrum position and observing how effort and load change. Pulleys can be configured from single fixed to compound block-and-tackle systems, with visible force indicators showing mechanical advantage. Inclined planes adjust in angle, with friction and gravity vectors displayed.
Each section begins with a simple scenario and allows free exploration. A lever section starts with a seesaw, then lets children use levers to launch objects, pry open containers, and lift heavy loads. The wheel-and-axle section progresses from doorknobs to gears to vehicles. Every interaction includes real-time force indicators that make mechanical advantage intuitive.
Why parents love it: The app covers all six machines with genuine physics rather than simplified cartoons. Children who use it consistently can identify levers, pulleys, and inclined planes in everyday situations and explain why they make work easier.
Limitation: The text-free design means scientific vocabulary (fulcrum, mechanical advantage, load) must come from parental conversation. A companion guide for parents would enhance the experience.
Rube Goldberg Machine — Best Creative Building
Rube Goldberg Machine challenges children to build absurdly complex contraptions that accomplish simple tasks. Each level provides a goal (pop a balloon, feed a fish, turn on a light) and a collection of simple machines. Children connect levers, ramps, pulleys, gears, and other components in chain-reaction sequences. The physics engine accurately simulates gravity, friction, and momentum, so machines must be engineered correctly to function.
Why parents love it: The creative freedom is exceptional. There is no single correct solution, which encourages experimentation and iteration. Children learn that complex systems are built from simple components, which is a fundamental engineering insight.
Limitation: The focus on chain reactions means individual machine types receive less focused instruction than in dedicated apps. Best used after children understand the six basic machines individually.
PhET Forces and Motion — Best Physics Depth
PhET’s Forces and Motion simulation lets children apply forces to objects on surfaces with adjustable friction. While not labeled as a simple machines app, the simulation teaches the physics underlying all simple machines: force, work, energy, and friction. Children push objects up inclined planes, observing how angle affects required force. They experiment with friction coefficients and discover that reducing friction is one way simple machines make work easier.
Why parents love it: The quantitative approach prepares children for middle and high school physics. Force arrows, numerical readouts, and energy bar charts build habits of measurement and analysis.
Limitation: The simulation requires guidance to connect abstract force concepts to concrete simple machine applications. Best for children nine and older with some prior knowledge.
LEGO Technic Builder — Best Building Instructions
LEGO Technic Builder provides 3D building instructions for mechanisms that demonstrate simple machine principles: gear trains, pulley systems, lever arms, and wheel-and-axle assemblies. Children follow digital instructions on screen and build physical models with LEGO Technic pieces. Each model includes a brief explanation of the physics principle it demonstrates.
Why parents love it: The bridge between digital instructions and physical building creates hands-on learning that pure apps cannot match. Children build real machines that demonstrate real mechanical advantage.
Limitation: Requires LEGO Technic sets, which can be expensive. The app is a building guide rather than a standalone educational tool.
Crazy Machines — Best Puzzle-Based Learning
Crazy Machines presents physics puzzles where children must use simple machines to achieve specific outcomes. Each puzzle provides limited components (ramps, levers, gears, pulleys, balls, weights) and a target. Children arrange components to create a functioning machine, then test it with a physics simulation. Failed attempts provide immediate feedback about what went wrong, encouraging iteration.
Why parents love it: The puzzle format provides structured challenges that build complexity progressively. Earlier levels teach individual machines; later levels require combining multiple machines in sequence, which develops engineering thinking.
Limitation: The puzzle structure means children solve predetermined problems rather than inventing freely. Creative children may prefer the open-ended Rube Goldberg Machine approach.
What to Look For
The best simple machines apps let children manipulate variables and observe physical outcomes. An inclined plane simulation where children adjust the angle and see force requirements change in real time teaches more than any definition. Look for apps that include force indicators or numerical measurements, as these build the quantitative thinking that underpins physics education.
Real-world connections matter more than abstract simulations. Apps that help children recognize levers in scissors, inclined planes in wheelchair ramps, and screws in jar lids transfer knowledge from screen to daily life. After using a simple machines app, challenge your child to find all six machine types in your home.
Key Takeaways
- Tinybop Simple Machines provides the most complete coverage of all six machine types with accurate physics
- Rube Goldberg-style apps develop creative engineering thinking through chain-reaction building
- PhET simulations offer the deepest physics foundations for older or advanced children
- Physical building (LEGO Technic) creates hands-on understanding that pure apps cannot replicate
- Identifying simple machines in everyday objects is the ultimate test of conceptual understanding
Next Steps
- Explore physical building kits in our best science experiment kits guide
- Build broader STEM skills with our best STEM toys by age recommendations
- Discover how coding connects to engineering in our teaching kids to code overview