My kid is obsessed with her tablet, and I’m always looking for apps that feel more like play than homework. Pinkfong Tracing World: ABC is one of the few that actually sticks. You know the Pinkfong crew—the same folks behind that baby shark earworm—and they’ve made a tracing game that doesn’t feel like a chore.

It’s not just letters and numbers

The app starts with the basics: uppercase and lowercase letters, plus numbers from 0 to 9. But instead of boring drills, you trace with your finger while a friendly character guides you. There’s a little star that follows your path, and if you mess up, it doesn’t scold you—it just waits for you to try again. My daughter, who’s three, picked it up in minutes. She traces a letter, and then the app rewards her with a mini-game or a sticker. That loop—trace, get a reward, trace again—keeps her going for twenty minutes straight. For a toddler, that’s forever.

There are also tracing activities for shapes and simple words, which surprised me. I thought it was just ABCs, but it builds up to things like “cat” and “dog.” The voiceover is clear and slow, which helps when your kid is still learning what an “A” even sounds like. The animations are bright but not overwhelming—no flashing lights or loud noises that make you want to hide the tablet.

What actually works

• The tracing paths are wide and forgiving. Little fingers don’t need precision, just direction.
• No ads or pop-ups trying to sell you stuff while your kid is playing. That alone is a win.
• You can turn off the sound or switch to a quieter mode if the singing gets to you.

One thing to note: the free version gives you a taste—maybe ten letters and a few numbers—but the full set costs a couple bucks. It’s a one-time purchase, not a subscription, which feels fair. My only gripe is that the app doesn’t track progress per letter, so you can’t see which ones your kid keeps messing up. But for a simple tracing game, it does its job.

If your kid is between two and five and just starting to hold a crayon (or a finger), this is a solid pick. It’s not going to teach them to read, but it’ll get them comfortable with the shapes of letters and numbers. Pair it with some actual paper tracing afterward, and you’ve got a decent little routine.