Best Christmas Apps for Kids in 2026: 8 Apps Compared

Google Santa Tracker is our pick for most families. From early December, it offers a daily countdown with games, videos and activities, including coding games, geography lessons about Christmas traditions, and a colouring activity. On Christmas Eve, it switches to live Santa tracking, showing his journey around the world.

The limit is seasonality. Santa Tracker is a December product, and there is little reason to open it in July. That is fine, because it is free and it does the December job better than any rival. Start with this one, and add a second app only if your children want more.

NORAD Tracks Santa is the original Santa tracker, run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command as a festive tradition. From December 1, the site offers games, videos, stories and a North Pole village to explore, and on Christmas Eve it tracks Santa live. For many families, it is the tracker they grew up with.

The catch is timing. The live tracking only matters on Christmas Eve, and the experience varies between the website and mobile apps. Pair NORAD with Google Santa Tracker for games through December, and use NORAD for the big night itself.

Portable North Pole creates personalised Santa videos that mention your child by name and can include a photo, which younger children find genuinely magical. Santa pulls a book from his shelf with the child's name in it, reads a message, and checks the nice list. It is a tradition for many families each December.

The honest catch is that the free version has fewer features than in past years, and some parents report that certain features need a paid upgrade. Check what the free version includes before you promise a child a specific video, and set expectations early.

Santa Tracker, the app by Saviorcode on Google Play, bundles several Christmas features in one place. It tracks Santa, estimates local stop times, offers a Christmas coloring section, and includes a Santa video call feature. That mix suits families who want one app for tracking, coloring and a Santa call.

The trade-off is trust. This is a third-party app rather than a Google or NORAD product, so check recent reviews, permissions and in-app purchases before installing it for a young child. Used with those checks done, it is a fun and free seasonal app.

Christmas Coloring for Kids is a calm, creative Christmas app for toddlers and preschoolers. It offers festive coloring pages featuring Santa, reindeer, snowmen, trees and gifts, plus step-by-step drawing lessons and a pixel art mode. The app is designed to be simple, offline-friendly and free from ads and external links.

The limit is age. Older children may outgrow the simple pages quickly, and some extra content may need a purchase. For quiet December afternoons with younger children, it is a lovely, low-stress choice.

Santa Color by Number is a Christmas color-by-number game where children tap numbered areas to reveal festive scenes. Pictures include Santa with gifts, snowmen, Christmas trees, bells and winter villages, and the gameplay needs no drawing skill. That makes it accessible for a wide age range.

The catch is the usual free-app trade-off: ads or purchases may appear, so check the settings and supervise younger children. For a relaxing, guided coloring activity, it is a strong seasonal pick.

Christmas Color offers vintage-style Christmas scenes in a calm coloring app, with both color-by-number and free paint modes. Scenes include a snowman with a scarf, Santa and his sleigh at sunset, candles with holly, and winter birds in Santa hats. An offline mode makes it useful for travel and quiet time.

The note for parents is that the app is marketed for calm coloring for adults as well as families, so check the content and settings before handing it to a young child. For older children and families who color together, its vintage style is a refreshing change from bright cartoon apps.

Reindeer Cam is a live feed from Santa's reindeer barn, where children can peek at the reindeer and sometimes catch Santa himself. It is cozy, simple and magical for younger children, especially as part of a bedtime routine in December. There is no game to learn and nothing to buy to enjoy it.

The limit is that it is a cam, not an app full of activities, and availability varies by season. Pair it with Google Santa Tracker for games, and use Reindeer Cam for a quiet, magical moment before bed.