We’re already nervous about the kind of vocabulary our sons will be learning between the ages of seven and 12. Thankfully, you won’t find anything naughty in Kids Vocab - MindSnacks.

Instead, this is an app for that age group focused on “essential vocabulary, reading and writing skills”, armed with the promise that it’ll help your kids understand what words mean, rather than just memorising their spelling.

The app is split into 25 lessons, each teaching up to 20 words and phrases. The first lesson is free, but you then pay £2.99 to unlock the other 24. A good system, because it lets you try the app for free, but restricts in-app spending to a single purchase under your control as a parent.

The words are taught using nine mini-games, with developer MindSnacks promising that the app will adapt to your child’s ability, “selectively repeating material the student still needs to master”.

Making truly educational apps that are genuinely entertaining is much harder than many people think, but we think Kids Vocab walks the line well.

And if you enjoy it, there are a number of other MindSnacks apps available covering languages – Spanish, French, German, Chinese etc – with geography and maths versions to come.

Kids Vocab - MindSnacks is a free download from the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.