Taking a page from Apple’s App Store, which introduced a Kids category in 2013 to help parents and teachers discover the best apps for children more easily, Google Play recently unveiled new Family buttons for its own app marketplace.

Marked by a happy-faced green star icon, the new Family section offers sub-categories by age (five and under, six to eight, nine and up) and app type (Brain Games, Pretend Play, Education, Creativity). The new features initially launched in May on Google Play’s web-based store in the US, and now they are now rolling out globally, with an eye to being enabled on the store’s mobile version soon.

Notable family features in the apps section include a “Spotlight on” area to highlight titles from major players like Disney, as well as a free App of the Week selection, and a Popular Characters area for curated apps, books and games starring top kids IP such as Dora the Explorer, LEGO, Frozen, Peppa Pig, Sesame Street, Ben 10 and Doc McStuffins.

Kids apps are now labeled as ad-supported or not, and the platform offers content maturity ratings, and updated features for letting parents restrict questionable content.

While analytics database App Annie offers a kids age breakout for iOS apps, it may only be a matter of time before kid demographics are reflected in its Google Play app charts as well.

The reigning top five free educational Android game apps certainly reflect the power of big kids brands and popular characters, with Peppa Pig standing out and virtual brick building game LEGO Juniors Create & Cruise taking over the top ranking in China, where more apps are downloaded on average than in any other region of the world.

As Google Play’s new family features direct more parents to the best children’s apps, it will be interesting to see how Android app downloads for indie and major kids developers evolve over time in the app charts, and also which characters and trends rise to the top.

The top five free educational Android game apps

US
1. COOKING MAMA Let’s Cook! – Office Create
2. LEGO Juniors Create & Cruise – The LEGO Group
3. Peppa’s Paintbox – Entertainment One
4. Toca Kitchen 2 – Toca Boca
5. Sweet Baby Girl Beauty Salon – Tuto TOONS

Canada
1. COOKING MAMA Let’s Cook! – Office Create
2. LEGO Juniors Create & Cruise – The LEGO Group
3. Toca Kitchen 2 – Toca Boca
4. My Boo – Your Virtual Pet Game –Tapps
5. Fixies the Masters – Apps Ministry

China
1. LEGO Juniors Create & Cruise – The LEGO Group
2. Barbara Wedding Design Studio – Frank Carter
3. Alchemy – Bulb Communications
4. Princess Makeover: Girls Games – Salon
5. Glam Doll Makeover – Chic SPA!

UK
1. BBC CBeebies Playtime – Media Applications Technology
2. Peppa’s Paintbox – Entertainment One
3. LEGO Juniors Create & Cruise – The LEGO Group
4. BBC CBeebies Storytime – Media Applications Technology
5. Toca Kitchen 2 – Toca Boca

Australia
1. Peppa’s Paintbox – Entertainment One
2. LEGO Juniors Create & Cruise – The LEGO Group
3. Toca Kitchen 2 – Toca Boca
4. Kids Learn to Read (Lite) – Intellijoy
5. Kids Math – Kids Game Apps