Play corner

Little games to play together

Thirteen short games for children from 2 to 9. Sit together, pick one, play for five minutes. Every game ends by showing you a real version to do next, with things you already have at home.

Psst. Tap the tower. 👉

Pick a game

Magic name dots

Your name, made of dots. Swipe to scatter them into colours and watch the letters come back.

3 to 7 yearsLetters of their own name

Build the tower

Tap the letter blocks in the right order to build a word. Then knock it down!

3 to 6 yearsLetters in order

Pop the bubbles

Numbered bubbles float about. Pop them in order, 1, 2, 3, all the way up.

3 to 6 yearsWhich number comes next

Mix the colours

Pour two paints into the bowl. What colour do they make? Find all three new ones.

3 to 7 yearsColour names and mixing

Find the shadow

Every shape has lost its shadow. Drag each one home.

2 to 5 yearsMatching shapes by outline

Quick look

Dots flash up for a moment. How many did you see, without counting?

3 to 6 yearsSeeing small amounts at a glance

Race to 20

Spin a 1 or a 2 and race the grown-up along the numbers. Say each number as you hop!

4 to 6 yearsKnowing where numbers sit in order

Float or sink?

Guess first: will the spoon float or sink? Then drop it in the water and see if you were right.

5 to 9 yearsGuessing first, then checking

How do they feel?

A little scene and a question: how do they feel? Then talk about what YOU would feel.

3 to 6 yearsNaming feelings and what caused them

Clap the beats

Say the word and tap the drum once for every beat. Then see the word split into blocks.

3 to 6 yearsHearing the beats in a word

Share the laddoos

A pile of laddoos and some steel plates. Share them out so every plate gets the same.

6 to 9 yearsSharing equally, the start of division

Bundle of ten

Count the sticks into the tray. At ten they tie into one bundle. Can you make 34?

5 to 8 yearsThat the 3 in 34 means thirty

Hidden in the dots

A shape is hiding in a circle of coloured dots. Can you spot it?

4 to 8 yearsLooking closely and finding a shape in a busy picture

For the grown-up

The rest of this site is about play away from the screen, and we still think that is where most learning happens. These games are here because a short game, played together, is a good way into an idea. Each one claims only one thing it practises, and each one hands you over to a real activity when it is done. There is no sound, no sign-up and no score to chase, so stopping is easy. Five minutes is plenty.

Questions parents ask

How much screen time is okay for a young child?

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests around one hour a day of high-quality content for children aged 2 to 5, with an adult where possible. The WHO says no more than one sedentary screen hour for 2 to 4 year olds, and less is better. Both are ceilings, not targets. One game here takes about five minutes.

Are these games free, and do they need an account?

They are free, with no account, no ad networks and no sound. They run in the browser and nothing your child types is saved or sent anywhere.

What age are the games for?

Roughly 2 to 9. Find the shadow suits two-year-olds, and Share the laddoos and Bundle of ten are for six to nine. Each game page says its own age range.