Every game here needs two of you. The page deals the cards and keeps the score;
the grown-up asks the questions and the child answers. Nothing here marks
an answer right or wrong - that is the grown-up's part, and it is the part
that makes these worth playing.
activity
Play it here
Numbers and counting
Level 1
Race to twenty. Roll, then count on from where you are.
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On this page 1 Tap the die. It gives you that many steps, not that many squares. 2 Tap the next square once per step, saying each number out loud. 3 Then it is the other player’s turn. First to 20 wins. At home, without a screen 1 Draw a straight line of squares numbered 1 to 20. A coin each. 2 Take turns: roll a die, or pick one of three numbered paper slips. 3 Count ON from your square, out loud: on 5, roll 2, say "six, seven". 4 Every step gets said out loud, not just tapped. First to 20 wins.
10 minutes
You need: paper, pencil, coins
Why it helps:
Numbers and counting: counting on from where you are, which is what adding is.
How to play it with them, with a free account →
activity
Play it here
Numbers and counting
Level 1
Some coins go under the cup. How many are hiding?
On this page 1 Count the coins together, out loud. Tap + or - to play with more or fewer. 2 Take turns hiding: drag the cup over some coins while the other one watches. 3 The guesser says how many are hiding. Tap the cup to see through and check. 4 Right? Tap their jar for a point. Wrong? Tap Next turn and carry on. 5 First jar to three wins. Tap Next turn before you start to swap who hides. At home, without a screen 1 Count five coins out together, and say it: "five". 2 They close their eyes. Hide some of them under the cup. 3 Show the rest. Ask how many are hiding underneath. 4 Lift the cup to check. Then swap over: they hide, you guess.
6 minutes
You need: coins, cups
Why it helps:
Numbers and counting: working out what is missing from a set, which is what taking away means.
How to play it with them, with a free account →
activity
Play it here
Numbers and counting
Level 1
The animals say how many they want. Can you give them just enough?
On this page 1 Your child asks the first animal how many snacks it wants. 2 You are that animal: "Three!" - any number. They count that many across. 3 They ask the next animal. You answer for that one too. 4 Back to the first: "I have three, but I want five." How many more? 5 Then one complains: "That one has more!" Can they make it fair? 6 Add animals to share between three or four. Start again brings back two. At home, without a screen 1 Sit two teddies down with a pile of raisins between them. 2 Your child asks a teddy how many it wants. You answer for it: "three!" 3 Then: "I have three, but I want five." How many more do they add? 4 A teddy complains the other one has more. Can they make it fair?
6 minutes
You need: teddy, raisins
Why it helps:
Numbers and counting: making small amounts, adding to them, and sharing them out fairly.
How to play it with them, with a free account →
activity
Play it here
Numbers and counting
Level 1
Turn over a card each. The bigger number wins the pair.
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On this page 1 Tap a card for each of you. Tap the other box to change who starts. 2 Count the dots, then say the number. Which is bigger? 3 Your child taps the winner’s score to give them the point. At home, without a screen 1 Use a pack of playing cards (aces to tens), or write 1 to 10 on paper twice. 2 Shuffle, deal them out, and each turn one over. 3 They say which number is bigger. That player keeps both cards. 4 Play until the cards run out, then see who has more. Take turns starting.
8 minutes
You need: paper, pencil
Why it helps:
Numbers and counting: telling which written number is bigger, the part tied most to later maths.
How to play it with them, with a free account →
Every game says how to make it with paper, coins or whatever is in the
kitchen, and those versions travel: the car, a cafe, a waiting room.
Some are better that way round. Sharing out real raisins settles what
"fair" means far better than counters on a screen, and a number line
of sticky notes on the floor is one a child can hop along.
