Math
A free maths game for children. 7 levels starting before a child knows any digits and finishing at multiplication, with 3 answers to choose from and no clock anywhere.
- Free
- No ads
- No account
- No download
- Works offline
- Single player
How do you play?
- Pick a level - 7 of them: count, match, pictures, up to 5, to 10, to 20, and times.
- Read the question - Shown large, and as pictures too on the pre-arithmetic levels.
- Choose an answer - 3 options. One tap.
- Keep going - A new question straight away. Your run is counted, and a mistake resets it without penalty.
About this game
A question above. 3 answers below. Touch the right one.
The ladder here crosses a real boundary halfway up, and that is what makes it unusual. The first three levels are pre-arithmetic: count the apples, match a number to a group, count the pictures. A child who does not recognise the symbol 4 can count four apples and win. The last four levels are actual arithmetic, up to 5, up to 10, up to 20 and multiplication, and those need symbols read. Crossing between the two is the genuine leap in early maths, and most apps simply start after it.
There is a small detail in the matching level worth explaining, because it looks like a mistake. Counting goes to 10 and matching stops at 6, even though they cover the same ground. The reason: when counting, a child points at each item and reaching ten that way is fine, but in matching the groups themselves are the answer buttons, and a five-year-old cannot tell a group of 7 from a group of 8 at a glance. Above 6 it would become a guessing game.
3 answers per question means a blind guess is worth 33.3%. High enough that a child never gets completely stuck, and low enough that a run of ten correct answers does not happen by accident.
There is no clock and no score that falls. A wrong answer shows the right one and moves on, because a five-year-old stuck on one question has nothing at all to gain from being made to try it again.
What does it teach?
Counting
3 whole levels are about counting real things before any symbols exist.
Understanding quantity
Matching a number to a group is what turns the symbol 4 into meaning four things.
Adding and subtracting
3 ranges, up to 5, 10 and 20, so progress happens at the child's pace.
First multiplication
Up to 5 times 5. Enough to understand what multiplying does, without a times table to memorise.
Tips
Start before the arithmetic
The first 3 levels need no digit reading at all. A child who is not there yet can already play.
Count out loud
On the picture levels, a finger on each item and a number spoken. That is how children actually count.
Eliminate before choosing
Out of 3 answers, one is usually obviously wrong. Removing it leaves a choice between two.
Do not rush to times
Multiplication here goes up to 5 times 5. Worth reaching after up to 20 is easy, not before.
What age is it for?
3 to 4
Counting and pictures. Neither level needs digits recognised.
5 to 6
Matching, then up to 5. This is where the arithmetic becomes arithmetic.
7 to 8
Up to 10 and up to 20.
9 and up
Multiplication. The range is deliberately small, so this is an introduction rather than drill.
Accessibility
One tap, no dragging and no typing at any point. The 3 answer buttons are large and well spaced. Questions appear as digits and, on the early levels, as countable pictures, so a child who cannot read numerals yet plays by the pictures. There is no clock on the answer, so counting on fingers takes as long as it takes. Nothing flashes and it plays fully in silence. The equation runs left to right even in Hebrew, because that is standard notation.
Playing together
Count on fingers together
On the picture levels, count aloud as a pair. That is how children learn to count.
Ask how they knew
After a correct answer, ask how they got there. The answer is sometimes surprising.
Get one wrong on purpose
An adult mistake a child corrects is worth ten of their own right answers.
Maths without the screen
The same question on fingers or on apples at the table. The game practises, it does not teach alone.
Common questions
Is the maths game free?
Completely. Nothing to pay and no purchases inside the game. Every level is open from the first second.
Do I need to download or sign up?
No to both. It runs in the browser with no download and no account, and we do not ask for an email.
What age can start?
About three. 3 of the 7 levels need no digit recognition at all, only counting pictures, so a child who does not know written numbers can play those.
Why does matching stop at 6 when counting goes to 10?
Because when counting you point at each item, and reaching ten that way is fine. In matching the groups are the answer buttons, and a five-year-old cannot tell 7 from 8 at a glance. Above 6 it would be guessing.
Are there ads?
None. No banners and no video between questions.
Does it work offline?
Yes. After one visit the game is stored on the device and runs on a plane.
What happens on a wrong answer?
The right answer is shown and the game moves on. No score drops and the same question does not repeat, because a stuck child gains nothing from that.
Is there a timer?
No. Counting on fingers takes as long as it takes, which is exactly how children count.
How is the record measured?
By your longest run of correct answers, where higher is better. With 3 options per question a blind guess is worth 33.3%, so a long run does not happen by accident.
Does it collect data about my child?
No. There is no signup and no name. No session recording and no behavioural advertising. We count how many times a game was opened, with nothing attached that identifies who opened it.