About this game

Represent numbers up to 3

Represent numbers up to 3: a free Pre-K math game for ages 4-5. Each round draws 5 questions; instructions are read aloud and every answer is checked and explained.

How it plays and why it helps

The 2 looks like a swimming swan. That line comes straight from the hints in Represent numbers up to 3, and it is the kind of image a Pre-K child keeps. The game mixes two kinds of cards. On some, a number is named aloud and your child taps the matching numeral among 1, 2 and 3. On others, a numeral appears and your child taps the picture with that many objects, such as orange blocks, dolls or erasers. Five cards make a round, every answer checked and explained.

Images make shapes stick. Numerals are arbitrary shapes, and young children learn them faster with a hook: a straight line with a little nose for 1, a swan for 2, two round tummies for 3. Pairing each shape with real objects closes the loop between symbol and quantity.

The curvy 2 and 3 are the easy pair to mix up, and both are always on the screen together. When it happens, trace both in the air and ask, "How many tummies does it have?" Then praise the tracing: "Your finger drew it just right."

Aligned with

  • P-MATH 1 Child knows number names and the count sequence.
  • P-MATH 5 Child associates a quantity with written numerals up to 5 and begins to write numbers.
  • P-MATH 2 Child recognizes the number of objects in a small set.

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