Counting Critters

What it is

Counting Critters is a little boat on a pond, a boatful of animal passengers and a friendly whale who asks one question: how many? Tap each animal in the boat and a number pops up over it while a note climbs higher, so a toddler hears the count growing even before they can say the numbers. Then they pick the answer from three number buttons. The whale leaps for joy at a right answer, its speech bubble turns green and the boat sails off; a wrong answer turns the button red and the whale shakes its head, so your child can simply try again. Eight levels grow with your child: up to five animals, then up to seven, sitting in different seats every time; putting in as many animals as the whale asks for and starting the engine, with no running total to lean on, so your child has to count and know when to stop; up to ten, where the boat's two rows of five seats work like a ten-frame; a bigger number; adding animals that swim up; fixing a boat that has too many or too few; and taking away, when a few passengers jump into the water. There are no words to read, only numbers and sounds.

How to play

• On a laptop or desktop: Click the animals in the boat to count them, then click the right number or press its key. When the whale asks for a number, click animals on the grass (or press Space) to hop them in and click one in the boat to send it back, then click the engine (or press Enter) to set off; if the number is wrong, the engine coughs and the animals show what to fix. The grid button opens the level menu.
• On a tablet or phone: Tap the animals in the boat to count them, then tap the right number below. When the whale asks for a number, tap animals on the grass to hop them into the boat and tap one in the boat to send it back, then tap the engine to set off; if the number is wrong, the engine coughs and the animals show what to fix.

What children learn

• Counting one by one: one tap, one animal, one number, and the last number is the answer
• Making a number and knowing when to stop, with no running total to copy
• Seeing small amounts at a glance, and ten as two rows of five
• First adding and taking away: animals swim up or jump into the water

Tips for parents

Count out loud together as you tap each animal; the game has no voice on purpose, so your child hears the numbers in your language. Before choosing, let your child touch every animal once: the last number they say is the answer. When the whale asks for a number, count the boat together before starting the engine. If a level feels hard, open the menu and go back one; the stars at the top show the progress, and five boats move up a level.

Questions parents ask

What age is it for?

From about 2 for the first level (how many, up to five) up to 5 for counting to ten, adding and taking away. Each of the eight levels can be picked from the menu.

Why is there no voice counting?

The site is used in thirty languages, so the game counts with numbers and rising notes instead of words, and the whale shows right and wrong with a leap or a shake of its head. Counting along out loud with your child is the best way to use it.

What happens with a wrong answer?

The button turns red, the whale shakes its head, and your child can try again. Nothing is lost and there is no timer. After five boats on a level the game celebrates and moves up one level.

More games for ages 2 to 5

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