Counting · one-to-one touch
Duck Count
Tap every duck and say the number out loud as you go. One touch, one number — that's the trick!
Ready? Here come the ducks…
Tip for grown-ups: if a number is said too fast, gently point back to the last touched duck.
Shape names · 2D properties
Shape Hunt in the Playroom
Six shapes are hiding: 2 circles, 2 squares, 2 triangles. Stars, hearts and diamonds are not on the list — but have a look at them anyway.
Where is that circle hiding…?
Algebra thinking · AB, AAB, ABC
What Comes Next?
Say the pattern out loud while pointing — red, blue, red, blue… Your mouth will tell you what's next.
Look at the strip. Tap the shape that comes next.
Hmm, which one? Take a guess — guessing is allowed!
★ Bonus: make your own pattern
Pick a shape, then tap add to place it. Build a pattern a friend could finish.
Body break · 45 seconds
Wiggle Break
Press and hold the balloon to blow it up. Let go — POP! Then stand up and wiggle everything.
Pops so far: 0
Breathe in as it grows…
out as it shrinks…
Number eyes · subitising · teens
Feed the Dragon
The dragon eats one special number. Some plates show dots, some show numerals — the same number can look different!
Tap the right plate. If it's the wrong one, we'll count it together — that's how we learn.
Mmmmm… I could eat all of them!
Phonics · initial sounds
First Sounds Garden
Stretch the sound out: “mmm… moon.” Which picture begins with the sound in the yellow box?
Now tap the chips to hear the sounds inside the word
Which one? Point at all three and say their names first.
Official Detective Business
Month 2 · Lesson 0
Warm-Up Detective
awarded to
You counted to 20, hunted shapes, finished patterns, fed a dragon and caught first sounds.
—
Teacher:
How did it go?
Pick a face
☕ Grown-up corner — what we're practising & how to extend it ＋
The skills in this lesson
- Counting 0–20 with one-to-one correspondence and stable order.
- Subitising — seeing 7 without counting, using ten frames.
- Teen-number place value — the classic 12 vs 21 mix-up, on purpose.
- 2D shapes by name and property, among attractive distractors.
- Patterns AB, AAB, ABC — early algebra.
- Initial phonemes and sound-to-letter blending.
Language to use out loud
more than · fewer than · next · before · a lot · none · how many in all · “what do you notice?”
Wrong taps are not punished here — the dragon counts the wrong plate aloud, which is usually the best teaching moment in the lesson.
Screen-free versions
- Set the table: “We need 7 spoons — count them out.”
- Shape hunt from the car window: circles (wheels, manhole covers), squares (tiles), triangles (bunting).
- Clap a pattern: clap-clap-stomp, clap-clap-stomp… your turn to finish it.
- Stair counting, backwards from 20 as you come down.
Watch-fors & access
If 1–10 counting wobbles, do Game 1 again with real objects on the floor and slow it right down — skip Games 4 and 5 today.
Every instruction has a 🔊 Read to me button (uses your device voice). No timers, no scores, no sound is required — the mute button turns everything off for quiet play. Tap targets are large; everything works with a keyboard too.
Best split into two sittings of 10 minutes.