How we build calm learning games

Phones and tablets are part of growing up now, and some days they're how a family gets through dinner out. Our goal is to make that screen time count: every game here teaches something real, in a calm way that's kind to young minds.

The rules every game follows

Each game for little kids follows 15 rules drawn from research on young children and screens. The ones a computer can check are checked automatically before any change goes live.

Slow, smooth motion. Movements take about half a second and nothing loops, shakes or flashes. The phone's Reduce motion setting turns motion off.
Plain screens. The task and nothing competing with it. Real, familiar pictures.
Warm colors, and a dimmer, warmer evening look after 6 PM.
No background music. One clear voice and at most one soft sound per action.
Gentle mistakes. No buzzer and no red X. A wrong letter settles back, and a still hint shows after a pause.
Praise that names what the child did, like "You spelled cat!". No stars, coins, streaks, timers or "one more" prompts in games for little kids.
A natural stopping point. Short rounds that end on "All done". Nothing starts by itself.
A line for the grown-up on the "All done" screen, to talk about it together away from the screen.
Big targets for small fingers, and tap and drag both work.
A Child lock in every game.
A clear learning goal that builds slowly: easy first, new ideas one at a time.

Privacy

There is no sign-in and no profile. Nothing your child types, says or does is recorded. The games use no camera, microphone or location. Settings, like the Child lock and the voice, are kept only on your device. There is no Google Analytics and no tracking script.

Watch plays videos in YouTube's own player, in its privacy mode. YouTube's own rules apply inside that player.

Ages 7 to 11

Games for big kids are on the way. They will be real arcade games that teach, so they may keep score and move faster, but never with streaks, loot boxes or pay-to-win.

Questions parents ask

Why calm games?

Research on young children and screens finds that fast, busy apps built to keep children playing make it harder to stop and to learn. Calm, purposeful play, with a grown-up nearby, helps. Every game here is built to that.

Can my child leave the game by accident?

Turn on the Child lock at the top right of any game. The ways out hide and the back button stays in the game. To unlock, a grown-up holds the lock for 3 seconds and answers a sum.

Are there ads?

The free arcade is paid for by one labeled ad card on the arcade home page. Ads are never personalized, never inside a game, and hidden while the Child lock is on.