An addition game for kindergarten: count, add and subtract with Leo

In Add and Subtract, your child sees groups they can count, hears each problem read aloud and types the answer on a big number keypad. It starts with counting and sums up to 5 and can grow to adding and subtracting up to 20 when your child is ready.

Ages 5 to 7 · Free, no sign-up

How to play

Step by step

Pick a level from the menu: count and add to 5, add to 10, subtract to 10, or a mix up to 20.
A problem appears with objects your child can count (fish, apples, stars, butterflies, flowers, frogs, ducks or balloons), and a voice reads it aloud.
The objects sit in rows of five. An addition shows two groups; a subtraction shows the starting amount with the ones being taken away crossed out.
Your child taps the number keys to type an answer. There is no Check button: the answer is checked on its own as soon as all its digits are in.
A right answer gets a cheer from Leo; a miss gets a gentle message, and the game moves on to the next problem.
Each round has six problems. At the end your child earns one to three stars and can play another round or switch modes.

Every round sticks with one kind of object from start to finish, so the focus stays on how many, not on the picture. Problems are picked at random within each level's range, which means two rounds in a row won't be the same, and the same problem never shows up twice in one round.

Level 1 mixes three "how many?" questions, with 1 to 5 objects, and three sums whose total stays at 5 or less. Level 2 is six sums with numbers from 1 to 9 and totals up to 10. Level 3 is six subtractions with numbers up to 10, and the answer is never below zero. Level 4 switches back and forth between adding and subtracting with numbers up to 20.

If your child gets stuck, Leo offers a tip in a speech bubble: "Count one by one," "Count both groups" or "Count what's left." The speaker button replays the problem as often as needed, and the Erase button lets your child fix a digit before it's checked.

Stars come from the number of misses in the round: zero or one earns three stars, two or three earns two, and more than three earns one. The best result for each level is saved and never goes down, so playing again never takes anything away.

What your child practices

Before adding with symbols, a five-year-old needs to see what "three and two more" actually looks like. That's why every problem is built on objects: first you count them, then you put groups together, and for subtraction you take some away. The written number comes last, as the name for an amount your child can already see.

Arranging the objects in rows of five makes small amounts easier to recognize at a glance, a skill called subitizing. A group of 7 reads as "five and two," and 14 reads as "five, five and four," instead of a pile that has to be counted one at a time.

Counting sets of 1 to 5 objects and answering "how many?"
Recognizing small amounts at a glance, helped by the rows of five.
Adding as putting groups together: first with totals up to 5, then with numbers up to 10.
Subtracting as taking away: from numbers up to 10 in level 3 and up to 20 in level 4, never below zero.
Matching an amount to its written number and finding it on the keypad, including two-digit numbers.

How it connects to school standards (a general guide)

Draft · pending a teacher’s review

MEN Colombia · preschool. In Colombia, the Derechos Básicos de Aprendizaje de Transición include figuring out how many objects are in a collection and using actions like joining and separating. The Bases Curriculares para la Educación Inicial y Preescolar describe play and exploring the world around them as ways young children learn. The game practices these ideas with concrete objects.
Common Core · Kindergarten (US). In the US, the Kindergarten Common Core State Standards cover counting in the Counting and Cardinality domain and addition and subtraction as putting together and taking apart in Operations and Algebraic Thinking. Levels 1 to 3 fit that ground; level 4, with numbers up to 20, reaches a bit beyond it.

A screen-free idea (5 minutes)

Draw two rows of five boxes on a sheet of paper, like a ten-slot egg carton. Grab whatever small things you have around: bottle caps, spoons, rolled-up socks or toy cars.

Put three things in the boxes and ask how many there are. Add two more and ask again. Then take one away and count together. Let your child point and move the objects; if they get a different number, just count again side by side. To finish, switch roles: your child makes up a problem and you solve it.

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Frequently asked questions

How high do the numbers go?

It depends on the level. Level 1 counts from 1 to 5 and adds with totals up to 5. Level 2 adds numbers from 1 to 9, with answers up to 10. Level 3 subtracts with numbers up to 10, and level 4 mixes adding and subtracting up to 20.

My child is 5 and just starting to add. Where should we begin?

Start with level 1, called Counting in the mode menu. It opens with three counting questions and then three small sums. Once that feels easy, move on to level 2. Your child doesn't need to know how to add first: the game starts from counting objects.

What happens when my child gets one wrong?

They see and hear a gentle message, with nothing flashing red, and the game moves on to the next problem. Misses only affect how many stars the round earns, and the best result for each level never goes down.

Does my child need to read?

No. Every problem is read aloud and can be replayed with the speaker button. Your child does need to recognize the numbers on the keypad to type an answer; if they're still learning them, sitting alongside helps.

Is it free? Are there ads?

It's free, with no ads and no chat. No sign-up or credit card is needed to play.

Can we play in Spanish?

Yes. The site comes in English and Spanish, and the game uses the language of the version you open it from, so numbers and questions are spoken in that language.

By ABC Kids Learning