Educational games for 5 year olds
Lots of five-year-olds love a challenge: counting everything in sight, guessing how a word starts, figuring things out on their own. Here are five games for practicing numbers, syllables, logic, memory and stories, plus ideas for playing along and keeping screen time short.
What 5-year-olds often enjoy practicing
Every child moves at their own pace, and at five the differences from one kid to the next are big and perfectly normal. Still, some kinds of games tend to click with a lot of five-year-olds because they touch on things kids are already exploring at home and in kindergarten.
None of these games takes the place of free play, books or time outside. They're one more option: short, focused and built around something your child is already curious about.
- Numbers: counting objects, comparing who has more, and starting to put together and take away small amounts.
- Pre-reading: playing with the sounds in words, clapping out syllables and spotting a few letters.
- Logic: following and planning a sequence of steps, watching what happens and fixing what didn't work.
- Memory and attention: remembering where something was and noticing details.
- Stories: following a plot, guessing what a character will do next and talking about what happened.
How to choose a good learning game
A good game for this age shouldn't depend on reading to make sense. Spoken instructions, clear pictures and big buttons let kids play on their own and make mistakes without getting frustrated.
It's also worth looking at what a game leaves out. On ABC Kids Learning the games are free, with no ads and no chat, so your child won't run into strangers or buy buttons. They're free to play with no sign-up and no credit card, and the site comes in both English and Spanish.
Finally, notice how the game handles mistakes. A game made for young kids answers a wrong move calmly, with no penalties or screens that make a child feel bad, and lets them come back and try again another day.
Playing alongside your child
A few minutes together at the start goes a long way. Sit next to your child, let them do the tapping and ask what they're up to: "How many apples are there?" "Why did you turn the robot right?" "What do you think the character will do now?"
You don't need to correct every step. If something goes sideways, count together, take another look at the picture or replay the instructions. What happens on screen sticks better when it shows up in everyday life too: counting spoons while setting the table, finding words that start like their name, or telling a story at bedtime.
Keeping screen time in short sessions
Rounds in these games are short and have a clear ending, which makes it easier to wrap up without a fight. One or two rounds are enough to practice something and still leave your child looking forward to tomorrow.
It helps to agree on the plan first, like "one round of adding and one story." When you're done, chat for a minute about what they did and move on to something off-screen. How much time is right is your call, based on your family and your day.
Related games
- An addition game for kindergarten: count, add and subtract with LeoAdd and Subtract: count objects in rows of five, then add and subtract with Leo. Ages 5 to 7.See →
- Robot Explorer, a kindergarten coding game for kids 5 to 7Explorer Robot: line up arrows to guide a robot to the goal, no reading needed. Ages 5 to 7.See →
- Syllable Market: a syllable game for kids who love to shopSyllable Bazaar: build each fruit's name by joining syllables at the market. Ages 4 to 6.See →
- Animal Memo: an animal memory game for kids, in English and SpanishBilingual Animal Memo: find matching animal pairs and hear each animal's name. Ages 3 to 5.See →
- Interactive stories for kids: The day Pip lost his colorInteractive Stories: narrated tales where your child's choices change the ending. Ages 4 to 7.See →
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of games work well for a 5-year-old?
Games that offer a challenge at the right size and don't require reading: counting and adding with objects, playing with syllables, planning a robot's moves, finding pairs or following a story. This page has one of each.
Does my child need to read to play?
No. Instructions are spoken out loud, and the games are played by tapping pictures, arrows or numbers. Syllable Bazaar and Interactive Stories sit close to reading, but kids can play them before they read.
How long should my child play each day?
There's no single number that fits every family. What tends to work is short sessions of one or two rounds, agreed on ahead of time and shared with a grown-up when possible.
Are the games free? Are there ads?
Yes, they're free, with no ads and no chat. You can play without signing up or a credit card.
Are the games in English and Spanish?
The site comes in both English and Spanish. That works for Hispanic families in the US who want their kids to keep their Spanish, and for families in Latin America who want some English in the mix.
Can my 5-year-old play games marked for other ages?
Of course. Ages are a guide, not a rule. A game for ages 3 to 5 like Bilingual Animal Memo makes a nice warm-up, and one for ages 5 to 7 like Explorer Robot can be a challenge to tackle together.