Doodle Math: Numbers

A nice presentation of cute mini-games approaches number literacy from multiple angles that build in complexity. Though there's a nice progression, some games may not provide enough scaffolding for the target age range. For example, it can be hard for young kids to start counting up from 3 (rather than starting at 1), and there's no explicit guidance for the partitioning and simple arithmetic games, so kids may get the game but not the number concept, which can easily fly over their heads. There also are a few quirks that some may find charming while others may find them annoying: The narrator's sweet encouragement can quickly turn grating, some word choices are a bit odd (at one point the creatures are described as "naughty," which isn't accurate), and it takes a long time to earn all the puzzle pieces. Also, the tracing game has kids approach the number 5 in an unusual way (not from the top horizontal line), and the number 9 might not be written in the way kids recognize, though it won't confuse them in the context. Despite minor flaws, the games provide solid early learning practice -- especially with a little conceptual reinforcement from a grown-up -- and it's a nice collection of games.