About Number Quest
Number Quest is for children who are still learning what numbers mean. Instead of written sums, every question uses things to count. Children touch each object once while the game counts aloud, choose the numeral that matches, build amounts in a ten-frame and then solve tiny picture stories — three ducks, and two more arrive — before Number Adventure moves on to written sums.
What children learn
- Count objects one by one, touching each exactly once
- Understand that the last number counted tells how many there are
- Recognise the numerals 1 to 10 and match them to amounts
- See numbers in a ten-frame as “five and some more”
- Solve adding and taking-away stories within 10 using pictures
Tips for parents
- Watch the finger, not just the answer: is your child touching each object exactly once? That's the skill to praise.
- After counting, ask “So how many are there?” If your child counts again from one, they're still learning that the last number is the total.
- Count real things all day — stairs, grapes, socks — and sometimes count backwards too.
- An egg box cut down to ten cups makes a perfect ten-frame at home.
- There's no hurry to reach sums: confident counting to 10 is what makes later math feel easy.
Want more ideas? Our guide Counting Is More Than Saying 1 to 10: Building Number Sense Before School explains the skill in depth, with activities to try at home.
Tips for teachers
- Tap-to-count makes one-to-one correspondence visible, which makes quick observation easy.
- Fill the Frame builds instant recognition of amounts: ask pupils to show 7 without counting from one (a full row and two more).
- Practises Common Core K.CC.B.4 (connect counting to how many), K.CC.B.5 (count to answer “how many?”) and K.OA.A.2 (word problems within 10).
- Act out Picture Stories with cubes afterwards, then ask pupils to invent a story for 4 + 2.
Number Quest FAQ
What age is Number Quest for?
Ages 4 to 6 — preschool and kindergarten. Children who already count to 10 confidently can start at Fill the Frame or Picture Stories.
How is Number Quest different from Number Adventure?
Number Quest is about understanding amounts: counting objects, ten-frames and picture stories. Number Adventure, for ages 5–9, practises written sums and number facts up to 30.
What is a ten-frame?
A grid of two rows of five. It helps children see numbers as “five and some more” — seven is a full row plus two — which makes adding and taking away easier later on.
Why does the game count out loud when my child taps?
Hearing a number as each object is touched links one number word to one object, which is how children learn to count accurately.
Is there a time limit?
No. Young children should count carefully, not quickly.