Games for kids who can't read yet
No sign-up · made for kids 4–10These free games need no reading at all. A friendly animal host shows what to do with pictures, many games say it out loud, and every button is a picture. They are made for pre-readers aged about 3 to 6: listen and tap, match, count, build and pretend. No sign-up, no chat, no pop-ups and nothing to buy.
About each game
A line on every game here
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- Halloween Coloring Color cute Halloween pictures on screen: a smiling pumpkin, friendly ghosts, a cat in a hat and more.
- Whack-a-Mole Bop the cheeky moles with a big pink mallet.
- Pumpkin Carver Decorate a pumpkin with Hedgehog: pick the eyes, the nose and a big smile, add a hat, then light it up and save your picture.
- Fruit Catcher Catch falling fruit with the wombat and friends!
- Memory Match Turn over the cards and find the matching Aussie animals.
- Balloon Pop A party in the park!
- Doodle Pad Draw with big fun pens: rainbow, glitter, glow, crayon, star stamps and paw prints.
- Shape Sorter Drag the chunky shapes into the smiling toy box's matching holes.
- Animal Sounds Hear a moo, a quack or a roar and tap the animal that makes it!
- Jigsaw Puzzle Drag big, chunky pieces onto the picture.
- Colouring Tap a paint blob, then tap the picture to colour it in.
- Pattern Maker What comes next?
- Dress Up Dress a wombat, a koala and a quokka for a day out!
- Snakes & Ladders Roll the big die and hop to the star!
- Count the Fish Tap each fish to count it, then tap how many!
- Big or Small Which one is BIG?
- Colour Mixing Red and yellow make…?
- Animal Homes Help each animal home: the bird to its nest, the bee to its hive, then the penguin to the polar ice.
- Weather Wear Look at the sky and dress a wombat, a koala and a quokka for the weather!
- Snap! Cute animal cards flip one at a time.
- Dino Dig Brush the sand to dig up cute dinosaur bones, then put them on the stand to build a friendly dinosaur that comes alive.
- Pet Groomer Scrub up soapy bubbles, rinse with warm water, wiggle the towel, whoosh the dryer and brush the fluff!
- Body Parts Look at the picture, then tap that part on your cartoon friend: nose, eyes, hands, feet and more.
- Feed the Animals Hungry animals are waiting!
- Treasure Island Follow Galah the guide's clues across a little island and help Koala dig up treasure: arrows, counting steps, grid squares and compass letters, one gentle step at a time.
- Puzzle Trail Hop Quokka along a treasure trail by solving little picture puzzles: spot the different one, count, match shadows, finish patterns, build paths and find what changed.
- Koala Run Run with the koala through 10 levels, from the outback to rainbow valley: jump logs, crabs and rolling snowballs, slide under magpies and vines, catch power-ups and win a new hat every level.
- Dinosaur Game Run with Dex the baby dino through the jungle, the desert, snowy hills, a volcano island and a starry night.
- Odd One Out Tap the one that doesn't belong!
- Cup Shuffle Watch the ball!
- Tidy Up Help Raccoon tidy the house!
- Tangram Zoo Build animals from the seven tangram shapes!
- Zigzag Tap to turn and zigzag down the ice with Penguin!
- Car Parking Draw a path and park the cars!
- Truck Driver Hold to drive the delivery truck with Otter!
- Car Wash Wash the muddy cars with Giraffe!
- Little Tractor Drive the little tractor with Lamb!
- Halloween Memory Turn over the cards and find the matching pairs: smiling pumpkins, friendly ghosts, bats, owls and sweets.
- Candy Catch Move the pumpkin basket and catch the falling sweets!
- Halloween Dress Up Dress the animal friends for Halloween: pumpkin hats, bat ears, cat ears, capes and ghost hoods.
- Apple Bobbing Help Piglet bob for apples at the autumn fair: wait for an apple to float by, then tap to dip at just the right moment.
- Trick or Treat Walk a friendly Halloween street with Hamster in a ghost costume: knock on each door, count the sweets and fill your bag.
- Halloween Counting Count the pumpkins, bats and sweets, then tap the right number.
- Halloween Jigsaw Put together cute Halloween pictures: pumpkins, friendly ghosts, owls and moons.
- Hide and Seek Toys and animals are hiding all over Owl's places: behind bushes, under snowdrifts, even in the dark.
- Little Chef Cook with Chef Panda!
- Sticker Park Make a picture with stickers!
- Rock Paper Scissors Rock, paper, scissors… go!
- Penguin Sled Penguin slides down the snowy hill all by herself.
- Fruit Merge Drop fruits into the jar!
About these games
Our picks and what they practise
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Most online games assume a child can read the instructions. Before about age six, many can't, and they end up stuck or tapping at random. Every game on this page explains itself without words: an animation shows the move, and the first level is easy enough to learn by trying.
When your child is ready for letters, the reading games are next: Phonics Match, Rhyme Time and Trace the Alphabet start with sounds and pictures too.
Our picks
What they practise
- Listening, matching and memory
- Counting with pictures
- Following picture instructions
- Logic: what goes together and what doesn't
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Questions parents ask
4 quick answers
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Are there online games for kids who can't read yet?
Yes. Tiny Players has free games for children aged about 3 to 6 that need no reading: an animal host shows what to do with pictures and often says it out loud. They play in the browser on a tablet, phone or computer with no sign-up, no chat, no pop-ups and nothing to buy.
How does my child know what to do?
Each game shows the first move with a picture or a little animation, and the first level is easy enough to learn by trying. Many games also have a voice.
What about games that teach reading?
When your child is ready, try Phonics Match, Rhyme Time, ABC Order and Trace the Alphabet, all on our reading games page.
Are these games good for a 3 year old?
Some are, with a grown-up helping: Animal Sounds, Car Wash, Memory Match and Colouring are the gentlest. Our games are made for ages 4 to 10.