Skip to the guide
PricesMy accountPlay

BRITISH ENGLISH · DISCOVER TOGETHER

Learning games for 3 year olds: look, touch and explore

At three, a useful first game can be as small as touching two objects or finding a familiar animal. Start with pictures and a spoken instruction, stay nearby and let your child finish when they have had enough.

Try it together
INSIDE THE ENGLISH GAMETwo chicks ready to count by touch in the English game
Two chicks ready to count by touch in the English game

Begin with a quantity you can see

Saying number names and knowing how many objects are there are different tasks. In Girafoufou’s first touch-counting level, the groups contain two or three objects. Each touch helps count the group. There is no wrong-answer choice in this activity: the child can concentrate on the objects.

A picture can be enough of a challenge

A four-piece jigsaw or a talking picture book offers a different kind of attention. In a puzzle, try noticing a recognisable part of the picture together before placing a piece. In a picture book, let your child choose the animal. There is no need to visit every door or finish a whole path.

SIDE BY SIDE

Count a little group together

  1. Open the touch-counting activity and listen to the instruction.
  2. Let your child touch each object once. Leave time between touches.
  3. Name the whole group afterwards: “There are three.” Stop or try another group together.

The game may open its numbers path first if this level has not yet opened for your child. Choose a starting point that suits them.

Try touch counting

The discovery games are free to try without a card or account. Full family access is paid. Check Prices for the current plans in pounds; changing between French and British English does not require another purchase.

PUT THE SCREEN DOWN

Tea for three teddies

You will need: Three teddies and three large toy cups.

  1. Sit the teddies in a row.
  2. Give each teddy one cup.
  3. Count the cups together, then move the teddies around and see that there are still three.

Keep this activity using your browser’s Print menu, or share it by email. No sign-up needed.

Girafoufou · https://www.girafoufou.com/en/parent-guides/3-year-olds

Questions
from parents.

Should a three-year-old start phonics?

You can enjoy sounds and stories without requiring letter recognition. If your child enjoys the listening games, try them together; if not, choose counting, pictures or pretend play. Follow advice from their nursery when introducing school phonics.

Carry the idea a little further.

FOR GROWN-UPS

Learning games for 4 year olds: sounds, numbers and puzzles

Explore letter sounds, compare groups and try a picture puzzle at four. British English voice guidance and a grown-up’s guide to choosing the next step.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Learning games for 5 year olds: first words and number bonds

Try blending short words, number bonds and early addition at five. See what Girafoufou offers, how to help and when to choose an easier activity.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Nursery and Reception learning: where playful practice fits

Connect everyday play with early numbers, sounds and mark making. See where Girafoufou can support practice and what an app cannot replace.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

Free learning games for 3 year olds: what the trial includes

Try Girafoufou’s discovery games without a card or account. Understand the free trial, paid family access and how to choose a comfortable starting point.

Explore EXPLORE THE GAMES

Counting games for preschoolers: from objects to first sums

Touch objects, compare small groups and match quantities to numerals. Explore Girafoufou’s early maths games, with a simple counting activity for home.

Explore EXPLORE THE GAMES

Logic games for kids: notice, match and try another way

Explore jigsaws, mazes, matching pairs and picture puzzles. Calm logic games for ages 3–6, with no timer and room to try another way.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Counting to 3: touch each object, then say how many

Try a first counting game with two and three objects. See how to help without answering for your child, then make a teddy tea party off screen.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Telling the time games: start with the whole hour

Look at an analogue clock, notice its hands and start with whole hours. A gentle way to explore time together, with a paper-clock activity for home.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Maze games for kids: look for a path, one step at a time

Help Girafoufou find a path through a maze by tapping or following it with a finger. Explore turns and dead ends, then build a maze on the floor.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Jigsaw puzzles for 3 year olds: begin with four pieces

Try a four-piece picture puzzle, with its guide still visible. Tap a piece and its place, or drag it; larger puzzles come later as the challenge grows.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Number bonds games: two parts, one whole

Explore doubles, fingers and dominoes to see how numbers split into parts. Try a gentle number game, then investigate the same idea with five toys.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Addition games for kids: join two groups and count

Put two groups together and explore what the plus sign means. A first addition game with pictures, followed by a simple toy-car activity off screen.

Explore

About this guide

Product guide by the Girafoufou team. Updated . The activities described here are checked against the English game.

Educational context, not an endorsement of Girafoufou:

Privacy · Tell us about an error

Lire la page correspondante en français ↗

A small discovery.
Then time to play.

The discovery games are free to try without a card or account. Full family access is paid. Check Prices for the current plans in pounds; changing between French and British English does not require another purchase.

Try Girafoufou