Skip to the guide
PricesMy accountPlay

BRITISH ENGLISH · DISCOVER TOGETHER

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

At five, some children enjoy joining sounds into a short word or finding two parts of a number. Others need more time with listening and small quantities. Girafoufou offers both kinds of practice, with no race to the next activity.

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

Build a short word from sounds

The English path includes words such as cat, dog and sun. Children can collect letters for a word, hear separate sounds and find the picture, or write a heard word using tiles. A later dictation activity introduces two words, such as “the cat”, with an empty tile for the space. The familiar tricky word “the” is recognised as a whole.

See the parts before introducing the symbol

Doubles, hands and dominoes show how a number can have two parts. Later activities put a plus sign between pictured groups. If your child guesses a numeral, return to the objects and count them together. Bigger written calculations are not the aim of these first games.

SIDE BY SIDE

Find the word you hear

  1. Open the first blending activity.
  2. Listen to the separate sounds without naming the letters.
  3. Say the whole word together, then let your child find its picture.

A direct link can return to the letters path when a step is still closed. Earlier games remain a useful choice.

Try blending a word

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

Five toys, two homes

You will need: Five large toys and two pieces of cloth.

  1. Count the five toys.
  2. Put two on one cloth and the rest on the other.
  3. Bring them together and count five again. Try a different split if your child wants to.

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/5-year-olds

Questions
from parents.

Will this prepare my child for every Year 1 lesson?

No. The games offer selected practice with early numbers, sounds, writing and logic. They do not cover a whole curriculum or replace teaching, shared reading and physical play.

Carry the idea a little further.

TRY IT TOGETHER

Short A sound: listen for /æ/ in ant

Listen to the short A sound in British English, hear how it differs from the letter name and explore a first sound game with your child.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

CH sound: two letters, one sound in chip

Hear the English CH sound in chip and notice how two letters work together. Try the game’s recording and a gentle listening activity off screen.

Explore FOR GROWN-UPS

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

Count three objects, match pictures and explore a talking picture book. Calm learning games for three-year-olds, with simple ideas to try off screen.

Explore 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

Help your child start reading with sounds and shared stories

Explore sounds, blending and short stories in British English. Practical ways to help at home while following the phonics approach your child uses at school.

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

French for preschoolers: listen, look and find

Discover first French words with pictures and a gentle voice: animals, food and more. No microphone or speaking test, just a first taste of another language.

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

British English phonics games: hear, match and blend

Hear letter sounds, blend short words and explore early reading in British English. See the actual activities and follow your child’s school phonics approach.

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

Letter sound M: hear /m/ in map and moon

Hear the sound /m/, distinguish it from the letter name and find it in map and moon. A British English phonics activity to try together.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Blending sounds games: from c–a–t to cat

Listen to the sounds in a short word and blend them together. Explore a first British English blending game, plus a playful spoken activity 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

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

Rhyming games for preschoolers: cat, bat… can you hear it?

Listen for words with the same ending and choose a matching picture. Explore English rhymes together, then try a simple rhyming game without a screen.

Explore TRY IT TOGETHER

Lowercase letter tracing: follow a path with your finger

Explore simple movements and lower-case letters, following the dots with a finger. Discover Girafoufou’s English writing path and a paper activity to try.

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