Brain Academy

How to play

A sum appears and your child taps the right fuel cell. Five right answers fill the tank, then there’s a countdown and the rocket blasts off to a planet with an alien friend.

What it teaches

Addition and subtraction within 10 and 20, doubles and halves, adding tens, missing numbers, two-digit sums without carrying, and the 2, 5 and 10 times tables.

Winning and stars

Five questions per round. After a wrong answer the narrator gives a strategy tip (“Start at 7 and count on 5”, “Add the tens, then add the ones”).

The 10 levels

1. Add within 10
2. Take away within 10
3. Add to 20
4. Take away to 20
5. Doubles and halves
6. Adding tens
7. Missing number
8. Big two-digit sums
9. Times tables
10. Mission mix

How to play

“What time is it?” questions are answered by tapping one of three cards; “Set the clock” questions by dragging the hands and tapping Done. The minute hand snaps to five-minute marks and the hour hand follows like a real clock. A cuckoo pops out for every right answer.

What it teaches

Telling the time to the hour, half past, quarter past and to, and five minutes; digital and analogue; one hour later; morning or evening; and how long things take.

Winning and stars

Three questions per round. The sky changes with the time on the clock — sunrise, day, sunset, night — and level 8 uses daily routines like breakfast and bedtime.

The 10 levels

1. O’clock: read it
2. O’clock: set it
3. Half past
4. Quarter past and to
5. Five-minute times
6. Digital matching
7. One hour later
8. Morning or evening
9. How long?
10. Mixed

How to play

Your child taps command blocks into a program strip and presses Play. Robo runs each step towards the star; bumping a rock or wall sends it back to the start, but the program stays so it can be fixed.

What it teaches

First coding: sequencing, left and right turns, planning a route, loops (repeat twice or three times) and a jump command.

Winning and stars

One board per round; each failed run counts as a mistake. Every board is checked by a solver so it can always be solved, and on loop levels the program has only as many slots as the shortest solution needs.

The 10 levels

1. Straight line
2. One turn
3. Two turns
4. Rocks
5. Two stars
6. Long paths
7. Loops
8. Turns and loops
9. Puddles and jump
10. Mixed

How to play

Sudoku with pictures instead of numbers. Tap an empty square then a picture (or the other way round), or drag a picture onto a square. A wrong picture bounces back and the squares it clashes with flash red.

What it teaches

Logical reasoning: every row, column and box has one of each picture.

Winning and stars

One puzzle per round. Each has exactly one solution, and the narrator names the clash (“There is already a pig in this row.”).

The 10 levels

1. Fruits, 4×4 (2 blanks)
2. Fruits, 4×4 (4 blanks)
3. Shapes (6 blanks)
4. Shapes (8 blanks)
5. Colours
6. Animals
7. Fruits, 6×6
8. Animals, 6×6
9. Shapes, 6×6 (16 blanks)
10. Mixed sizes and themes

How to play

Your child works in a pizzeria: choosing the cutter that makes equal slices, serving slices to hungry animals, sharing fairly between friends and tapping the matching fraction. Toppings can be added just for fun.

What it teaches

Halves, thirds, quarters, sixths and eighths; equal parts; fair sharing; fractions of a group; equivalent fractions; comparing; number lines; and adding fractions.

Winning and stars

One task per round. One of the wrong cutters makes the right number of slices but unequal sizes — teaching that fractions need equal parts.

The 10 levels

1. Halves
2. Quarters
3. Thirds
4. Sharing fairly
5. Fraction detectives
6. Fraction of a group
7. Equivalent fractions
8. Bigger or smaller, number line
9. Adding slices
10. Master chef mix

How to play

A spell book shows a picture on one page and a word on the other. Your child taps letter runes or word cards to finish the word, and the finished word “casts a spell” that brings the picture to life.

What it teaches

First sounds, middle vowels, spelling 3- and 4-letter words, rhymes, plurals, opposites, sight words in sentences and compound words. Prompts use letter sounds as well as names.

Winning and stars

One word per round; three stars with no mistakes.

The 10 levels

1. First letter
2. Middle vowel
3. Build 3-letter words
4. Build 4-letter words
5. Rhymes
6. Plurals (-s and -es)
7. Opposites
8. Sight words
9. Compound words
10. Mixed

How to play

Two scenes appear side by side. Your child taps anything that differs, on either picture, and a red ring appears on both. A counter shows how many are found.

What it teaches

Visual attention and careful comparison: missing objects, colour changes, flips, extras and size changes.

Winning and stars

One scene per round; every tap that misses counts as a mistake. After two misses in a row the game says “Look closely!” and shows a hint.

The 10 levels

1. Park (3 differences)
2. Park (4)
3. Farm (5)
4. Ocean (5)
5. Space (5)
6. Candy land (5)
7. City (6)
8. Tricky colours (6)
9. Seven differences
10. Mixed

How to play

An animal shopkeeper sells toys with price tags. Your child drags or taps coins onto the pay mat until the total matches the price; tapping a coin on the mat takes it back. Other tasks use number tiles or Yes/No.

What it teaches

Coin values and counting money, using the fewest coins, adding two prices, working out change, and budgeting. Amounts are plain “coins” (1, 2, 5, 10, 20), not a real currency.

Winning and stars

Three customers per round. Spoken explanations help: “10 take away 7 is 3. The change is 3 coins!”

The 10 levels

1. Pay with 1s
2. 1s and 2s
3. Adding 5s
4. Adding 10s
5. Fewest coins
6. Two items
7. Giving change
8. Can I afford it?
9. Budget of 20
10. Mixed

How to play

Your child traces with a finger to guide a mouse to the cheese. Walls block the line, dragging back erases it, stars along the way are optional, and locked doors need the matching key first.

What it teaches

Route planning, spatial reasoning and steady finger control.

Winning and stars

A new maze is generated every round. Pushing into a wall or locked door counts as a mistake; the optional stars only change the praise.

The 10 levels

1. Garden, 4×4
2. Candy, 5×5
3. Space station, 6×6
4. Ice cave, 7×7
5. Jungle: one key and door
6. World tour
7. Giant maze, 8×8
8. Key and stars
9. Two keys, two doors
10. Mixed