I have a four-year-old child. And lately, one very small thing has been surprisingly difficult: learning to recognize the numbers 0 through 9.
We could look at a number, say its name, and go over it again. But remembering which shape meant which number wasn’t always easy. I wanted to help, yet I didn’t want every practice session to feel like another lesson my child had to finish.
I’m a parent, not an early-childhood education expert. I’m also an independent developer who likes turning everyday problems into simple tools. So I started asking a familiar question:
Could I make this feel more like a game?
The problem wasn’t a lack of worksheets
There are countless number charts, flashcards, videos, and preschool learning apps. Some are genuinely helpful. But what I wanted at home was much smaller: a clean screen, one big number, a voice saying its name, and a reason to try again.
I didn’t want complicated menus, subscriptions, distracting ads, or a login. I wanted my child to be able to tap a number and immediately hear it.
And I wanted something we could open on a phone without installing anything.
One number, one sound, one little success
That’s how Learn Numbers 0–9 started.
The first version focuses on three small activities:
- Learn: Tap a large numeral and hear its English name. See a matching number of familiar objects.
- Count: Look at pictures — apples, fish, stars, and more — then choose how many there are.
- Listen: Hear a number spoken in English and pick the matching digit.
There are ten numbers, from zero to nine, and the game gives a star when an answer is correct. A wrong answer isn’t a failure. It is simply another chance to try.
I also made the buttons large enough for little fingers and included recorded number audio rather than depending only on a phone’s text-to-speech support. That mattered because a silent “learning” game was one of the first problems I encountered while testing on mobile.
Why make it in English?
The idea came from my family, but the problem isn’t unique to us. Parents everywhere look for simple ways to help preschoolers connect spoken number words, written numerals, and actual quantities.
English also makes the tool useful for families introducing English number words. It’s not a complete math course or a language curriculum; it’s a focused, free activity for those first ten numbers.
The feature I care about most
It isn’t the colorful cards or the star counter.
It’s the chance for a child to say, “I know that one!”
I can’t promise a game will make every child learn faster. Kids learn differently, and repeated practice matters more than fancy effects. But if this helps make five minutes of number practice a little easier for one parent and one child, it has served its purpose.
I plan to watch how my child actually uses it and improve the rough edges instead of adding features just because I can.
Try the free preschool number game
If you’re helping a 3-, 4-, or 5-year-old recognize numbers or practice early counting, you’re welcome to try it together.
Play Learn Numbers 0–9 — free, no sign-up required →
Start with just two or three numbers if ten feels like too many. Point to real objects around the room, count slowly, and stop while it’s still fun. There’s no score you need to beat and no deadline.
This is why I’m building Made by Yong: small tools for real life, including the little everyday problems that matter to my family.
— Yong