Little Helpers
Small, hopeful things that help: tap off, lights off, litter in the bin, a tree to plant.
How it plays
Two pictures of the same moment. Ruby Roo asks which one helps our world (brushing your teeth, leaving the room, at the park, in the garden) and your child taps the one with the tap off, the lights off, the litter in the bin or a new little tree. A right tap says why; the other tap says what it shows and asks again. Small, hopeful things, never scary.
What it's for
Small, hopeful things that help: tap off, lights off, litter in the bin, a tree to plant. There is no score to lose and no way to fail: a wrong move is met with a gentle nudge, and a level ends when it's done.
Away from the screen: One little thing today
About two minutes, with things most homes have.
- Pick one thing to do together today: turn the tap off while you brush, switch off a light, plant a seed.
- Do it together.
- At bedtime, ask your child what they did to help.
- Pick another one for tomorrow.
Three questions to ask while they play
- Which one helps? Why?
- What could you do at home to help?
- How does it feel to help?
Play together
Things to say or ask
- Tap off while you brush! That saves lots of water.
- You put the litter in the bin. What a helper!
Taking turns on one device: One of you reads the question; the other taps.
If they find it hard
Act each one out with them before they tap: turn an imaginary tap off, flick an imaginary switch.
Every fact, and where it comes from
What Ruby Roo says in Little Helpers was checked against the page it links to.
- A running tap can use up to 10 litres a minute; turning it off while brushing teeth is one of the simplest water savers. (Government of Western Australia (Water Corporation))
What it practises
- Getting along with others. Taking turns, sharing, losing well, having a go, saying sorry, and noticing when a friend is sad.
AC9HPFP02 (Health and Physical Education, Foundation); AC9HPFP04 (Health and Physical Education, Foundation); EYLF 2 (Early Years Learning Framework V2.0) - Looking and finding. For two- and three-year-olds: looking for something hidden, and knowing it's still there when you can only see a bit of it.
EYLF 4.2 (Early Years Learning Framework V2.0)
The codes are from the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 (for children from birth to five) and the Australian Curriculum v9 (Foundation to Year 2). Each links to the official wording. Every skill, and the games for it.
What it costs, and what we collect
Nothing, and nothing. There is no account, no advertising and no tracking of any kind. Which games have been played is remembered on your own device and is never sent anywhere. The full version is here, and it's short.
Where it lives
Little Helpers is part of Our World. It works on a phone, a tablet or a classroom screen, and once it's been opened it keeps working with no signal at all.
Updated