FreeNo adsNo sign-upsNothing collectedMade in the Blue Mountains

Snake's Long and Short

Comparing lengths: which ribbons are long, and which are short?

Ages 3-5 Shapes, colours and noticing Free, no sign-up

Play Snake's Long and Short More in The Bright Spot

How it plays

Spotty ribbons drift about, some long and some short. Your child drags each one into the Long band or the Short band (or taps it, then taps the band). The first level makes it easy, with long ribbons three times as long as the short ones; each level brings them closer, so your child has to look carefully. Nothing is said when a ribbon is picked up, because the looking is the point.

What it's for

Comparing lengths: which ribbons are long, and which are short?. It adapts as your child plays: after a few rounds that go well it steps up a little, and after a couple of hard ones it quietly steps back. The level number only ever goes up.

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 won.

Away from the screen: Longer than me?

About two minutes, with things most homes have.

Lie down on the floor and put a sock at your child's head and feet.
Find things around the house: is each one longer or shorter than the gap between the socks?
Line up three things from shortest to longest.

Three questions to ask while they play

Which one is longer? How can you tell?
Can you find something shorter than your hand?
If we put these two end to end, would they be longer than the table?

If they find it hard

Line two ribbons up at one end before comparing. Starting from the same place is how we measure. Or try A Shape in its Place first: the same sorting, with shapes that are easy to tell apart.

A sheet to print

Print the Snake's Long and Short sheet

One A4 page, in black and white or colour.

What it practises

Longer and shorter. Comparing lengths by looking, and by lining things up at one end.
AC9MFM01 (Mathematics, Foundation)
Noticing what's the same. Looking closely to find two that match.
EYLF 4.2 (Early Years Learning Framework V2.0)

The codes are from the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 (for three- to five-year-olds) 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.

From her nose to the tip of her long, wiggly tail, The snake is the longest on the long-and-short scale! So sort out the ribbons, the long and the short: The snake says it's her very favourite sport!

Where it lives

Snake's Long and Short lives in The Bright Spot — shapes, colours and noticing. 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.