Waterfall
Telling b, d, p and q apart: finding the one different letter in a sea of look-alikes
How it plays
A waterfall of one letter falls down the screen, about fifty p's, say, and one of them is different: a b. The well at the bottom shows the letter to find. Your child finds the different one and taps it, and it drops into the well. Five in the well brings fireworks. Tap a letter that's the same as the rest and Ruby Roo says what it is; nothing is taken off. If the different one falls past, another comes down. Only b, d, p and q, and the letters are never turned or tilted.
What it's for
Telling b, d, p and q apart: finding the one different letter in a sea of look-alikes. 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. You can also set it up on the first screen: “How fast they fall”, “How many letters”.
There is no score to lose and no way to fail. Tap a letter that's the same as the rest and Ruby Roo says what it is; if the different one falls past, another comes down. Nothing is ever taken off.
Away from the screen: Which way does it face?
About two minutes, with things most homes have.
- Write a row of p's on paper, with one b hidden among them.
- Your child finds the b and draws a ring round it.
- Swap: they write a row for you to search. Try b and d, then p and q.
Three questions to ask while they play
- Which letter are you looking for this time?
- How did you know that one was a b and not a d?
- Which way does its tummy face?
Play together
Things to say or ask
- Which letter are you hunting for? Look at the well.
- How did you know that one was different?
- Slow down if you like: there's always another one coming.
Taking turns on one device: Take turns: each player finds one different letter, then passes it over. Five in the well together brings the fireworks.
Talk-about cards: a question a day for a week, for the car or the dinner table. Print them, or read them from your phone.
If they find it hard
On the first screen, turn "How fast they fall" and "How many letters" down. Or try Ps and Qs first: the same four letters, and nothing falls, so there's time to think.
A sheet to print
One A4 page, in black and white or colour.
What it practises
- Spotting a letter quickly. Finding one letter among others, fast.
AC9EFLY11 (English, Foundation) - Telling look-alike letters apart. Knowing b from d, and p from q: the letters children flip most.
AC9EFLY11 (English, Foundation); EYLF 5.4 (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
Waterfall lives in The Rustly Bush — letters and phonics. 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