A browser-based learning game suite designed for children aged 3–5. Ten educational mini-games cover letters, numbers, shapes, colors, memory, reading, patterns, animals, sizes, and rhyming — each with three difficulty levels that grow with your child.
Progress, achievements, and star ratings are saved to a local database so kids can pick up where they left off.
Learn the alphabet through interactive letter matching.
- Level 1 — Find the matching uppercase letter from four options
- Level 2 — Match uppercase letters to their lowercase pair
- Level 3 — Figure out which letter comes next in a sequence (A, B, ?)
Count safari animals on an adventure.
- Level 1 — Count 1–5 animals and tap the right number
- Level 2 — Count 3–10 animals
- Level 3 — Compare two groups and pick which has more
Discover and identify shapes.
- Level 1 — Find the named shape from four colorful options
- Level 2 — Match shapes to their dashed outlines
- Level 3 — Count how many sides a shape has
Explore colors and learn how they mix.
- Level 1 — Tap the circle that matches the color name
- Level 2 — Pick the right color to "paint" a gray object
- Level 3 — Mix two colors together (red + blue = purple, etc.)
Classic card-matching with a garden theme.
- Level 1 — 3 pairs (fruit emojis)
- Level 2 — 4 pairs (animal emojis)
- Level 3 — 6 pairs (mixed items)
Build words letter by letter with picture hints.
- Level 1 — Fill in one missing letter (C_T with a cat picture)
- Level 2 — Spell full 3-letter words from scrambled letters
- Level 3 — Spell 4-letter words from scrambled letters
Complete sequences and spot what comes next.
- Level 1 — Finish simple AB patterns (red, blue, red, blue, ?)
- Level 2 — Complete ABC patterns with three repeating items
- Level 3 — Find the missing piece in the middle of a pattern
Learn about animals, their sounds, and where they live.
- Level 1 — Match animals to the sounds they make (Moo!, Woof!, Quack!)
- Level 2 — Match animals to their homes (Farm, Ocean, Forest, Jungle)
- Level 3 — Match animals to what they eat (Grass, Fish, Honey, Bananas)
Compare and order objects by size.
- Level 1 — Pick which of two objects is bigger
- Level 2 — Find the smallest of three objects
- Level 3 — Sort three objects from smallest to biggest
Discover words that sound alike.
- Level 1 — Find the word that rhymes with the target (CAT → HAT)
- Level 2 — Decide if two words rhyme (Yes or No)
- Level 3 — Spot the odd one out among four words
- Choose or create a player — Pick an avatar (bear, bunny, unicorn, dragon…), enter a name, and select age.
- Pick a game from the hub — Each card shows what skills it teaches.
- Select a level — Start with Level 1 and work up as your child gets comfortable.
- Tap the answers — Big, colorful buttons are designed for small fingers. Sound effects play on correct and incorrect answers.
- Earn stars — Each round awards 1–3 stars based on accuracy. Stars and progress are saved automatically.
- Unlock achievements — Badges are awarded for milestones like first game played, getting 3 stars, trying all 10 games, and more.
- Node.js 18 or later
- npm (comes with Node.js)
cd little-explorers-academy
# Install root, server, and client dependencies
npm install
cd server && npm install && cd ..
cd client && npm install && cd ..npm run devThis starts both the backend API (port 3001) and the frontend dev server (port 5173) concurrently.
Open http://localhost:5173 in your browser.
npm run buildThe compiled frontend is output to client/dist/.
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Frontend | React, TypeScript, Vite |
| Backend | Express, TypeScript |
| Database | SQLite (via better-sqlite3) |
| Sound | Web Audio API (no external audio files) |
| Styling | CSS-in-JS with keyframe animations |
little-explorers-academy/
├── client/ # React frontend
│ └── src/
│ ├── components/ # Shared UI (GameHub, PlayerSelect, GameComplete, etc.)
│ ├── games/ # Ten game modules
│ │ ├── LetterGarden/
│ │ ├── NumberSafari/
│ │ ├── ShapeWorld/
│ │ ├── ColorMagic/
│ │ ├── MemoryGarden/
│ │ ├── WordBuilder/
│ │ ├── PatternParty/
│ │ ├── AnimalAcademy/
│ │ ├── SizeSorter/
│ │ └── RhymeTime/
│ ├── context/ # Player context provider
│ ├── hooks/ # useGameSession hook
│ ├── types/ # TypeScript interfaces
│ └── utils/ # API client, sounds, game data
├── server/ # Express backend
│ └── src/
│ ├── database.ts # SQLite schema and connection
│ └── index.ts # REST API routes
└── package.json # Root scripts (dev, build)
Player profiles, game sessions, progress, and achievements are stored in a SQLite database at server/data/academy.db. The database is created automatically on first run. Delete this file to reset all data.