For schoolsEvery game in Poppins Learning, and how students play it
A daily session of about 20 minutes is a fixed set of short games the app picks for each student: five reading games, five rhythm games, and one quick sequence game. This page shows all of them, with the move each game asks for and a short clip, so your team can see the program before a single student signs in.
Each clip is a short moment of play from our own recording, so the answers come faster than they will on a student’s screen. The app gives each student the games that fit the level she is on today, and moves her up as she earns it, so a real session runs calmer than this page does.
Want the whole program, skill by skill and level by level? See the scope and sequence.
The reading games
Each reading game carries the words and sentences of the US program, from first sounds to spelling rules and reading comprehension. Most of them speak the instruction out loud, so headphones help. The app chooses which five a student gets, at the level she is on, and moves her up as she goes.
- 01
Crazy Caddy
How to play on a ChromebookClick and hold a word, move it into a cart, then click the arrow
How to play on a tablet or phoneDrag each word into a cart, then tap the arrow
The student hears the sorting rule, such as “Sort each word into the group with the right number of syllables,” moves every word card into the matching cart, then presses the arrow: right cards stay, and the others slide back for another try. In sound rounds, such as “Find the word with 3 sounds, like cut,” there is one cart: she moves in the one word that answers, then presses the arrow too.
Works on: Syllables and sounds in words; later, prefixes, suffixes and r-controlled syllables
Program levels: 1, 2 and 3
- 02
Dino Burger
How to play on a ChromebookClick and hold a word, move it onto a burger, then click GO
How to play on a tablet or phoneDrag each word onto a burger, then tap GO
The student hears the sorting rule (by number of syllables, by sound, or by prefix or suffix) and moves every word from the tray onto the burger it belongs on. With all the words placed, she presses GO: if every word is right, the dinosaurs eat; otherwise the misplaced words come back to the tray. In sound rounds there is a single burger: she moves the one word that answers the question onto it, then presses GO.
Works on: Breaking words into syllables and sounds; later, prefixes and suffixes
Program levels: 1, 2 and 3
- 03
Bubble Dream
How to play on a ChromebookClick the cloud with the right word
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap the cloud with the right word
Five word clouds float in a dream. The student hears a question, such as “Find the word that rhymes with” a word, or “Find the word with 3 sounds, like cut,” and picks the cloud that answers it. A right answer lights up the dream, and a wrong cloud floats away so she can try again.
Works on: Fast sound recognition and letter-sound matching
Program levels: 1, 2 and 3
- 04
Alien Camping
How to play on a ChromebookClick the camper with the right word
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap the camper with the right word
Each sleeping camper carries a word. The student hears the question, waits for the campers to float up, and picks the one with the right word. The spaceship beams up a right answer, and a wrong camper falls back so she can try again.
Works on: Matching letters to sounds; finding a target syllable or sound in a word
Program levels: 1, 2 and 3
- 05
Flowerz
How to play on a ChromebookClick the flower with the right word
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap the flower with the right word
In a garden, each flower holds a word. The student hears a question, such as “Find the word that starts with the sound /b/ as in bat,” and picks the flower with the right word. The right flower blooms, and a wrong one wilts away so she can try again.
Works on: Sounds in words, reading a word that was said out loud, and common sight words
Program levels: 1, 2 and 3
- 06
FantoLand
How to play on a ChromebookClick the ghost with the right word
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap the ghost with the right word
Every ghost carries a word. The student hears “Find the word” with a word and a sentence, or “Listen and tap the word you hear,” and picks the ghost with that word so the car’s laser catches it. When the game ends, a big ghost appears, and ten quick hits on it catch it too.
Works on: Reading letters into sounds; scanning and telling similar-looking words apart
Program levels: 1, 2 and 3
- 07
Abraca Pinata
How to play on a ChromebookClick two piñatas at a time to find a pair
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap two piñatas at a time to find a pair
A memory game with eight piñatas: the purple ones say a word, and the orange ones show a written word. The student hears “Match the word to the sound,” then opens two piñatas at a time. When the spoken word and the written word match, both burst; otherwise they turn back, and she remembers where they hang for her next try.
Works on: Connecting a heard word to its spelling; digraphs and first sight words
Program levels: 1 and 2
- 08
Samouraï Sushi
How to play on a ChromebookHold the click and sweep the pointer through a flying word
How to play on a tablet or phoneSwipe through a flying word to slice it
The student hears a rule, such as “Cut the words ending in E-D, like in jumped and played.” Words fly across the screen, and she slices each word that follows the rule, letting the others fly by. The rule is spoken only, and the speaker button replays it, so headphones help.
Works on: Reading speed, quick word recognition and holding back on the wrong ones; suffixes and vowel-team syllables
Program levels: 2 and 3
- 09
Tutti Monkey
How to play on a ChromebookClick and hold a word, move to its partner, let go, then click OK
How to play on a tablet or phoneDrag a vine from word to word, then tap OK
Four words hang on each side. The student hears “Match the two halves to make a word!” (birth and day) or “Connect each word with the one that means the same,” and draws a vine from each word on the left to its partner on the right. With all four vines placed, she presses OK, and each right pair is read aloud as the monkey swings across.
Works on: Compound words; words that mean the same or the opposite
Program levels: 2 and 3
- 10
Word Mixer
How to play on a ChromebookClick the first letter, hold, and move to the last letter of the word
How to play on a tablet or phoneSlide across the letters to trace each word
The student hears “Find the words in the grid” and traces each word in one stroke, from its first letter to its last, left to right or top to bottom; a found word lights up. Only the very first time she plays is the list of four words written: after that, she presses the speaker on each row to hear the word she is looking for.
Works on: Remembering how words are spelled; systematic scanning; longer academic words
Program levels: 3
- 11
Crash Train
How to play on a ChromebookClick each train car that holds an extra letter, one click at a time
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap each train car that holds an extra letter, one tap at a time
The student hears “Some letters don’t belong! Pop them to fix the word,” then the word itself. Each car of the train holds one letter, and she pops every car that doesn’t belong, one at a time. When only the right letters are left, the train drives off. Popping a letter the word needs ends that word, so she listens before she pops.
Works on: Reading three-syllable and longer words
Program levels: 3
- 12
Word Temple
How to play on a ChromebookClick the letter stones, first letter first, to spell the word
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap the letter stones, first letter first, to spell the word
The student hears “Select the letters to spell the word,” then the word and a sentence that uses it. She picks one letter stone per row, first letter first, and the explorer jumps onto each right stone as the word fills in at the top. After a wrong stone he takes a dip in the lava and comes right back for another try.
Works on: Spelling from dictation: short-vowel words, then silent letters
Program levels: 1 and 3
- 13
The Bridge
How to play on a ChromebookClick and hold the right log, move it into the gap, then click GO
How to play on a tablet or phoneDrag the right log into the gap, then tap GO
The student hears “Complete the word,” then the word and a sentence, for example “plain, as in The room was plain but very clean.” She moves the log with the right letters (ai, ay or ae) into the gap in the bridge, then presses GO. When the word is right, the beavers’ car drives across.
Works on: Spelling: blends, digraphs, silent-e words, vowel teams, r-controlled vowels, drop-e rule
Program levels: 2 and 3
- 14
Veggie Kroc
How to play on a ChromebookClick and drag the lock wheel up or down, then click Open
How to play on a tablet or phoneSwipe the lock wheel up or down, then tap Open
The mouse walks up to each trap on its own. The student hears “Complete the word,” then the word and a sentence, and turns the wheel of the trap’s lock up or down until the right letters sit in the middle window. Then she presses Open: a right answer opens the trap, and the mouse runs on to its vegetable.
Works on: Sound to letters: the same spelling patterns as The Bridge, from a spoken prompt
Program levels: 2 and 3
- 15
Franken Dance
How to play on a ChromebookClick the right word to fill the gap, then click GO
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap the right word to fill the gap, then tap GO
A sentence with a blank sits on screen, and the student hears “Read the sentence and select the correct spelling.” She picks the correctly spelled word card, which moves into the blank, then presses GO. The right answer wakes the creature.
Works on: Homophones in context; word endings, doubling and y-to-i rules
Program levels: 2 and 3
- 16
Super Smile
How to play on a ChromebookClick the right tooth to fill the gap, then click GO
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap the right tooth to fill the gap, then tap GO
The monster’s teeth spell out a sentence with one tooth missing. The student hears “Read the sentence and select the correct spelling,” picks the gold tooth with the spelling that fits the sentence (hair or hare), then presses GO.
Works on: Telling homophones apart using the sentence; spelling rules
Program levels: 2 and 3
- 17
Photo Star
How to play on a ChromebookClick a category, click the arrows, then click OK
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap a category, tap the arrows, then tap OK
The student reads a short description, such as “I am tanning at the beach,” and hears “Read the description. Then dress the character to match!” She picks a category (hair, clothes, background and more), uses the arrows to change that item, and presses OK when the model matches. Some details are implied rather than named, and the ? button gives a hint.
Works on: Reading comprehension by following written directions
Program levels: 2 and 3
- 18
Pie or Prize
How to play on a ChromebookClick an answer, then click OK
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap an answer, then tap OK
On a game show, the host asks a question about one sentence, and the student hears “Read the sentence and choose the best answer.” She picks one of the answers, then presses the green OK button to lock it in. A right answer wins the prize, and a wrong one earns a cream pie.
Works on: Sentence comprehension, multiple meanings, text structure, what word parts mean
Program levels: 1 and 3
- 19
FarmZilla
How to play on a ChromebookClick the animals, one syllable after the next, to build a word
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap the animals, one syllable after the next, to build a word
A bonus game that joins some sessions. The student sees a theme, such as Foods, and hears “Assemble the letters by theme.” She picks the animals whose syllables make a word on that theme, in order (cook, then ie), and the game checks the word by itself as soon as it is complete.
Works on: Reading syllables and assembling them into themed words
- 20
Magic Cauldron
How to play on a ChromebookClick a letter, hold, move from letter to letter, then let go
How to play on a tablet or phoneSlide from letter to letter to spell a word
A bonus game that joins some sessions once spelling is part of a student’s program. She hears “Drag the letters to create words” and links letters on the letter wheel in one stroke, then lets go. Each word she spells fills a line of the witch’s spell, and extra real words go into the Bonus Words book.
Works on: Recalling how words are spelled; recognizing spelling patterns
Two more reading games join at the upper comprehension levels: Mission Unlock and Cold Case.
The rhythm games
The rhythm games carry no words. The student keeps a beat, copies a pattern, or rebuilds a tune. As she levels up, the graphics progressively cover the action until she has to do the task on the music alone.
- 01
Temple of Music
How to play on a ChromebookClick and drag the music blocks into order, then click play
How to play on a tablet or phoneDrag the music blocks into order, then tap play
The student hears “Assemble the blocks to reproduce this music” and listens to the tune, which she can replay. She moves the sheet-music blocks into the slots in order, then presses play to hear her version: blocks in the right place lock in and glow.
Works on: Listening, remembering a sequence, reading simple notation
- 02
Pop N'Run
How to play on a ChromebookPress any key or click, on the beat
The voice still says “Tap the screen.”
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap anywhere on the screen, on the beat
Her runner moves along a path of closed flowers. The student hears “Tap the screen at the right time to water the flowers” and waters each one as the runner reaches it; on time, the flower blooms. The flowers are spaced to the beat, so finding them means finding the beat.
Works on: Finding and holding a steady beat
- 03
Groovy Trail
How to play on a ChromebookPress any key or click as each piece reaches the runner
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap anywhere on the screen as each piece reaches the runner
A villain in a cart throws trash back toward her runner in a rhythm. The student hears “Repeat the rhythm to send back the objects” and answers as each piece reaches her. On time, it flies straight back into his cart.
Works on: Keeping the beat while the camera moves and clouds cover the action
- 04
Rhythm Cooking
How to play on a ChromebookPress any key or click in the same rhythm, and let bombs pass
The voice says “Press a key to throw the fruit into the cauldron.”
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap the screen in the same rhythm, and let bombs pass
The voice says “Tap the screen to throw the fruit into the cauldron.”
Cooks toss fruit down the line in a rhythm. When it reaches her, the student plays that same rhythm back to throw each fruit into the cauldron. When a bomb comes, she lets it pass, and that counts as a success.
Works on: Remembering and repeating a rhythm that gets longer; holding back when a bomb comes
- 05
Rhythm Ranger
How to play on a ChromebookPress any key or click in the same rhythm, and let striped trap nails pass
The voice says “Press a key to remove the nail.”
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap the screen in the same rhythm, and let striped trap nails pass
The voice says “Tap the screen to pull out the nail.”
A villain hammers nails into a tree in a rhythm. When her platform rises, the student plays the same rhythm back to pull the nails out. Some nails are traps, red with yellow-and-black warning stripes: she lets those pass, because hitting one stuns her character.
Works on: Repeating a rhythm while telling real nails from traps
- 06
Fire Clap
How to play on a ChromebookClap out loud, or press any key or click once per clap, on “Your turn!”
The microphone hears claps when the Chromebook allows it; a key or a click always counts as a clap.
How to play on a tablet or phoneClap out loud when the game says “Your turn!”
The microphone hears each clap, so headphones and a quiet corner help.
The characters clap a rhythm while a guide track shows the beats. On “Your turn!”, the student gives the same rhythm back. At higher levels something covers the characters while they clap, so she copies the rhythm by ear.
Works on: Copying a clapped pattern that gets longer
- 07
Beat Jumper
How to play on a ChromebookPress any key or click to make the runner jump
The voice says “Press a key to jump.”
How to play on a tablet or phoneShake the tablet to make the runner jump
The voice says “Shake your tablet to jump.” Hand the tablet over undocked, out of any keyboard case.
Three runners, evenly spaced, meet an obstacle, and the first two jump one after the other. The student makes the last runner jump, keeping the same gap as the two ahead. The tutorial gives her three practice jumps first.
Works on: Timing and anticipating a regular interval
- 08
Fruit Fighter
How to play on a ChromebookPress any key or click as each fruit arrives
The camera stays off, and no voice line mentions the keys: tell her before she starts.
How to play on a tablet or phonePunch in the air above the camera as each fruit arrives
The voice says “Stand up and place your device down”: the tablet lies flat, in decent light.
An opponent across a pond throws fruit that bounces on lily pads toward the student in time with the music, and she hits each one back as it arrives.
Works on: Reading a tempo from what she sees and striking on the beat
One more rhythm game joins once a student has moved up through the others: King Song, a karaoke game where she gives each line back on her turn.
The sequence games
Three short games where a string of letters or digits flashes on screen for a moment and the student has to hold it in mind. They train taking in a group of letters at a glance instead of one at a time.
- 01
Pirate Challenge
How to play on a ChromebookClick the puck and drag it right for IN, left for OUT
No key moves the puck.
How to play on a tablet or phoneDrag the puck right for IN, left for OUT
A puck flashes a string of letters for a blink, then flips to show a small group of letters. If every letter of that group was in the flash, the student sends the puck right, to the green IN side; if any letter was missing, she sends it left, to the red OUT side.
Works on: Taking in two to six letters at a single glance
- 02
Diamond Rush
How to play on a ChromebookPress the left and right arrow keys to change lanes, then click the matching vase
At the vases, the arrow keys and Enter work too.
How to play on a tablet or phoneSwipe to change lanes, then tap the matching vase
Running down a tunnel, the student changes lanes to dodge rocks and grab diamonds. Then a scroll flashes a sequence of letters or digits and hides it, and she picks the vase that shows the very same sequence among look-alikes.
Works on: Comparing several letters at a glance; telling similar words and mirror letters apart
- 03
Potion Patrol
How to play on a ChromebookClick every barrel with the same sequence
How to play on a tablet or phoneTap every barrel with the same sequence
A sequence of letters or digits flashes, then hides. Barrels roll across carrying sequences, and the student hits each barrel with the exact same one before it rolls off, leaving the look-alikes and the trap barrels alone.
Works on: Spotting a sequence fast, under time pressure
What the games need in the room
- Many reading games speak the instruction without writing it on screen, so headphones are the one thing every student needs.
- Every game plays with the trackpad: a click wherever a tablet takes a tap, and click-and-hold, then move, wherever it takes a drag or a swipe.
- No game needs a sensor on a Chromebook. In the rhythm games that follow a beat, any key or a click counts, and a key press makes Beat Jumper’s runner jump, counts as a clap in Fire Clap, and sends the fruit back in Fruit Fighter. Temple of Music is played by click-and-drag.
- Fruit Fighter is the one game where no voice line mentions the keys on a Chromebook, so tell the student before she starts: any key or a click sends the fruit back.
- Most games are a tap, a drag or a swipe on the screen.
- Beat Jumper uses the motion sensor: the voice says “Shake your tablet to jump.” A tablet in a keyboard case still counts as a tablet, so hand it over undocked.
- Two rhythm games use the microphone, Fire Clap (clapping) and King Song (singing). They work best with headphones on, away from a noisy table.
- Fruit Fighter uses the front camera: the tablet lies flat and the student punches in the air above it, with decent light and a bit of table space.
- Some games open as a student moves up. Groovy Trail, Rhythm Ranger, Fire Clap, King Song and Fruit Fighter unlock through the earlier rhythm games, and Mission Unlock and Cold Case come with the upper comprehension levels.
Devices, headsets, sign-in and the first session are covered in the teacher guide.
Want to see it live with your students?
Request a demoQuestions about a game or the program? schools@poppinslearning.io Why rhythm sits next to reading in the program is on our science page.