Every child arrives at Prep with their own mix of strengths, and that's exactly how it should be. These games aren't a test. Pick the one that looks like fun, play it a few times, and stop while everyone's still smiling.

Game 1

Peek-a-boo Plate

Numbers · 5 minutes

You'll need

A plate, a tea towel and up to 5 small things (grapes, blocks or buttons).

How to play

Put 2 or 3 grapes on the plate while your child closes their eyes, then cover it with the tea towel.
Lift the towel for one second ("peek-a-boo!"), then cover it again.
Ask, "How many did you see?" Lift the towel and check together. If they're right, they eat one!

Why it helps

Seeing "how many" at a glance, without counting one by one, is called subitising. It's one of the building blocks of number sense, and Prep classrooms use it with dot cards and dice all the time. A quick peek means there's no time to count, so little brains start to see small amounts as a whole.

Make it easierStick to 1, 2 or 3, and leave the plate uncovered for a little longer.

Make it trickierGo up to 5, or arrange them like the dots on a dice.

Game 2

The Sound Shop

First sounds · 10 minutes

You'll need

A handful of toys or things from the pantry (a banana, a cup, a hat, a sock, a pen) and somewhere to set up a little "shop".

How to play

Your child runs the shop and you're the customer.
Ask for something by its first sound: "I'd like to buy something that starts with /m/."
Your child hunts for it (a mug? a muffin?) and hands it over. Say the word together and listen for the first sound: "mug starts with /m/!" Then swap and let them be the customer.

Why it helps

Hearing the first sound in words is a step towards reading and spelling. When children can pick out that sound, they're starting to notice that words are made of sounds, which is exactly what they'll build on in Prep. Say the sound, not the letter name: /m/, not "em", and /s/, not "ess".

Make it easierPut out just 3 things that all start with different sounds, and use sounds you can stretch, like /m/, /s/ and /f/.

Make it trickierAsk for two things at once ("one starting with /s/ and one starting with /p/"), or try the last sound: "something that ends with /t/".

Game 3

The Big Lunch Picnic

Looking after myself · 15 minutes

You'll need

Their school lunchbox, the containers and wrappers you'll actually use at school, a picnic rug and a timer.

How to play

Pack a "big school lunch" together, using the real containers.
Take it outside for a picnic and set a timer for 15 minutes.
Your child opens everything on their own. Notice anything that's tricky, and practise just that one together later.

Why it helps

School eating breaks are short, and there's one teacher for a lot of hungry Preppies. Being able to open their own lunch means more time to eat (and play!), and a big boost in confidence. It's also a lovely way to find any containers that are too fiddly before school starts, so you can swap them for easier ones.

Make it easierStart with just one or two containers and no timer.

Make it trickierAdd a wrapped muesli bar, a squeezy yoghurt and a drink bottle with a fiddly lid.

Enjoyed these?

They're 3 of the 61 games in Ready, Set, Prepped!, Brisbane Tuition's play-based school readiness game for families.

Three new games picked for you each day
Self-care, friends and feelings, talking, early reading, writing, maths and moving
A sticker book and play journal to see how far you've come

Find out more