New Toy: Number Journey!

Count down to new adventures with this calming early math toy.

Number Journey invites little learners to engage in a hands-on, visual approach to basic math and numeracy. Each playful scene will exercise creativity and critical thinking while building foundational math skills like counting, logic, and pattern recognition. From cityscapes to the Sahara, these vibrant worlds immerse players in math practice so delightful, they won’t even realize how much they’re learning!

How It Works:

• Hands-On Math: Kids practice counting and simple addition by filling slots.
  
• Number Recognition: Each character represents a clear “1,” making it easier for kids to understand larger numbers as they form groups. This approach to grouping reinforces the concept of counting up and breaking down numbers visually and intuitively.
  
• Sequential Thinking: Multi-slot vehicles introduce basic problem-solving sequences.
  
• Engaging Scenes: Familiar and exciting settings make math feel relevant and fun.
  
• Satisfying Sounds: Playing with the audio on adds to the meditative flow of this toy as calming tones respond when passengers are added to vehicles.
  
• Immediate Feedback: Vehicles driving away after being solved provides subtle but instant motivation. New worlds also spark the drive for discovery and continued play.

Why Numbers?

Pok Pok has always been educational in the way it teaches developmental skills through open-ended toys. Toys like Marble Machine, Sequencer and Connect The Dots teach STEM skills like early physics, geometry, and spatial awareness. Then there are pretend-play toys House, Town, and Islands that strengthen storytelling, social-emotional skills, and problem-solving. The entire app exercises creativity but there are also opportunities for artistic self-expression in toys like Drawing and Dress-Up.

Since launching in 2021, we’ve aimed to create a well-rounded digital toy box where little ones from ages 2-8 and beyond can learn through enriching, inclusive play. However, one question always remained…

“What would it look like to “Pok Pok-ify” more academic activities?

When we polled our Instagram community about wanting a more traditional approach to learning, 86% of people were happy with the way the app is. However, 14% said they’d like to see more of this and many parents admitted they were curious to see what we could do with a more academic subject like math! 

So we connected with Peter Kuperman, Founder & CEO of Hatch Coding, to create the beginning framework for Number Journey. Working with our knowledge of the Pok Pok community’s desires, and his knowledge of how to teach early math principles through digital play, we workshopped different versions until landing on something that felt like the best of both worlds. 

Montessori-inspired Math

When building new toys for the app, we take a lot of inspiration from Montessori methods and principles. For Number Journey, we aligned with how Montessori teaches early math through the 1:1 correspondence method. This practice helps children understand that each object they count represents one item, creating a match between numbers and quantities. A child might be given a set of counting objects, like beads or blocks, and asked to count each one individually, pairing each object with a corresponding number.

This activity helps children grasp that numbers are not just abstract symbols but represent real quantities. By manipulating objects, children develop an understanding of counting as a one-to-one process, preparing them for more complex concepts like addition, subtraction, and place value.

We’re so excited for your little ones to explore Number Journey and its upcoming expansions! You can use this link to prompt the update on your child’s device. Whether this is their first introduction to counting or they’re more advanced but enjoy the meditative play, we can’t wait to hear how this new toy fits into your family’s favourite rotation.

We’ve been so inspired by the unique approach of each child who plays with our toys and can’t wait to hear what families like yours think of this one. Receiving your feedback, videos and ideas for new updates is so important for the growth of Pok Pok so please say hello at hello@playpokpok.com or on social media @playpokpok.