Pibbit Says

About Pibbit Says

Pibbit the robot sits in his playroom with a duck, a ball, a teddy and a few other toys, and asks your child for things out loud: tap the duck, put the ball under the bed, give me the biggest block, tap the second duck in the line. There's nothing to read. When a toy lands in the wrong spot, Pibbit says where it actually went ("Hmm, that's on the bed") and asks again, and after two tries the right toy starts to glow. Eight short levels move from naming toys to big and little, on, under, in and next to, counting cookies, first and last, and finally two instructions in a row. Hand him a ball and he falls over. Hand him the teddy and he hugs it.

Pibbit Says is one of our free words & letters games for kids — play it right here in your browser, or browse all our free online games. It is also in our games for toddlers and preschoolers collection.

How to Play

• Press Play and listen. Pibbit says what he wants. Tap the yellow speaker, or Pibbit himself, to hear it again.
• Tap the toy he asks for, or drag it where he says: on the bed, under the bed, in the box, next to the box, or right over to him.
• If it isn't quite right, Pibbit tells you where it went and asks again. Nothing is ever lost.
• Five instructions finish a level. Eight levels, and the last ones ask for two things at once.

Tips & Tricks

• Let your child hear the whole sentence before they move. Grabbing too early is the most common slip in the two-step level.
• A gold dot means it was right first time. A grey dot means it took another go, which is fine.
• Say the position words with your hands at home too: put a sock on your head, a spoon under the cup.

What Kids Learn

Pibbit Says is about listening comprehension, the part of early language that's easy to overlook because it doesn't show. Before children talk about "under" or "between" they first have to understand those words when someone else uses them, and following a spoken direction is one of the things preschool and kindergarten teachers check most often. Every instruction here is spoken, so the game measures listening, not reading.

The words are the small ones that carry a lot of meaning: on, under, in and next to; big, little, biggest and smallest; most and fewest; first, second, third and last. When a child gets one wrong, the game names what they actually did, so a ball dropped on the bed earns "that's on the bed" rather than a buzzer. Hearing the difference between what they did and what was asked is how the words sink in. The last level strings two directions together, the kind of "first put your shoes on, then get your coat" that young children find surprisingly hard.

• Following one-step and two-step spoken directions
• Position words: on, under, in, next to
• Comparing size and amount: biggest, smallest, most, fewest
• Order words: first, second, third, last

Curriculum links

For teachers and homeschooling parents, here is where Pibbit Says lines up with what children are taught at school:

• Common Core SL.K.2: Show understanding of something read aloud or said
• Common Core K.G.A.1: Describe positions using words like above, below, beside, in front of
• Common Core K.MD.A.2: Compare two objects to see which has more or less of an attribute

What Age Is Pibbit Says For?

Made for ages 3 to 5. Most three-year-olds can do the first two levels alone and enjoy Pibbit's reactions; the position words and the cookie counting suit four-year-olds; the line of ducks and the two-step level are a fair stretch for a five-year-old. There's no timer and no way to lose, so a younger child can simply keep going until it clicks.

Tips for Parents

Play the two-step level together and ask your child to say both steps back before touching anything.

If "fewest" is new, use your own fingers: three here, one there, which has fewer?

Notice which words they pause on. Those are the ones to use in everyday talk this week.

Try It Without a Screen

• Play a real round with a teddy: put it on the chair, under the table, next to the door.
• Line up four toys and ask for the second one, then the last one.
• Give a two-step job at tidy-up time: first the blocks in the box, then the book on the shelf.

Pibbit Says — Frequently Asked Questions