For grown-ups
How Sprout keeps your child safe, what it teaches, the tools you control, and how to set it up on any device.
Safe by design
These aren't settings. They are how Sprout is built.
No ads, no purchases, no links out
There is nothing to buy and nothing to click that leaves Sprout. No videos from other sites, no social features, no chat.
No accounts
You don't sign up or log in. Each child gets a profile on your device with a first name, an age and a 4-digit PIN you choose.
Their work stays on your device
Names, progress, drawings and stickers are saved in the browser on your device. We can't see them. The only thing that leaves is an anonymous daily count, which you can turn off. Read the privacy policy.
Made for kids who can't read yet
A warm recorded voice reads every instruction and cheers them on. Big buttons and forgiving taps mean less frustration and fewer calls for help.
Grown-up controls
Press and hold the "Grown-ups" button for 2 seconds. Little fingers rarely hold that long.
Play time
Set a daily limit. When time is up, Sprout shows a calm resting screen. The timer starts fresh after a 30-minute break.
Weekly report
Minutes played each day, games played, right answers by area compared with last week, new levels reached, tricky letters, and ideas to try at home. Print it if you like.
Choose what shows
Hide any activity from the home screen, pick upper or lower case letters, and turn the voice or sound effects off.
Several kids, one tablet
Add a profile for each child. Switching asks for that child's PIN, so siblings keep their own progress.
Backup
Save a child's progress, stickers and drawings to a file, and restore it on another device.
Anonymous counts switch
Sprout sends one anonymous count a day so we know what is used. Turn it off in Grown-ups, Settings.
Grows with your child
Every game keeps a level for each child. It goes up after a run of right answers and eases off after misses, and tricky letters and shapes come up more often.
Every game starts at its gentlest level: fewer cards, bigger targets, colours before numbers.
Pre-K and kindergarten: letters and sounds, counting, shapes, patterns, writing their name.
First-grade levels unlock: reading words, adding and taking away to 20, telling time to the half hour, bigger puzzles and mazes.
What they practise
Early literacy
- Letter recognition and formation, upper and lower case
- Letter sounds, first sounds, blending and rhymes
- Writing their own name and first words
- Reading short words (age 5 and up)
Early math
- Counting and number formation to 20
- One more, adding and taking away
- Shapes, patterns, sorting and sizes
- Telling time
Thinking and feeling
- Memory, attention and visual search
- Logic in mazes, puzzles and board games
- Naming feelings and opposites
- Calm-down breathing in Quiet Time
Creativity and play
- Drawing, coloring and fine motor control
- Music and rhythm
- Storytelling and choices
- Open-ended pretend play in Sprout Town
Install Sprout on your device
Sprout runs in the web browser, so there's no app store. Adding it to your home screen makes it open full screen, like any other app.
iPad and iPhone
- Open lilsprout.app in Safari.
- Tap Set up Sprout and add your child.
- Tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen.
- Open Sprout from the new icon and leave it open until the download bar finishes.
Android phones and tablets
- Open lilsprout.app in Chrome.
- Tap Set up Sprout and add your child.
- Open the menu (three dots), then Install app or Add to Home screen.
- Open it once on Wi-Fi so it can save everything for offline play.
Chromebook, Windows and Mac
- Open lilsprout.app in Chrome or Edge.
- Click the install icon at the right end of the address bar.
- Sprout opens in its own window. A touch screen works best, but a mouse is fine.
Updates and offline play
After the first full download Sprout works without internet. It updates itself when you're online: close it and open it again to pick up new activities.
Saves belong to the web address, so keep using the same one on each device.
Say hello
Questions, comments, suggestions, or an idea for a new game? We'd love to hear from you, and we read every note. Ideas from kids are welcome too!