Yumo the Hungry Monster

Yumo the Hungry Monster is a free learning game for toddlers, preschoolers and young kids. Yumo is a round, fluffy monster with one horn and a big friendly smile, and his thought bubble shows exactly what he wants to eat: something red, a star-shaped cookie, a pink heart or three bananas. Children drag the right snack into his mouth or simply tap it. Because every request is a picture first and a word second, kids who can’t read yet can play on their own, on a phone, tablet or computer.

How to play

1. Look at Yumo’s thought bubble to see what he wants to eat.
2. Drag the right snack into his mouth, or just tap it.
3. Not the right one? Yumo politely shakes his head. Just try another snack!
4. Pick a game: colors, shapes, color + shape or counting.
5. Feed him 5 snacks to finish a meal and earn stars for new friends and hats.

Controls

• Drag a snack with your finger or the mouse and let go over Yumo’s mouth.
• Or just tap or click a snack: it flies into his mouth by itself.
• Keyboard: press Tab or the arrow keys to move between the snacks and Enter or Space to feed one.

Tips and strategy

• Look at the thought bubble first. The picture shows the color, the shape or how many snacks Yumo wants, and the word underneath helps early readers.
• In “Color + shape” the table has tricky look-alikes, like a red square next to a red circle. Check both the color and the shape.
• In counting mode, count out loud together. Yumo shows a big number for every bite and ticks off the pictures in his bubble.
• Gave the wrong snack? No problem. Yumo just shakes his head politely, and after two tries the right snack glows softly as a hint.
• Five snacks make a meal. A full meal gives bonus stars and a little party, and the table slowly gets a few more snacks.
• Stars are never lost or spent. Collect them to unlock six more monster friends and five funny hats.

Game modes and difficulty

There are four ways to play. Colors uses fruit and veggies like strawberries, carrots and broccoli. Shapes uses cookies shaped like circles, squares, triangles, stars and hearts. Color + shape asks for one exact cookie, such as a yellow star. Counting asks for one to five of the same fruit. Each meal adds a little challenge, without any timer.

History and background

Sorting things by color and shape and counting small groups are some of the first math skills children learn, long before school. Feeding games turn these skills into a caring story: the child helps a hungry friend, so a correct answer feels like a kind act instead of a test.

This game was designed to be calm and kind. There is no timer, no losing and no scolding. The monster never looks sad, wrong answers cost nothing, and progress is saved only in your browser.

Frequently asked questions