Lulu’s Shape Sorter

Lulu’s Shape Sorter is a free shape matching game for toddlers, preschoolers and young kids. Lulu the owl teacher sits next to a colourful sorting board and cheers every time a shape finds its home. Drag a circle, square, triangle, star or heart into the hole with the same outline, or simply tap the shape and then tap the hole. There is no timer and no way to lose, so children can play at their own pace on a phone, tablet or computer, right in the browser.

How to play

1. Drag a shape into the hole with the same shape.
2. Or tap a shape, then tap its hole. Keyboard: Tab, arrows and Enter.
3. A wrong hole is fine: the shape just hops back.
4. Fill every hole to finish the round and get bonus stars.
5. Use your stars to unlock new owl friends and boards.

Controls

• Drag a shape with your finger or the mouse and let go over the matching hole.
• Tap or click a shape to pick it up, then tap or click its hole. Tap the shape again to put it back.
• Keyboard: use Tab or the arrow keys to move between shapes, press Enter or Space to pick one, then choose a hole with the arrows and press Enter. Escape puts the shape back.

Tips and strategy

• Look at the outline of each hole first. Count the corners: a triangle has three, a square four, a hexagon six.
• From round three the shapes in the tray are turned. Turn the shape in your head, it still fits the same hole.
• From round five some holes are turned too, and similar shapes appear, like an oval next to a circle or a rectangle next to a square.
• Picked the wrong hole? No problem. The shape hops back, and after two tries the right hole glows softly as a hint.
• Say the shape names out loud with your child. Lulu shows the name of every shape you pick up.
• Every shape gives one star and every finished board gives two bonus stars. Stars are never lost or spent.

Game modes and difficulty

There is one gentle path that grows with your child. Round one has three big shapes with coloured hints, the next rounds add hearts, stars and hexagons, and later rounds bring moons, crosses, ovals, pentagons and turned holes. Stars unlock six more owl friends, and each friend brings its own colourful board.

History and background

Shape sorters are among the oldest toys for small children: a wooden box or board with cut-out holes and matching blocks. They help children learn shape names, compare outlines and train hand-eye coordination long before they can read.

This digital version keeps the calm feel of the classic toy and adds friendly feedback: sparkles when a shape fits, a little bounce when it does not, and a patient owl teacher who never says “wrong”.

Frequently asked questions