Addition and subtraction to 20 · ages 5 to 8
Addition and subtraction are two sides of the same thing. In the Lichterwald, three numbers always belong together: one big parent light and two child lights. Once children see that, they no longer need to count.
Tap one of the family’s facts.
Four facts, one family: which lights belong together?
Addition and subtraction
Seeing addition and subtraction up to 20 with Lumi – instead of counting
3 + 5, 5 + 3, 8 − 3 and 8 − 5 belong together – they are one family. “Aufgabenfamilien: Mathe lernen” (German for “fact families: learning maths”) is a calm maths app for children aged 5 to 8: in the Lichterwald, the forest of lights, your child practises addition and subtraction up to 20 by understanding them rather than memorising answers or counting on their fingers. The app is in German.
Ages 5 to 8 · numbers up to 20 · in German
Coming soon
Notes
A look inside
Screenshots from the app
In the Lichterwald, the forest of lights, the fog wind has scattered the light families. Lumi, a little firefly, wants to bring them home – but Lumi can’t see very well how many lights belong together. That is why Lumi needs your child.
Every family has one big parent light and two child lights, for example 3, 5 and 8. The lights fly together, swap places, fly away and come back. This lets your child experience that 3 + 5, 5 + 3, 8 − 3 and 8 − 5 belong together. Addition and subtraction are two sides of the same thing.
The lights sit in groups of five on the lantern shelf, which has two rows of ten places. Your child learns to recognise amounts at a glance and to work out new facts from known ones: if you know 5 + 5, you can also see 5 + 6. Later the star bridge leads across ten (8 + 5 = 8 + 2 + 3), and in the Great Forest the view already turns towards 100.
Lumi never says “wrong”. When an answer doesn’t fit, the lights flicker briefly to give time to think, and Lumi helps step by step: first a hint, then a look at the structure, and if needed Lumi shows it once. There is no clock, no time pressure and no points to lose.
A night in the Lichterwald lasts about seven minutes (adjustable) and ends with a sunrise. Then it’s over – no “One more round?” and no rewards that push children to keep playing. Lumi speaks every instruction, and children answer with large number tiles, so they don’t need to be able to read.
Behind a parental gate (press and hold, then solve a sum) you will find:
The app builds on what is common in early maths teaching: number relationships instead of counting, the structure of fives and tens, swapped and inverse facts, completing to a number and bridging through ten. The owl tower uses the same terms. It does not replace teaching – but it can be a friendly place where your child spends a few minutes a day seeing numbers instead of counting them.
No ads, no in-app purchases, no account, no tracking and no analytics. The app works completely offline, and all data stays on the device. Several children can use their own profiles on one device.
The app is in German: Lumi speaks German, and the terms in the owl tower are those used in German primary schools. It is therefore best suited to children who learn maths in German – at school or at home.
“Aufgabenfamilien: Mathe lernen” is coming soon for iPhone, iPad and Android. On the home screen the app is called “Lichterwald” – the name of its game world. As soon as the app is in the stores, you will find the links right here on this page.
Feel like trying it?
Where next?
ZahlzerlegungLearning maths through play
Bridging Ten - Learn MathComing soon
Place Value: Learn MathUnderstanding tens and ones with Fünkli – hands-on