NumBots starts right near the beginning of a child’s maths journey, with subitising* numbers up to 5. Every child begins NumBots at the start, regardless of their age or prior experience, so that we can be certain they've picked up every mathematical building block they'll need and don't have any gaps in their understanding.

Over the course of the following 1300 levels, children will learn about number bonds and, eventually, how to add and subtract two digit numbers. NumBots’ learning objectives reflect those for Years 1, 2 and 3 in the UK National Curriculum.

Most children take at least 2 years to complete the entire programme, however that does vary depending on the level of maths they're at when they start using NumBots (older children and those with more maths experience may power through the first stages before reaching a point where the levels begin to challenge them) and how regularly they play.

We therefore suggest that most children should start using NumBots between the ages of 5 – 7 years old.

However, you know your child the best. There is nothing to prevent some older children benefitting from NumBots too. Please just be aware that all children start right at the beginning, however old they are, by default. Find out how you can let your child skip the early levels to reach a more relevant topic here.

*Subitising: Instantly recognising how many objects there are in a group, without needing to count them.