Balance It

What your child learns

• Understanding that a balanced scale means both sides weigh the same, and the heavier side goes down
• Counting and matching: add blocks until both sides have the same
• Reasoning from example scales: 1 pineapple = 2 apples, so 2 pineapples = 4 apples (an early taste of multiplying and dividing)
• Chaining two example scales and finding what is missing, a picture-based first step toward algebra

How to play

1. Press "Play now". In the first rounds, press + to put a block on the right pan and − to take one off. When the scale is level, you are done.
2. Later, look at the example scales at the top (they are always level), add enough fruit, then press "Balance!". While your child is adding, the scale is held level; pressing "Balance!" lets it go to show the answer.
3. If it tips, the game says whether the right side is still lighter or already heavier, so your child can fix it and press "Balance!" again.
4. On a computer: Tab moves between buttons, + and − (or the up and down arrows) add and remove, and Enter presses a button.

For parents

• The weights are puzzle weights, not real fruit weights: a bigger fruit is always heavier than a smaller one, and the numbers stay small for easy counting.
• Make a scale at home with a coat hanger and two small bags, or a ruler on a pencil, and let your child try toys on each side.
• For two example scales, ask: "How many apples is one watermelon? And how many lemons is each apple?" and swap one step at a time.
• Pressing "Balance!" with the right answer the first time earns a star. Each wrong amount counts only once, and pressing with an empty pan never counts as wrong. The difficulty adjusts to your child.