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Zoo Explorers: a reading game for kids where animals need rescuing
Zoo Explorers: Read & Rescue is a free reading adventure for kids from kindergarten to grade 3. The zoo animals have escaped, and only careful reading brings them home.
iPhone, iPad and Android apps are coming soon.
Quick facts
- Age / grade
- Kindergarten to grade 3 (about 4-9 years); optional maths for grades 1-5
- Price
- Free
- Platforms
- Plays in the browser now; apps for iPhone, iPad and Android coming soon
- Game languages
- German and English
- Time pressure
- None - no timer
- Kid safety
- No account needed, no ads from ad networks
What is Zoo Explorers: Read & Rescue?
Zoo Explorers: Read & Rescue is a reading game for kids set in a colourful 3D zoo. The animals have escaped, every enclosure is empty, and your child has to bring them all back home.
It works as a reading adventure rather than a worksheet: the clues are written, so a child who skips the text simply cannot move forward. Understanding the riddle is faster than guessing, and that is the whole idea.
The game is made for children from kindergarten to grade 3, which makes it a friendly kindergarten reading game as well as a practice game for early primary school. A parent picks the reading level at the start.
How a rescue round works
Every rescue follows the same four steps. The animals change, the reading stays the centre of the game.
Read the riddle on the info board
Each empty enclosure has a board with a riddle that says where its animal is hiding, supported by a small picture.
Choose the food by reading its label
Several food boxes stand near the barn. Each label has a picture and a word, and only one fits the animal you are looking for.
Find the animal and show it the food
Once the right food is in hand, the animal comes along and follows your child through the zoo.
Lead it safely home
Your child guides the animal back to its enclosure, where it eats, cheers and the next empty enclosure is waiting.
Screenshots from the reading adventure
These screenshots show the German version of the game; the English version works the same way.
The screenshots show the German version of the game.
What kids practise: learn to read with riddles
Zoo Explorers turns reading practice into a task with a purpose. Kids read because the story needs it.
Reading at four levels
The text grows with the child: kindergarten level (about 4-6) with single letters and very short words, then grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3 with longer riddles.
Reading riddles for understanding
Clues are short riddles, so kids learn to read riddles for meaning and not just to sound out words.
Words with pictures
Pictures sit next to the words, especially at the lower levels, so beginners can check what they have read.
Animal knowledge on the side
Info boards add facts such as why zebras have stripes, so the animal game for kids also teaches something about animals.
Optional maths
Parents can switch on simple maths tasks for grades 1-5 if they want to mix reading and numbers.
Features of this animal game for kids
Day and night zoo
Explore the zoo in daylight and after dark, when lanterns and string lights glow.
Many different animals
Zebras, koalas, elephants, owls and more need to be found and brought back home.
Things to discover
There is a golf cart, a telescope and zoo visitors to look at while exploring.
Animal babies
Animals can have babies when they are fed their favourite treat at home.
No timer, no rush
There is no countdown, so children can read and think at their own speed.
Free, no account, kid-friendly
Free to play
Zoo Explorers is free. There are no in-app purchases in the apps.
No account needed
Children can start playing right away. No sign-up, camera, microphone or location is needed.
No ads from ad networks
The game has no ad network. Small posters in the zoo promote the developer's own other apps, and they only open behind a parental gate.
Privacy
The apps collect no data. The web version only measures usage anonymously, and game-analysis events are sent only after parental consent.
For parents and teachers
Zoo Explorers suits parents looking for a kindergarten reading game, first and second graders who want reading practice that feels like play, and teachers who need a calm extra activity. Choose the reading level at the start and change it any time in the settings.
Short sessions of 10 to 20 minutes are enough. Because there is no timer, a child can stop after any rescue and pick up again later. The game runs in German or English, so it fits children learning to read in either language.
Frequently asked questions
What is Zoo Explorers: Read & Rescue?
It is a free 3D reading adventure for children from kindergarten to grade 3. Kids read riddles and food labels to find escaped zoo animals and lead them home. It was formerly known as Letter Zoo.
What age is this reading game for?
It is made for kindergarten to grade 3, roughly ages 4 to 9. Four reading levels let a parent match the text to the child.
Is Zoo Explorers free, and does it show ads?
It is free. There is no ad network, only small posters for the developer's own other apps that open behind a parental gate.
Can my child learn to read with it?
It gives reading practice with riddles, words and pictures, and the game cannot be won by guessing. It supports learning to read but does not replace lessons or reading together.
Where can we play it?
It plays in the web browser on computer and mobile now. Apps for iPhone, iPad and Android are coming soon.
Which languages does the game use?
The game itself is available in German and English. This page is also offered in French, Japanese and Thai to help parents find it.
Start the rescue mission
The animals are waiting. Open the game in your browser and let your child read the first riddle.
iPhone, iPad and Android apps are coming soon.