Academics
SwapTots
The very first swap game, for ages 3–5: Pebble the little crab loves to swap shells! Give a friend the shell they want, and get a shell you love — one friend at a time. Listen when a friend kindly says “no thank you,” and take turns. No reading needed (tap to hear it), no score, no losing.
▶ Play it nowBuilt for sittings of about 10 minutes on the screen. That is our design budget, not a measurement.
Meet your mentor
Every Spark & Anvil app has a friendly mentor character that demonstrates, asks, and patiently scaffolds learning.
Mentored by Pebble
#BE185D Characters who teach
Meet the cast
SwapTots's cast are Pebble the hermit crab and the tide-pool friends. Pebble models a happy give-and-get; each friend shows one idea about a kind swap. Illustrated chapters are on the way.
Pebble
The little hermit crab who loves to swap — lines up to trade shells and shows how a happy give-and-get works
Read chapter →
Sandy
Give what they want — a friendly seal hoping for one special shell, who swaps happily when she gets it
Read chapter →
Marina
A gentle dolphin who says “no thank you” kindly — and names the shell she DOES want, so you can listen and try again
Read chapter →
Coby
A little fish who waits his turn — he shows you to swap with one friend at a time
Read chapter →
Browse all chapters → · What's distributed-narrative methodology? →
What's inside
Learning goal
The very first swap game, for ages 3–5: Pebble the little crab loves to swap shells! Give a friend the shell they want, and get a shell you love — one friend at a time. Listen when a friend kindly says “no thank you,” and take turns. No reading needed (tap to hear it), no score, no losing.
Mentored by Pebble — no data leaves the device.
How SwapTots handles your kid's data
- ✅ All progress, settings, and AI-generated content stays on the device
- ✅ No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs
- ✅ Free — no ads, no in-app purchases
- ✅ No personal information collected from children — in line with COPPA (updated by the 2026 FTC amendments)
- ✅ No chat with strangers — play-together rooms use a short code and preset emotes, never typed messages