For grown-ups
SpinTots is a thaumatrope, a toy from the 1820s: a disc with a picture on each side. Spin it fast and your eyes join the two into one. It is the first rung of moving pictures, and of how cartoons work.
On the screen your child spins four discs. Then print one sheet (plain paper, fine in black and white), and you cut out the discs. Tape a disc to a pencil and roll the pencil between your hands. Please do the cutting for children aged 3 to 5.
The beak cards are the first pop-up: one cut and two folds give a card a beak that opens. Your child can make it say anything.
There is no score and no timer, and nothing leaves this device. The paper is the point: the screen ends in your hands.
What it never does
- No accounts, no ads, no tracking — anything kept stays on this device.
- No streaks, timers to beat, points to chase or leaderboards.
- No chat, and nothing anyone types is sent anywhere.