About Small Universe

Teaching English through play, not homework.

        Small Universe is a free English learning game for kids, adult beginners, and families. Learners guide an alien companion through seven planets, picking up vocabulary through 17 different mini-games instead of flashcards or word lists.
      

Why we built this

Most language apps for kids are flashcard drills with cartoon paint on top. We wanted a game where kids don't realize they're learning until they already have.

Small Universe started because my own kids hated every English app I tried. So I built one that actually uses the research instead of just citing it on a landing page.

The research behind it

The game mechanics come from real research in language acquisition, memory, and child psychology:

Krashen

Comprehensible Input — learn through context, not translation

Ebbinghaus

Spaced repetition — optimal review intervals for long-term memory

Dweck

Growth mindset — mistakes celebrated as progress, never punished

Vygotsky

Zone of Proximal Development — scaffolding that fades as competence builds

Bjork

Desirable difficulties — interleaved practice for deeper retention

Nation

Four Strands — 17 game types covering all four learning strands

By the numbers

102

Lessons

Game Types

800+

Words

Planets

Privacy

COPPA-minded design: children's gameplay data stays on the device, while a quick parent email sign-in (and optional cloud sync) is handled securely. See our privacy policy for details.

Get in touch

Reach us at hello@smalluni.com or visit our contact page.