[batter]

From my own experience (i have 5 year old) what works for us:

- ikea whiteboard - good if you have intention to work in pairs. starting from '-', '+' gradually increasing numbers and complexity. Mine likes drawing and erasing

- games - tic tac toe (different strategies), checkers just starting, playing cards (counting numbers, bigger lesser numbers), Battleship paper game

- diy kits - like on ali express 'diy kids science kits'. They're pretty low quality but gives general idea of some physics

What doesn't work for us:

- apps - boring for kid in a long run / questionable impact on eyesight / he's getting used to games rather then apps

- toys - like that: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Robot-Activity-Pie... doesn't work in long run

I'd love to hear what else is inspiring kids to learn.

[sephlietz]

My 4-year old also has made tremendous progress by playing cards (Go Fish, Uno, War).

I agree also with your comment on apps, with only one exception: https://www.playosmo.com/en/. The Numbers, Tangram, and Words games have been particularly effective.

[sailfast]

Simple stuff can be good for early "quantifying" activities. Hi Ho Cherry O is great for low number counting and subtraction from 10.

Uno is a good card game for order, addition (draw 2 + draw 2 + draw 4 is how many?).

Robot Turtles has been fun from a "let's try to discover what a function does" perspective but I'm not 100% sure what has registered yet. I found 4.5 yrs to be the sweet spot to start there.

The biggest thing though: time with your kid working on these things. If you're there, and you are engaged and having fun, it's likely they'll also be engaged and having fun. Start with anything. Keep it light. Let discovery happen without correcting. It's fun to watch.