A learning computer for kids ages 3 to 7

Educational software for kids ages 3-7 that keeps them off the internet

Sandcastle boots straight into twelve activities and reads everything out loud. It stays off the internet apart from a daily check for software updates, unless you turn on Cloud.

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No browser, no internetEvery word read aloud12 activities includedWorks on an old computer
Sandcastle

What your kid sees

Twelve activities, all narrated from the very first screen. No menus to get lost in.

Letters and Sounds

Kids match letters to the sounds they make, with a narrator guiding every try.

Word Builder

Drag letters together to build simple words and hear them read back.

Sight Words

Common words come back again and again until they feel easy.

Numbers and Counting

Counting games that start with one object at a time.

Math

Simple addition and subtraction, shown with pictures before numbers.

Tracing

Finger or mouse tracing for letters, numbers, and shapes.

Shapes and Colors

Sorting and matching games built around shapes and colors.

Music Maker

Tap out simple tunes on an on-screen instrument.

Memory Match

A classic matching game, with pictures instead of words.

Patterns

Kids finish the pattern, then build one of their own.

Robot Coder

Drag simple instructions together to move a robot around the screen.

Paint and Stories

Free drawing, plus picture books read aloud.

It talks

Every prompt is read aloud by a warm narrator. Add Your Voice and it reads in yours.

For parents

The parent portal: minutes played, stars earned and time per activity

See what your kid did today, from your phone

  • Minutes played and stars earned today, at a glance.
  • How long your kid spent in each activity.
  • Pause the computer from anywhere, right from your phone.
  • Set a daily time limit for each kid.

Three ways to get Sandcastle

Free installer

Available now

Download the installer and put it on any old computer you already have.

Get the installer

Refurbished computer

Coming later

Local pickup in Gaston County, NC, for families who want a computer already set up.

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Windows app

Coming later

Run Sandcastle inside Windows, without wiping the computer.

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Simple pricing

Three tiers. Full details, including the comparison table, live on the pricing page.

Free

$0
  • The installer and every activity
  • Narrator voices included
  • Local parent corner on the computer
See full pricing
Recommended

Cloud

from $4.99a month, by how many computers
  • Everything in Free
  • Phone app: pause from anywhere
  • Screen time across every computer
  • Up to twelve children
See full pricing

Your Voice

$29once, per parent
  • Record your own voice
  • Sandcastle reads every prompt in it
See full pricing

Your child is never online.

Only a first name and a birth month leave the house, and only if you choose Cloud. Nothing about your child is stored anywhere else.

Built by a dad in Gastonia, NC for his own two kids.

Read the full privacy policy

Get the free installer

Get the free installer

Works on most computers made since about 2010: 4 GB of memory, 32 GB of storage, and an 8 GB USB stick to install from.