A skill that's hard to explain but is mastered through repetition
The goal is a rule the child learns better by trying it again and again, not by being told it.
A Dawani service
Educational game design for children
We design games where a child learns a skill or a rule through the play itself, not through an explanation that stops the play to deliver it, for bodies and brands that want an educational goal turned into an experience a child loves. We build a gray prototype of the game and test it with real children before any visual polish, so we know whether the play itself is fun before we decorate it.
What you get
- A scope document naming the rule or skill learned through play, and what this game will not teach
- A plain gray prototype of the game, tested with real children with their parents' consent
- A design for the play loop, from attempt to feedback and retry, with no random rewards
- A success indicator and a guardrail indicator agreed before launch
How we work
Story comes before the technical fix under our design laws, and before any final interface we test a plain gray prototype of the game itself with real children. When the goal is a broad educational outcome we reach for the outcome-to-experience tool to turn it into a behaviour observable inside the play, and we review the whole game against the Dawani Child-Safe Design framework.
When you need this service
Three situations that need a designed game, not explained content
Educational content that exists but does not feel like play
You already have educational material, and want it turned into a form the child chooses themselves, not one imposed on them.
A campaign or initiative that needs an action the child lives, not a slogan they read
The message already exists, and what is missing is an activity the child practises themselves, so the action is what they remember.
How the service runs
Four stages, a gate after each
1 Understanding the goal
We start from the skill or rule you want the child to master, and from their age and the context they play in.
Gate: The goal leaves this stage once we agree on a specific rule the child will learn, not a general topic.
2 Written framing
We write the play loop: attempt, feedback and retry, and what counts as success inside it.
Gate: The framing leaves this stage once the game's scope and its loop are written and agreed, instead of staying a verbal understanding.
3 Gray prototype and testing with children
We build a plain gray prototype of the game, and real children try it with their parents' consent, so we know whether the play itself is fun.
Gate: The prototype leaves this stage once the play loop works with children as intended, before any visual decoration.
4 Delivery and measurement
We deliver the game, and measure it against the success indicator and the guardrail indicator agreed from the start.
Gate: This last stage is never left behind; the guardrail indicator stays with the game for its whole life, not only at launch.
In scope and out of scope
| Aspect | In scope | Out of scope |
|---|---|---|
| The game's design and loop | The educational rule, the play loop, and the gray prototype tested with real children. | Final art and sound, unless agreed within the proposal. |
| Rewards inside the game | Immediate, predictable feedback that tells the child where they stand against the goal. | Random rewards or daily streaks that measure success by a child's inability to stop. |
| Timeline and price | A proposal built on your game's own case once we understand it, naming what is out of scope as clearly as what is in it. | A time or price announced in advance, before the request is understood. |
| The outcome for the child | A success indicator and a guardrail indicator agreed before we start. | A guaranteed learning outcome for every child who plays. |
Before you write to us
A tool, a post and a reference
From outcome to experience
A tool that runs in your browser: turns a broad educational outcome into an observable behaviour and a situation the child lives, before your first conversation with us.
Open the toolApp, game, or real-world experience?
A post explaining when a goal is specifically served by a game, not an app or a field experience, with examples from our published worlds.
Read the postThe Dawani Child-Safe Design framework
The reference every play loop we design is measured against, from rewards to how a session ends.
Open the frameworkBefore a first conversation
Questions often asked about this service
Does the same game work across different age groups?
Rarely in the same form. We usually design different play rules for each age band, even when they share the same educational goal.
Can the game be part of an existing app instead of a standalone product?
Yes. The game can be one scene or one level inside an existing product, and it is tested the same way before it is integrated.
Who decides the game is actually fun, the team or the children?
The children who test the gray prototype. The internal team's opinion alone is not enough to judge whether the play is fun.
Start here
Have an educational goal that needs play, not explanation?
Describe your situation plainly, and we will get back to you within a few working days.
Your path: brand or company
Your idea arrived.
A real person from the Dawani team will read it and reply within a few working days. Thank you for thinking about kids.
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