UpToTen

UpToTen is an independent online early-learning brand that has been building prize-winning educational games and activities for young children since 1999. Its website, UpToTen.com, presents itself as "the fun place to learn online" and is aimed at children from birth to about ten years old, covering both preschool and primary age groups. The brand's core proposition is that children learn best while playing, so its catalogue is built around friendly, reassuring characters and a colourful, non-threatening world that encourages independence on computers, tablets and smartphones. The service offers more than 1,000 age-appropriate games and activities, organised into categories such as games for ages 0–6, games for ages 6–10, cartoons, songs, colouring pages and galleries. Two recurring characters, Boowa and Kwala, are central to the site's identity and appear across its games and stories. Content is designed for use both at home and in schools, with separate entry points for parents, members, apps and schools. UpToTen has been recognised by a long list of reviewers and institutions. Its own site cites recommendations and awards from USA Today (Hot Site), AOL, Yahooligans, the BBC, 4kids.org, Yahoo Australia/New Zealand, Lycos, About.com, ToysRUs, ZD Net, Tucows Kids and others, as well as education bodies such as French National Education, British National Education and Australian Education. It was a finalist at the Macromedia UCON 99 Gallery in San Francisco and has received honours including the Golden Web 2002 (Webs d'Or), AOL Site of the Day, Net Nanny approval and Berit's 5-star site. The company describes itself as completely independent, handling its own illustrations, animations, design, music and dialogue. It is associated with Mauritius, and its content is available online to a worldwide audience. UpToTen remains an active, subscription- and membership-oriented destination for early childhood education and entertainment.

UpToTen began building early-learning games and activities in 1999, at a time when the consumer internet was expanding rapidly and educational websites for children were a growing category. From the outset the brand focused on very young users, designing a friendly, reassuring world intended to help children build independence on the computer while having fun. The late 1990s and early 2000s were formative years for the brand. In 1999 it was a finalist at the Macromedia UCON 99 Gallery in San Francisco, an early recognition of its interactive design work. Over the following years UpToTen.com accumulated recommendations and awards from a wide range of reviewers and institutions, including USA Today (Hot Site), AOL, Yahooligans, the BBC, 4kids.org, Yahoo Australia/New Zealand, Lycos, About.com, ToysRUs, ZD Net and Tucows Kids. It also received the Golden Web 2002 (Webs d'Or), was named Site of the Day at AOL, earned Net Nanny approval, was a Teddy's Pick of the Week and a Berit's 5-star site, and was listed by Kiddonet and Orange Kids content. Educational bodies such as French National Education, British National Education and Australian Education, along with Cyberschool, Education World, Globalschoolhouse.com and Sites for teachers, also recommended the site. As the web matured, UpToTen expanded its catalogue to more than 1,000 age-appropriate games and activities spanning ages zero to ten, covering both preschool and primary age children. The site organised content into games for ages 0–6 and 6–10, cartoons, songs, colouring pages and galleries, and developed recurring characters such as Boowa and Kwala that gave the brand a distinctive identity. It also added dedicated areas for parents, members, apps and schools, reflecting use both at home and in classrooms. With the rise of tablets and smartphones, UpToTen extended its activities beyond the desktop browser to mobile devices, maintaining its emphasis on age-appropriate, playful learning. The company describes itself as completely independent, producing its own illustrations, animations, design, music and dialogue. Associated with Mauritius, it continues to operate UpToTen.com as an online early-learning destination for a worldwide audience.

• 2002

  Receives the Golden Web 2002 (Webs d'Or) award.

• 1999

  UpToTen begins building early-learning games and activities.

• 1999

  Named a finalist at the Macromedia UCON 99 Gallery in San Francisco.

Independent, prize-winning early-learning destination for children aged zero to ten, combining fun and education online and on mobile devices.

• Games for ages 0–6

  Age-appropriate early-learning games for preschool children.

• Games for ages 6–10

  Games for primary school age children.

• Cartoons

  Animated content featuring the site's characters.

• Songs

  Music and songs for young children.

• Coloring pages and galleries

  Printable and on-screen coloring activities and image galleries.

• Mobile apps

  Apps extending UpToTen activities to tablets and smartphones.

1. 1UpToTen - the fun place to learn onlineuptoten.com
2. 2UpToTenwikidata.org