Scan & Play · new in our activity books
Pages that open into play.
Every activity page in our Scan & Play books carries a small QR code. Scan it with a grown-up’s phone and that exact page opens on our website as a game to play with a finger: solve the maze, match the pairs, label the picture or take the quiz, and see the answers checked right away. Coloring pages open in our online coloring tool, ready to color or print.
Try it now. Point your phone camera at this code. It opens one of our free coloring pages, ready to color on screen.
On your phone already? Tap hereHow it works
Three steps, no app
Find the code
Each activity page has a small QR code at the bottom, next to the page number.
Scan with a grown-up
Open the phone’s camera and point it at the code. Tap the link that appears.
Play and check
The same activity opens in the browser. Play it with a finger, a mouse or the keyboard, tap Check to see how it is going, or Hint if you get stuck.
On the screen
What you can play
Puzzles
Mazes, word searches, crosswords, picture sudoku and secret codes. Drag along the path, tap the letters or type the answer.
Look closely
Spot the difference, odd one out, what comes next, counting and matching. A wrong guess never costs anything: try again, or tap Hint.
Learn something new
Label-the-picture diagrams with facts at the end, quizzes that explain each answer, and steps to put in the right order.
Draw, trace and color
Dot-to-dot, color by number, and letters and numbers to trace along the dots. Coloring pages open in our online coloring tool.
A finished game ends with a little celebration and a link to the next game in the book. Progress is saved in the browser, so a child can stop and come back later on the same device.
For grown-ups
Made with privacy in mind
- No app or account. Codes open a normal web page in the phone’s browser.
- We count scans, not children. Each scan adds one to a daily total for that code. We do not store names, IP addresses or device IDs, and we set no cookies.
- Answers stay on the device. Games are checked in the browser, and progress is saved only there. Nothing a child does in a game is sent to us, and the game pages have no ads.
- Nothing is uploaded. Pages colored online are saved only in that browser. Pictures are shared only if a grown-up taps Share.
- Codes keep working. Every code points to starlingpublishingllc.com first, so if an activity moves we update the link and the printed page still works.
Questions
Which books have Scan & Play codes?
Our Scan & Play Adventure Activity Book is the first, with a code on every activity page. Books that include codes show a Scan & Play badge on the bookshelf. Right now: Christmas Explorers, Christmas Search and Find Book for Kids Ages 3-6, Countdown to Christmas Puzzle Adventure for Kids Ages 5-9, Hanukkah Activity Book for Kids Ages 4-8, How to Draw Christmas and Winter for Kids Ages 5-10, Scan & Play Adventure Activity Book for Kids Ages 5-8, Winter Wonder Science Activity Book for Kids Ages 7-10.
Do we need to download anything?
No. Any recent phone camera can read the code and open the page in the browser.
What if my child gets stuck?
Every game has a help button: Hint in most games, Show answer in quizzes, Reveal a letter in crosswords and Show me how in tracing. Start again clears the game for a fresh try.
Can the games be played without a touch screen?
Yes. Every game works with a mouse or the keyboard too, and a status line under the game says what happened after each move, which screen readers announce.
Is it free?
Yes. The online pages our codes open are free, with no app, account or subscription.
A code didn’t open. What should we do?
Check that the phone is online and try again. If it still doesn’t work, tell us the book and page number and we will fix it.