Pop the right sound!
A Persian learning game for primary school, Grade 1 to Grade 2
Sound Balloons is a Persian sound-and-letter game for grade 1 and grade 2 of primary school. A picture and a word with one blank sit at the top of the screen; balloons carrying letters rise, and the child pops the balloon with the correct letter. A balloon that drifts off the screen carries no penalty.
The Android app is on Cafe Bazaar and Myket, Iran's app stores. Anywhere else, play the online version in any browser.
Sound Balloons is part of the Nikipoo School app, alongside 85 other games. The game is in Persian.
Before a child can read, they need to hear the sounds inside a word and tell them apart — that's phonological awareness, and it's exactly what Sound Balloons builds. A picture and a word with one blank sit at the top, and balloons carrying different letters rise slowly. The child has to work out the first, last or middle sound of the word and pop the balloon with that letter. In grade 2, the four shapes of a letter, like «بـ ـبـ ـب ب», and sound-alikes like «ق or غ» are added.
Finding the "first sound" and "last sound" of a pictured word is exactly the exercise the grade-1 Persian workbook asks for. This practice helps the child see a word as a chain of sounds — the foundation that reading and writing new words is built on.
The child connects a sound heard in their mind to the letter written on the balloon. Repeating this link, known as the alphabetic principle, helps letter recognition move beyond memorizing shapes and become meaningful.
The balloons rise with a gentle sway and don't start moving until the narrator finishes the instruction. If the right balloon drifts past the top, a fresh wave arrives. This unhurried rhythm gives a young child room to think without rushing and to hold their focus.
Instead of "wrong", the game says "almost! look again", and if the child misses twice, the correct balloon gets a golden frame. This way the child never gets stuck, and learns that getting help is a normal part of learning.
A tip for parentsKeep playing "first sound" at home: point at an object and ask what its first sound is, then let the child ask you. For grade 2, write down a letter and find all four of its shapes in words together.
Level titles are listed in the order the child plays them — from easy to hard, following the school textbook.
Grade 120 levels
Grade 220 levels
Sharp Eyes
Spot the Persian letters with your sharp eyes
Word Factory
Build the words on the factory line!
Word Pairs
Find the matching word pairs
Daily 10: Words
Ten word-and-spelling questions every day
Sentence Builder
Arrange the words, build a sentence!
Letter Train
Arrange them in order!
Word Quiz
Ask, think, answer!
Sound Basket
Toss the words into the right basket
Open Nikipoo School — Sound Balloons and 85 other games are waiting for you.
The Android app is on Cafe Bazaar and Myket, Iran's app stores. Anywhere else, play the online version in any browser.
Nikipoo School
