PBS Kids has released its largest offering of interactive math content aimed at kids ages two to eight that includes 40 free cross-platform games that can be played both at home and in schools.

Housed within the new PBS Kids Lab website, the games center around PBS media properties. Each suite links a set of games across platforms – accessible through computers, mobile devices and interactive whiteboards – so that kids can engage with the same characters as they move from device to device.

The games also harness various technologies, as for instance webcams and microphones make use of body movement and sound.

Fresh out of the gates are four suites based on PBS Kids series The Cat in the Hat Knows a lot About That!, Curious George, Sid the Science Kid and Fizzy’s Lunch Lab. The website will continue to add new content including literacy-based games from Super Why and math-related content from series such as Dinosaur Train.

PBS partnered with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) on this project, which is powered by a Ready To Learn grant from the US Department of Education.

The initiative comes as kids continue to use multiple digital platforms for media consumption. It is also a response to recent US assessments, which show that more than 60% of students are performing below proficient levels of math and reading by grade four. However, research also indicates that educational media, coupled with technologies already embraced by today’s children, is effective in engaging and teaching struggling students.