Focus & attention game · Grades 1–13
Asteroid Watch: Free Attention Span Game for Kids
Asteroid Watch is a free attention game in two modes. In Watch, a few asteroids glow, then they all look the same and drift: keep your eyes on the targets and find them again. In Blaster, follow the scanner’s rule and blast only the right rocks.
Part of our 24 brain games for kids, free with an account.
What Asteroid Watch trains
Asteroid Watch is based on multiple-object tracking, a standard attention task. Children keep several targets in mind at once (divided attention), stay focused for the whole 5 to 8 seconds (sustained attention) and ignore look-alikes, clouds and flares. Blaster practises picking out the right targets, holding back from the wrong ones and switching when the rule changes.
What the research says: Asteroid Watch is based on the multiple-object tracking task from cognitive science; in the original experiments, people could follow about four moving targets at once (Pylyshyn & Storm, 1988). Training improves tracking itself, but the evidence that it carries over to other multitasking is limited (Harris et al., 2020).
Who Asteroid Watch is for
Asteroid Watch suits Grades 1–13. In Watch, Starter (5–7) tracks 2 of 6 asteroids; Explorer (7–9) 2 of 8, faster; Challenger (9–12) 3 of 9 with nebula clouds; Expert (12+) 4 of 11 with clouds, solar flares and meteor showers. Perfect rounds add warp speed and tough rounds ease it back. In Blaster, every run speeds up each 15-second wave, so each child finds their own limit.
How to play Asteroid Watch
- Choose Watch or Blaster, then a level.
- Watch: remember which asteroids glow before they all look the same.
- Keep tracking them as they drift, then tap the targets.
- Blaster: read the scanner and blast only the rocks it asks for.
- Leave friendly ships and other rocks alone, and switch when the rule changes.
Tips for parents and teachers
One round of each mode a day is plenty: a watch mission takes about two minutes. In Watch, some children picture the targets as a shape, like a triangle that stretches as they move; that is a real tracking strategy worth naming. In Blaster, praise the shots they didn’t take, because holding back is the skill. Move up a level after two three-star runs in a row.
FAQs
What age is Asteroid Watch for?
Grades 1–13, roughly ages 5 to 18. Starter tracks 2 asteroids for young children; Expert tracks 4 among clouds and flares.
What is multiple-object tracking?
A well-studied attention task where you follow several identical moving objects at once. It measures how well you can divide and sustain your attention.
Can games really improve attention span?
Studies of action-style games have found modest gains in attention from short, regular practice. Children reliably get better at the game itself; treat it as focused practice, not a cure-all.
How long does a round take?
A Watch mission takes about two minutes, and a Blaster run a minute or two.