Animal Catcher – A Gentle Tap Game for Toddlers

Animal Catcher started as a fun weekend idea after watching the toddlers in my family tap at screens looking for something to do while waiting. I wanted to make something calm, bright, and easy, a screen experience that feels like play without overstimulation.

It’s built entirely in p5.js and runs smoothly in a browser, so there’s nothing to download. The animals - little emojis like 🐰, 🐶, and 🐼 - appear randomly across the screen. Each tap “catches” one, gently rewarding focus and coordination. It was important to me that it stayed friendly and low-pressure with no timers or loud sounds.

This one has become a family favourite. It’s the go-to for waiting rooms and slow afternoons, and I love that it brings a bit of joy to the youngest players.

Technical Details
Built using p5.js, this project is optimised for touch screens and works across phones, tablets, and desktops.

Core Files:

index.html – Simple HTML shell that loads p5.js and the sketch.
style.css – Locks the canvas to the full viewport and disables browser scrolling.
sketch.js – Contains all the logic for animal creation, detection, and scoring.

Key Features:

• Emoji-based animals instead of images for faster loading.
• Touch detection using touchStarted() and touchMoved() events.
• Gentle score feedback (just a counter, no noise or flashing).
• Automatically regenerates new animals to keep play continuous.
• Minimalist visuals with a light green background for a soft feel.

By keeping everything simple, it remains lightweight and responsive even on older devices.

Creating Animal Catcher reminded me how playful code can be when built with purpose. It’s not just a technical exercise - it’s a little moment of happiness coded into motion.

This project deepened my understanding of event handling on mobile devices and touch-friendly interfaces. But more than that, it taught me the value of designing for real people in real situations,  in this case, restless toddlers and tired parents who just need two calm minutes to breathe.

It’s now a staple on my family's phone and I love that something built for practice turned into something used every day.