Learning to count shouldn’t feel like learning. This one makes sure it doesn’t.

The Mrs. Ertha My Little Ladybug Peg Puzzle, designed in Portugal, is a counting puzzle built around a simple, brilliant two-stage mechanic - one that meets children exactly where they are and grows with them. 10 hand-painted wooden ladybugs, each numbered by their spots, and a color-coded peg board that makes success feel natural at every stage of the journey.

Why Kids (and Parents) Love It 

Most counting toys ask children to do one thing: count. This one does something smarter, it gives them two routes to the right answer, so they’re never stuck and never frustrated.

In the first stage, children match the color of each ladybug to the color of its numbered slot on the board. No counting required. Just color recognition, shape placement, and the deeply satisfying click of a ladybug finding its home. This stage builds fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and color recognition while giving younger children a genuine sense of accomplishment.

In the second stage, the color scaffolding becomes a safety net rather than the main event. Children count the spots on each ladybug - one through ten - and match them to the corresponding number on the board. The color coding is still there if they need it, but the real work now is counting, recognizing numerals, and building the number sense that underpins early mathematics.

The five color pairs, each shared between two consecutive numbers, are a particularly thoughtful design choice. A child who can match by color but can’t yet distinguish 7 from 8 can still get close, then figure out the rest from the spots. That layered challenge keeps the puzzle engaging well beyond the first few sessions.