Frequently Asked Questions

Yes — and we mean that properly, not just as a checkbox answer. HGS was built from the ground up as a closed, parent-safe environment. There are no ads, no external links, no chat features, and no way for anyone outside your family to reach your child. Everything your child sees has been hand-selected and checked for age-appropriateness. You can hand them the tablet and walk away — that’s the whole point.

Never. HGS is completely ad-free — no banners, no pop-ups, no sponsored content, nothing. We don’t work with advertisers and we never will. What your child sees on HGS is only our content. No surprises, no rabbit holes, no “you might also like” recommendations leading somewhere you wouldn’t choose.

Absolutely not. HGS has zero social features — no messaging, no comments, no community boards, no usernames visible to others. It’s a completely private platform. Your child cannot be contacted by anyone through HGS, full stop.

No. We only collect the information needed to run your parent account — your name and email address. We do not collect data from or about your child, we don’t build profiles on them, and we don’t use any information for advertising purposes. Your family’s privacy matters to us.

Yes. All payments are processed through Stripe — one of the world’s most trusted payment platforms, used by millions of businesses globally. Your card details never touch our servers at all. Stripe handles everything with bank-level encryption. We also accept PayPal.

Every book, coloring page, worksheet and activity on HGS is carefully selected and reviewed before it’s published. We only include content appropriate for children aged 3–8 — nothing violent, nothing scary, nothing that needs parental pre-screening. If we wouldn’t be comfortable showing it to our own kids, it doesn’t go on the site.

HGS is intentionally different from passive screen time. When your child is on HGS they’re reading stories, completing tracing exercises that build fine motor skills, working through coloring activities that develop focus and creativity, and soon — playing educational games that challenge their thinking. It’s not watching. It’s doing. Most parents tell us they feel genuinely good about HGS time in a way they don’t with other apps.

YouTube is passive — your child sits and absorbs. HGS is active — they read, colour, trace, create. YouTube has ads, recommended videos, comment sections and zero control over what plays next. HGS has none of that. Everything on HGS has been chosen for your child’s age group. It’s the difference between a screen babysitter and a screen that actually does something useful.

Honestly, this is exactly the situation HGS is built for. If your child is going to be on a screen anyway — and most kids are — it may as well be time that’s building something. Many HGS parents have replaced YouTube or gaming time with HGS time and felt much better about it. The free Starter plan costs nothing to try — you’ll know within a day whether it’s a good swap for your family.

HGS actually supports the opposite. Our printable coloring pages and worksheets mean kids can take the activity offline — print a page, grab some textas, and go. The reading books and tracing activities also translate naturally to real books and paper. HGS is a bridge, not a replacement for offline play and learning.

General guidelines suggest around 1 hour per day for ages 3–5, with a bit more flexibility for 6–8 year olds with quality content. That said, every family is different and you know your child best. HGS is designed to be engaging but not addictive — there are no endless autoplay loops or reward systems designed to keep kids hooked. You stay in control.

Happy Giraffe Studio is built for children aged 3–8. That covers early toddlers just starting to explore books and colours all the way through to confident readers in early primary school. Our content grows with your child — what suits them at 4 is different to what they’ll love at 7.

HGS has reading books, coloring books, tracing books, worksheets, and activity pages — all available to browse, read online, and print. The interactive Coloring Studio lets kids colour digitally right in their browser. And coming soon — educational games designed for the same age group. New content is added regularly so there’s always something fresh.

Both — and that’s intentional. Research consistently shows children learn best when they’re enjoying themselves. Our reading books build vocabulary and comprehension. Tracing activities develop fine motor skills and pencil grip. Coloring builds focus, colour recognition and creativity. Worksheets cover early maths, literacy and logic. Fun is the delivery method. Learning is the outcome.

We add new books and activities regularly — so there’s always something new to discover. HGS Plus members get access to new content as soon as it’s published. One of the best things about a subscription versus buying individual books is that the library keeps growing at no extra cost to you.

Everything on HGS is appropriate for the 3–8 age range, so you don’t need to worry about your child stumbling onto something unsuitable. If you want to guide them to specific content — like tracing books for your 4-year-old — you can browse by category and point them in the right direction.

Yes. Our reading books range from simple picture books for 3-year-olds through to more complex stories for 7–8 year olds. Tracing books go from basic shapes to letters and words. Worksheets cover beginner through to early primary level. You’ll find content that’s just right — and content that gently stretches them further.

No downloads, no apps, no installs. The HGS Coloring Studio runs entirely in your web browser. Open it, choose a coloring book, pick your colours and start. It works on phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. Your child can be coloring within 30 seconds of opening the site.

Yes — and it works really well on touch screens. The Coloring Studio is fully optimised for tablets and phones, with touch-friendly colour swatches and controls. It works on iPad, Android tablets, iPhones and Android phones. Just open your browser and go.

Yes. The Coloring Studio saves your child’s work automatically so they can close the browser and pick up right where they left off. No lost progress, no starting over — which matters a lot when a 5-year-old has spent 20 minutes on something they’re proud of.

The free Starter Coloring Studio gives access to a great selection of coloring books with core tools. HGS Plus unlocks the full studio — a much bigger colour palette, premium brushes, special effects, the complete book library, and all future tools as we add them. If your child is a serious colourer, Plus is worth it.

Yes. Plus members can download and print their finished coloring pages to keep, display on the fridge, or share with grandparents. There’s nothing quite like a kid holding a printed copy of something they made themselves.

HGS Starter is completely free — no credit card needed. You get access to the Starter Coloring Studio, a rotating selection of books and activities, and the ability to browse the full library. HGS Plus ($14.99/month) unlocks everything — the full Coloring Studio with all tools, the complete book library, unlimited access, downloads, and first access to new content and upcoming features like educational games.

Genuinely free. No credit card required to sign up. No “free trial that auto-charges.” No surprise fees. The Starter plan is free because we want families to experience HGS before deciding if Plus is right for them. If you never upgrade, that’s okay — Starter stays free.

A single children’s picture book costs $15–$25. Most families with young kids spend $30–$60 a month on books, coloring books and activity packs — and kids often lose interest quickly. HGS Plus is $14.99/month for access to hundreds of books and activities, an interactive coloring studio, printable pages and more. And the library keeps growing.

Yes. Cancel anytime, no questions asked, no cancellation fees. If you cancel, your account simply moves back to the free Starter plan — you don’t lose your account or your child’s saved work. We’d rather earn your subscription every month than lock you in.

The free Starter plan is essentially your trial — explore HGS, use the Coloring Studio and browse the library before deciding if Plus is worth it. We think once your child spends 20 minutes on it, the decision makes itself.

We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) and PayPal. Payments are processed securely through Stripe — your details are fully encrypted and never stored on our servers.

Yes — HGS Plus is a monthly subscription that renews automatically on the same date each month. You’ll receive an email reminder before each renewal. You can cancel at any time through your account page and you won’t be charged again after cancellation.

🎮 Coming Soon
The big one coming is educational games — browser-based, no downloads required, built for the same 3–8 age group. Think letter recognition, number challenges, memory games and creative play, all in the HGS style. We’re also continuously expanding our book and activity library.

Yes, genuinely. Educational games are in active development at HGS right now. We’re not ready to give an exact launch date yet, but they’re coming — and they’ll be built to the same standard as everything else on HGS. No ads, no in-app purchases, no tricks. Just fun games that actually teach something. Stay tuned. 🎮

HGS Plus members will get first access to educational games when they launch. Some games may be available on the free Starter plan too — we’ll share full details closer to launch. If you want to make sure you don’t miss out, HGS Plus is the safest bet.

Subscribe to our email newsletter — we send updates when new books, features or games go live. You can also follow Happy Giraffe Studio on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. We don’t spam — just genuine updates when something worth knowing about happens.

HGS works on any device with a modern web browser — iPhone, Android phone, iPad, Android tablet, laptop or desktop computer. No app download required. Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge all work well.

A standard home internet connection is more than enough. HGS is designed to load quickly even on slower connections. Mobile data works too, though we recommend WiFi for the best experience with the Coloring Studio.

First, try logging out and back in — this fixes most access issues. If you’re an HGS Plus member and content isn’t showing, check that your subscription is active in My Account. Still stuck? Email us at info@happygiraffestudio.com and we’ll sort it quickly.

Go to happygiraffestudio.com/my-account and click “Lost your password?” — enter your email and we’ll send a reset link straight away. Check your spam folder if it doesn’t arrive within a few minutes.

Email us at info@happygiraffestudio.com and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can — usually within 1 business day. You’ll always get a real response from a real person.