Nell & Key

A Primer, written for one child

The book that learns your child.

Every child has a few math gaps school never saw. We find them, fill them, and keep them climbing.

Ages 6-14Scaffolding & Socratic Thinking
See a mission

Tell us about your child

Akshat, founder and tutor at Nell and Key.Akshat · Founder & tutor
Our story began in Nepal in 2016.
A girl with a book under her arm and a small red dragon crossing stepping stones toward an open garden gate, with a sunrise beyond.

Chapter one

A capable kid, with small math gaps nobody found.

School moves on. The gap stays, and every lesson after it sits a little crooked. We find the gap before it becomes the story your child tells about themselves, then fill it, one mission at a time, with a tutor who knows how they think.

Finding small gaps takes close human attention & a massive dataset of misconceptions. We provide both in all our plans.

Learning can be contagious. Big brother helps his sister with tricky addition.
Learning is contagious. Sometimes parents join in, too.
Two real lessons with our tutors.

Chapter two

Math made for one child. Yours.

Mina is in Grade 1. She’s still getting comfortable with numbers, and already exploring fractions.

  • The math worktop, with a group of three red blocks and a group of four yellow blocks for the next lantern stand.

    Math · Grade 2

    Lantern Workshop

  • The math worktop, with five red blocks left on one tray and three yellow blocks moved aside onto another.
    Play

    Math · Grade 2

    Taking Away

  • The fraction worktop from the moonlit mosaic mission, with two trays of twelve equal tiles: five red on one tray, four yellow on the other.

    Math · Grade 5

    Moonlit Mosaic

  • The mosaic worktop, with three red tiles and five yellow tiles, a pattern to grow in proportion.
    Play

    Math · Grade 7

    Growing Patterns

Chapter three

What they try becomes what they know.

Chapter four

What they know stays with them forever.

An example Book page for a child called Mina: a math mission about equal groups, what she tried, a suggested next try, and a question to ask at home.
All your small discoveries are important and kept.

  1. Start with your child.

    Tell us what they love and where math sticks.

  2. Meet their tutor.

    One to one, with time to ask why.

  3. Open their Book.

    See finished pages and the tutor's notes.

  4. Shape what comes next.

    What they tried decides the next mission.

Three plans. Each a month.

  1. One class

    $50 a month

    • One 1:1 class a month, an hour with their tutor.
    • A personal Book written for your goals that powers your daily missions.
    Join the first families

  2. Every week

    $200 a month

    • Four 1:1 classes a month, an hour each.
    • A personal Book written for your goals that powers your daily missions.
    • Access to in-person kids workshops at colleges and cafes, as they open.
    Join the first families

  3. The Primer

    $500 a month

    • Six 1:1 classes a month, an hour each.
    • A personal Book written for your goals that powers your daily missions.
    • 24/7 learning support with the Primer: message their tutor, send problem sets, ask for new missions and Books.
    • Access to in-person kids workshops at colleges and cafes, as they open.
    Join the first families

Made by students, for the kids next door.

We are college students. We learned this math recently enough to remember exactly where it hurt.

Most of our tutors study at Macalester and St. Olaf, a few miles from the families we teach. Akshat began teaching in Nepal in 2016. Nobody here is doing this for a line on a resume. We do it because a kid who finally gets it looks up, and you never forget that look.

Ask about a Saturday tableTeach with us

Tell us a little.

A few details are enough to start. Akshat will get in touch. No payment here.

Share our one-page family guide (PDF)

Add a little more (optional)

Monthly, per child, cancel any time. Nothing is charged here. We confirm the plan with you first.

Akshat reads every enquiry. We never sell your details.

Optional updates and research

Before we begin

A few good questions.

Who are the tutors?

I'm Akshat, and I began teaching in Nepal eight years ago. My brother Abhigya and I both tutor here, alongside two tutors with Math Olympiad experience.

We're growing our mentor team. Come teach with us.

What happens after I ask?

Akshat calls to hear about your child and plan the first mission together. Nothing is charged on this site, and we agree the plan with you before you pay.

How many missions a day?

One rich mission a day. Reviews, replays and practice are always free.

Is every mission the same?

No, each starts from what your child loves and how they worked last time. Class observations help shape subsequent missions.

Who checks the missions?

Every mission is checked by code and by judges before your child sees it. Our team reviews what they played afterwards.

How does this fit with school?

Their tutor works on school math at their level. Missions build on published math-education research: children speak, build, draw or try things out.

What will I see?

Your child's finished pages in the family Book, with tutor notes beside them. Open it together and ask how they did it.

How old is this for?

Ages 6 to 14. Younger children can listen and pick pictures instead of reading everything.

Can this suit a child who finds worksheets hard?

Missions are short, visual and spoken, with room to pause. We don't promise treatment or a particular outcome for ADHD or other learning differences.

Do we need any equipment?

A laptop or tablet with a browser. We'll say if a mission needs anything else.

Who owns what my child makes?

Your child does, and their work is not used to train AI models. Our privacy page says how to ask us to delete it.

Can we stop?

Yes, any time. Plans are monthly, with no annual commitment.

The lantern workshop

A short mission.

Lesson

Press play to watch. Nothing starts by itself.