Chapter 1

Thinking

Thinking well means slowing down: checking clues, weighing evidence, and asking "what else could be true?"

14 activities inside

Before you start: Remember last time you figured something out just from clues, with no one telling you the answer? Tell a grown-up about it before you start.

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Thinking · Critical thinking 15 min · pencil ★★☆

Who stole the cookie?

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The last cookie was in the kitchen. Now it is gone! Four friends were each in a different place. The one in the kitchen took it.

Read a clue. Put ✓ for yes and ✗ for no in the grid.
One ✓ in a row means ✗ for the rest of that row and column.
Keep going until each friend has one place.

	Kitchen	Garden	Bedroom	Garage
Ava
Arjun
Mei
Kofi

Ava was not in the kitchen or the bedroom.
Kofi was fixing his bike in the garage.
Mei was not in the kitchen.
The cookie taker was in the kitchen.

Turn the page upside down to read the hint.

Hint: Start with Kofi. Then where can Ava go?

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: Logic grids train careful, step-by-step reasoning: use only what the clues say, and rule things out.

Which clue helped you most? Why?
How do you know your answer is the only one that works?

Extend it: Write your own 3 × 3 mystery for a grown-up to solve.

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

5

Thinking · Critical thinking 20 min · pencil, ice cubes, a ball ★★☆

Claim, Evidence, Reason

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A claim is something someone says is true. Be a scientist and test it!

Test each claim at home.
Write what you saw. That is your evidence.
Write why your evidence shows the claim is true, or not.

Example: Claim: My dog likes carrots. Evidence: On 3 different days I put a carrot next to his cookies, and he ate the carrot first every time. Reason: He keeps choosing carrots, so this suggests he likes them.

Claim	Evidence (what I saw)	Reason (so it is true or not)
Ice melts faster in the sun than in the shade.
Most people in my home are right-handed.
A ball bounces higher on a hard floor than on a rug.

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: Claim, evidence, reason is how scientists think. It helps kids back up ideas instead of just saying them louder.

Was any claim false? How did you find out?
What would make your test fairer?

Extend it: Find a claim on a food box and test it together.

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

6

Thinking · Alternatives thinking 10 min · pencil, timer ★☆☆

20 uses for a paperclip

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A paperclip holds paper. What else could it be?

Set a timer for 5 minutes.
Write or draw one use in each box. Silly ideas count!
When time is up, circle your most surprising idea.

Example: A tiny hook for a picture. A key for a doll’s house.

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20.

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: Finding many answers, not just one, is a skill. The best ideas often come after the first ten easy ones.

Which idea was the hardest to think of?
Did your ideas get stranger as time went on?

Extend it: Try it with a spoon, a sock or a cardboard box.

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

7

Thinking · Alternatives thinking 15 min · pencil, colored pencils ★★☆

Three ways across the river

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Leo must cross a deep river with no bridge. He has a rope, a long log and a friend.

Draw three really different ways he could cross. Tick the safest one.

Way 1

Way 2

Way 3

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: When kids push past the first idea, they learn there is usually more than one way to solve a problem.

Which way was hardest to think of?
What makes one way better than another?

Extend it: Add a new rule (no rope!) and find a fourth way.

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

8

Thinking · Problem-finding 15 min · pencil ★☆☆

Bug hunt

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Inventors start by finding problems. This street has 8 things that would bug people.

Circle each problem in the picture.
Write what is wrong on the list.
Star the one you would fix first.

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: Noticing problems is the first step to solving them. Many great inventions began with “that is annoying!”

Who is bothered most by each problem?
How would you fix the one you starred?

Extend it: Go for a walk and find 3 real things that could be better.

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

9

Thinking · Problem-finding 15 min · pencil ★★☆

5 Whys ladder

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Ask “why?” 5 times to dig down to a deeper cause. Late for school → why? Woke up late → why? Went to bed late → why? Reading under the covers!

Write your problem on the top line. Ask “why?” and write the answer in box 1.
Ask “why?” each time. Box 5 may show a deeper cause; check that it fits.

My problem:

Why? 1

Why? 2

Why? 3

Why? 4

Why? 5

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: Fixing the first problem we see often doesn’t last. Asking why helps kids find the root cause.

Was the last answer a surprise?
What is one small fix for the deeper cause?

Extend it: Try the 5 Whys on something at home that keeps going wrong.

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

10

Thinking · Judgment and taste 15 min · pencil, scissors ★☆☆

Rank the lunchboxes

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Which lunch would keep you full and happy all afternoon?

Cut out the 6 cards and put them in order from best to worst.
Write all 6 letters on the ladder, with a short reason for each.

1.Best

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.Worst

ACheese sandwich, apple, water

BRice, dal and cucumber

CThree cookies and juice

DPasta, grapes and milk

EChips and a fizzy drink

FWrap, carrots and yoghurt

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: Good judgment means having reasons, not just likes. Saying why helps kids think about what matters.

What made your number 1 the best?
Would your order change for a sports day?

Extend it: Plan a lunchbox together that would rank top on both your lists.

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

11

Thinking · Judgment and taste 15 min · pencil ★★☆

Better or worse, and why?

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There is no single right answer here. What matters is your reason.

Read each pair.
Write which one you think is better.
Write why. “It depends” is OK if you say on what!

Which is better?	My pick	Why? Give one good reason
A drawing with 3 colors or 20?
A short story or a long one?
A loud alarm or a gentle one?
A friend who says “Nice!” or one who says what to fix?
A big park with no shade or a small one with trees?

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: Taste grows when kids explain their choices. Reasons turn “I like it” into real judgment.

Which pair was hardest to choose?
Did any answer change depending on the day?

Extend it: Compare two pictures, songs or books and give each a star rating with one reason.

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

12

Thinking · Probabilistic thinking 15 min · pencil, a coin ★☆☆

Coin-flip forecaster

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A fair coin lands on heads about half the time. That is about 50/50. Can you beat chance?

Before each flip, write H (heads) or T (tails) in “Predict”.
Flip and write the result. Tick it if you were right.
Count your ticks. Chance gets about 10 out of 20. Were your guesses better than chance?

#	Predict	Result
1
2
3
4
5

#	Predict	Result
6
7
8
9
10

#	Predict	Result
11
12
13
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15

#	Predict	Result
16
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19
20

My ticks out of 20:

Better than chance?

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: Kids learn that some things are really random, and that a lucky streak is not a superpower.

Did you feel “due” for heads after some tails?
If 20 people did this, would someone get 15 right just by luck?

Extend it: Try it with a die (1 to 6): what score does chance give you out of 20?

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

13

Thinking · Probabilistic thinking 10 min · pencil ★★☆

How sure are you?

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Mark how sure you are that each sentence is true. 0% means sure it is false. 100% means sure it is true.

Mark a dot on each line.
Check the answers with a grown-up.
Were you most sure when you were right?

The sun is a star.

A spider has 8 legs.

Penguins live at the North Pole.

Bats are blind.

Lightning never hits the same place twice.

Octopuses have three hearts.

A goldfish forgets things after 3 seconds.

Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day.

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: Saying “how sure” instead of just yes or no is how forecasters and doctors think.

Which answer surprised you most?
Is it OK to say 50% when you really don’t know?

Extend it: Before the next weather report, guess the chance of rain together.

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

14

Thinking · Systems thinking 15 min · pencil ★★☆

Screen time and sleep loop

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Some things go round in a loop. A + arrow means “more of this makes more of that”. A – arrow means “more of this makes less of that”.

Follow the arrows round the loop.
Write + or – on each blank arrow.
Tell a grown-up where you could break the loop.

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: Systems thinking means seeing how things connect and feed back on each other, not just one cause and one effect.

What happens to the loop after one very late night?
Where is the easiest place to break it?

Extend it: Draw a loop for practice: practice more, get better, enjoy it more…

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

15

Thinking · Systems thinking 15 min · pencil ★★★

If the bees disappeared…

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Bees carry pollen between flowers. That helps plants make fruit and seeds. Flowers feed bees with nectar. This web shows who needs whom.

Write + or – on each blank arrow.
Now imagine the bees disappeared. Circle everything that would shrink.
Tell a grown-up one way people can help bees.

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: In nature, one change ripples through everything else. Kids see why small creatures can matter a lot.

Who else eats fruit? (We do!) Where would people go on the web?
Which thing would be hit hardest without bees?

Extend it: Plant a flower bees love, or count bees you see in 5 minutes outside.

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

16

Thinking · Checking what's true 20 min · pencil, scissors ★★☆

Real or fake?

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These headlines are made up for practice. Some sound real, some sound fake.

Cut out the 6 headline cards.
For each one ask: Who says so? How do they know? Does anyone else say it?
Sort them on the table. Write each card’s letter in the right box.

Probably realCard letters:

Probably fakeCard letters:

Need to checkCard letters:

ALibrary now lends fishing rods as well as books

BScientists find a cat that can read

CSHOCKING!!! Kids who eat ice cream can fly. Share now!

DWeather service says rain is likely on Tuesday

ETown holds a snail race on Saturday

FSecret pill makes you grow 30 cm overnight

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: Kids see lots of claims online. Three simple questions help them pause before they believe or share.

What clues made a headline seem fake?
Where could you check a “need to check” card?

Extend it: Look at one news headline together and ask the three questions.

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

17

Thinking · Checking what's true 10 min · pencil ★☆☆

Fact, opinion or can't tell

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A fact can be checked. An opinion is what someone thinks or feels. Sometimes you can’t tell yet!

Read each sentence.
Tick one box.
For “can’t tell”, say how you could check.

Sentence	Fact	Opinion	Can’t tell
Water freezes at 0 °C.
Blue is the best color.
There are 7 days in a week.
Dogs are better pets than cats.
My neighbor has a pet tiger.
Math is the hardest subject.
The shop on the corner will close next year.

Grown-up corner

Why it matters: Telling facts from opinions helps kids read and listen more carefully, and argue more fairly.

Can an opinion ever be wrong?
How could you check the tiger sentence?

Extend it: Listen to an advert together and find one fact and one opinion.

My brain felt: ☐ easy ☐ just right ☐ stretchy

One thing I learned: ________________________

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