The note
How schools teach it now
Not usually taught in school, though it is like a picture sudoku. The 11+ strategy: look along each row, then down each column, one feature at a time (shape, shading, number, turn). Some grids have each shape once in every row and column.
5-minute kitchen-table activity
Make a 3 by 3 grid on the table with cutlery, coins or Lego: a different item along each row and a different colour or size down each column. Take one away and ask your child what's missing and why. Then swap roles.
Worked example
In a 3×3 grid, row 1 is circle, square, triangle; row 2 is square, triangle, circle; row 3 is triangle, circle, ?. Column 1 is all black, column 2 grey, column 3 white. What goes in the missing square?
- Each row and column has one circle, one square and one triangle.
- Row 3 already has a triangle and a circle, so the missing shape is a square.
- The missing square is in column 3, which is white.
Answer: A white square
Common mistakes to watch for
- Looking only along the row and not down the column.
- Getting the shape right but the shading wrong.
- Not checking the answer against both directions.
Encouragement
- Try saying
- “Rows, then columns. You're thinking like a puzzle expert.”
- Rather than
- “It's just a guessing game.”