The note
How schools teach it now
Schools teach word meanings and word classes, which help here. The 11+ strategy: find the three that share something (all fruit, all mean happy) and name the group. The two left over are the answer, even if they share something too.
5-minute kitchen-table activity
Empty a few things onto the table (an apple, a carrot, a spoon, a banana, a potato). Ask your child to find the three that belong together and say why. Then try it with words only, and with words that mean the same.
Worked example
Which two words don't belong with the other three? apple carrot pear potato banana
- Find the group of three: apple, pear and banana are fruit.
- Carrot and potato are vegetables.
Answer: carrot and potato
Common mistakes to watch for
- Picking one word only, when the question asks for two.
- Grouping by spelling or length instead of meaning.
- Forgetting some words have two meanings (orange: a fruit and a colour).
Encouragement
- Try saying
- “Name the group of three first. That's a really smart way to start.”
- Rather than
- “That's wrong, try again.”