Say: “We’re going to look at shapes and find the odd one out.”
Draw: The 4 shapes below. 3 shaded in the same colour.
Starter
“Which is the odd one out?”
Main
“Can you find a different odd one out?”
Dessert
“Can you give a reason for EACH one to be the odd one out?”
Tips for grown-ups
There are no “right” answers here: the point is for the child to explain their reasoning. So ask them “why?”
If they’re struggling, try offering a guess of your own: “My odd one out is… because…”
Remember to celebrate every reason they find, even if it doesn’t quite make sense!
Stretch question: “Can you draw me four shapes where every one could be the odd one out?”
Branch of mathematics
Logic and sets. Sorting things by their properties (shape, size, colour) is the beginning of set theory. Venn diagrams are probably the most well-known example of this!
Answers
There are no right answers, but here are some examples:
The small triangle is the only small shape
The empty triangle is the only one not coloured in
The curvy square is the only one without straight lines / that isn’t a triangle
The large, shaded triangle is the only shape that is big, shaded and has straight lines
The large, shaded triangle is the only one that isn’t an obvious odd one out (!)
Let us know how it went in the comments!