Reasoning Activities for Grades 3 - 6

These activities will help your child develop reasoning skills, an important "strand" or math theme tested in the WASL math activities.

Reasoning Activities - Use the following links to see the activity.
SIM/Poison/Last Bean Guess My Rule Help the Farmer
Check Unit Prices Sale Items Logic Puzzles

(Activities taken from Mathematics a Guide for Parents to Everyday Mathematics and Helping Your Child at Home Grades K-6, published by Central Kitsap School District Department of Curriculum and Instruction, 2000.)

NIM/Poison/Last Bean

  • This game requires logical reasoning and requires 13 objects for every two people playing. Place 13 objects in a pile. Each person takes turns removing one or two objects. Play until all objects have been taken. Whoever removes the last object loses. Play at least five games before asking if there is a strategy to guarantee winning. Variations and extensions to the game include: 1) the person taking the last bean wins; 2) remove one, two, or three beans from the pile each turn; 3) change the number of objects.
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Guess My Rule

  • In this game, you sort numbers into two groups and invite your child to guess your rule for sorting them, such as all even numbers or all odd numbers, etc. Then your child can sort numbers and you guess his/her rule. Extensions for this game include: 1) sort numbers into three or four groups; 2) sort objects or other items.
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Help the Farmer

  • The following riddle requires logical reasoning to solve. There are numerous variations of this riddle. A farmer must cross the river in a boat. She has to bring her dog, cat, and chicken across the river as well. The farmer has to think about the following things: The animals must cross the river in the boat. The farmer must be in the boat on each trip. She can carry only two animals in the boat at one time. She can't leave the dog and cat together. She can't leave the cat and chicken together. How does the farmer get her animals across the river?
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Check Unit Prices

  • While in the grocery store, have your child check the unit pricing found on the shelf sicker of various products (e.g., laundry soap, canned goods, fresh and frozen foods). How much per ounce is the small can? The large can (of the same product)? Which is a better deal?
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Sale Items

  • When out shopping, point out the sale items. Have your child notice the prices, markdowns, and sale signs. Discuss whether or not it is a good sale price.
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Logic Puzzles

  • Logic puzzles are a great way to learn how to look at information or data, record it in an organized way, and make sense of it to develop logical thinking.
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