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Cognitive Profile Assessment · Years 1–6

Is your child a
Deep Understander?

A guided home assessment across 6 activities. Takes around 35 minutes — you can save your progress and return any time from any device.

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YOUR PROGRESS
1
Activity 1 of 6 · Setup

The Rule Switch Game

Measures whether old patterns fire automatically when rules change — or whether your child pauses to understand the new rule before acting. This is the single most diagnostic activity in the assessment.

You will need

1
5 pieces of paper, roughly playing-card size
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Two coloured pens — draw one shape on each card: circle, square, triangle, star, heart. Colour circle and square red; triangle, star, heart blue
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A clear flat surface — kitchen table works well

Phase 1 — Establish the rule (2 min)

Say to your child:

"We're going to sort these shapes. Red shapes go in the left pile, blue shapes go in the right pile. Go."

Let them sort all five. Repeat twice. This establishes the habit — it is not diagnostic.

Phase 2 — Switch the rule (the diagnostic moment)

Immediately after the third sort, without pause, say:

"Good. The rule has changed. Now: big shapes go left, small shapes go right."

Verbally designate some shapes big, others small. Present the cards again immediately. Watch closely. Do not react.

Phase 3 — Novel ambiguous rule

"New rule: pointy shapes go left, round shapes go right."

Present all five. The square is deliberately ambiguous (corners, but also straight sides). Watch whether your child asks about it before touching anything, or places it confidently without comment.

Note: A wrong answer placed confidently is more diagnostic than a right answer reached by asking for clarification. You are observing process, not outcome.
1
Activity 1 of 6 · Observations

What did you see?

Answer based on what actually happened. There are no correct answers — you are describing what you observed.

Sorted by the old colour rule firstEven though the new rule had just been announced
Paused and asked a question before touching anythingWanted to understand before committing
Applied the new rule correctly and immediatelyNo hesitation, no error
Appeared confused and needed the rule repeated
Please select an answer.
They didn't make an error
They made an error and immediately self-correctedNoticed without being told
They made an error and only noticed when you pointed it out
They made an error and didn't notice at allConfident and incorrect
Please select an answer.
Asked about it before placing it"Does this count as pointy?" or similar
Placed it confidently without commentIn either pile — no hesitation
Placed it then changed their mind and moved it
Didn't notice it was ambiguous — treated it like any other shape
Please select an answer.
Just got on with it — action-orientedRules are there to be applied, not questioned
Asked why the rule changed before proceedingWanted the reason, not just the instruction
Repeated the rule back to themselves before sortingSelf-verbal confirmation before acting
Seemed mildly frustrated by the rule changes
Please select an answer.
2
Activity 2 of 6 · Setup

The Story Maths Game

Measures whether your child constructs the meaning of a story before solving, or matches surface language to a known procedure. The diagnostic value is in the error pattern and response speed — not whether they get the right answer.

Key instruction: Tell your child to answer as soon as they know — don't wait to explain. Read each story slowly and naturally. After the last word, say nothing and wait. You want to catch the first-fire response before self-correction occurs.
Story 1 · BaselineAnswer: 7
"Mia has 4 apples. She picks 3 more. How many apples does she have?"
Both types answer quickly. Slowness here suggests anxiety rather than a cognitive signal.
Story 2 · Re-framingAnswer: 3
"There are 7 birds on a wire. Some fly away. Now there are 4. How many flew away?"
The word 'flew away' replaces 'minus.' Children who surface-match will hesitate.
Story 3 · DistractorAnswer: 3
"Tom has 6 sweets. He gives 2 to his sister and 1 to his dog. How many does he have left?"
The word 'dog' is the distractor. Does your child process the emotional content and lose count?
Story 4 · Structural reversal ★ Highest signalAnswer: 4
"A bag had some oranges. I put in 5 more. Now there are 9. How many were in the bag before?"
Children who pattern-match 'put in 5 more' will answer 14. Children who construct the story will subtract. This is the most diagnostic story.
Story 5 · Two stepsAnswer: 5
"There are 12 children in a class. 4 go home sick. Then 3 new children arrive. How many children are in the class now?"
Requires two operations in sequence. Watch whether your child processes both steps or stops after the first.
Story 6 · Irrelevant informationAnswer: 7
"There are 3 red fish and 4 blue fish in a tank. The tank has a green plant and a castle decoration in the corner. How many fish altogether?"
Does your child incorporate the plant and castle, or correctly ignore irrelevant detail?
2
Activity 2 of 6 · Observations

What did you see?

4 — correctly subtractedConstructed the situation and worked backwards
14 — added instead"Put in 5 more" triggered addition automatically
Said 14 first, then self-corrected to 4The automatic response fired, then was caught
Paused a long time, then got it right
Got a different wrong answer or didn't answer
Please select an answer.
Yes — completed both steps correctly to get 11
Stopped after the first step — answered 8 (only subtracted)
Completed both steps but made an arithmetic error
Asked "how many steps is this?" before answering
Please select an answer.
Fast and mostly correct — including the reversal story
Careful and mostly correct — slower but accurate throughout
Fast on Stories 1–3, noticeably slower or less accurate on Stories 4–6
Consistent pace throughout — difficulty didn't change speed
Please select an answer.
They didn't get any wrong
They self-corrected without prompting
They accepted the wrong answer without questioning it
They asked to hear the story again
Please select an answer.
3
Activity 3 of 6 · Setup

The Repetition and Pattern Game

Two parts. First: how your child handles repetitive tasks — and whether a change of format re-engages them. Second: what complexity of pattern they construct when given complete freedom.

Part A — 20 Flashcards (5 min)

Prepare 20 simple flashcards with addition and subtraction facts your child already knows (e.g. 3+4, 8−3, 5+6). Show them one by one at a steady pace. Ask your child to call out the answer as fast as possible. Keep a completely neutral face throughout. Do not indicate right or wrong at any point.

After card 20, immediately present 3 questions in a completely different format — say them as a word story rather than showing a card. Watch whether energy and engagement visibly return.

Part B — Make a Pattern (5 min)

Give your child paper and a pencil. Say:

"Now you make up a pattern — numbers, shapes, colours, anything at all — with a secret rule. Don't tell me the rule. I'll try to guess it."

Give them up to 3 minutes. Say nothing. If they ask "what kind of pattern?" say only: "Any kind you like."

3
Activity 3 of 6 · Observations

What did you see?

Stayed consistent — same accuracy from card 1 to card 20
Noticeably slower or less accurate from around card 10–12
Making errors or commenting aloud by card 15+"This is boring", "can we stop?" etc.
Got faster as they went — repetition helped
Please select an answer.
Clear re-engagement — noticeably more alert and interested
No real change — same energy as the cards
Seemed relieved but not particularly re-engaged
Seemed confused by the format change
Please select an answer.
Simple alternationA, B, A, B — e.g. red, blue, red, blue
Simple number sequence1, 2, 3, 4 or 2, 4, 6, 8
Multi-step or growing rulee.g. 1, 3, 6, 10 (triangular) or alternating operations
A trick pattern — deliberately breaks at one pointDesigned to fool the guesser
Cross-domain — mixes numbers and letters or shapes under one rule
Couldn't or wouldn't make one — stopped after 1–2 elements
Please select an answer.
Under 30 seconds — done immediately
Around 1–2 minutes — took some thought
Close to the full 3 minutes — visibly absorbed
Please select an answer.
Said nothing — just finished and waited
Explained the rule unpromptedCouldn't resist revealing it before you guessed
Asked if you thought it was hardInterested in your perspective on its difficulty
Said it was too easy and wanted to make a harder one
Please select an answer.
4
Activity 4 of 6 · Setup

The "Why Does That Work?" Game

The most revealing activity. Separates answers that were retrieved from answers that were genuinely understood. A child can produce the right answer by pattern-matching or by reasoning — this activity shows which one is happening.

The setup

Choose problems your child can already solve correctly. After each correct answer, say:

"That's right — but can you tell me WHY that's the answer? Teach it to me like I'm a robot who doesn't know anything."

The "robot" framing removes the social awkwardness of explaining something simple. Run all three probes.

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Probe 1 — Arithmetic: "What is 4 + 4?"
When they say 8, ask: "Why is it 8? How do you know?" Listen for whether they give a label ("because you add them") or a causal chain ("if you have 4 things and 4 more things and count all of them...").
2
Probe 2 — Sequence: Show 2, 4, 6, 8 and ask "what comes next?"
When they say 10, ask "Why 10? How did you know?" Rule label vs. causal chain: "each number is 2 more than the one before it, so if 8 is last..."
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Probe 3 — Category: "Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?"
Either answer is fine. Ask "Why?" Listen: association-based ("because it's red") vs. definitional rule ("if a fruit contains seeds, and a tomato has seeds, then...").
4
Activity 4 of 6 · Observations

What did you see?

"I just know" or counted on fingers with no explanationRetrieved the answer — no underlying model accessible
Gave a rule label without mechanism"Because you add them together"
Constructed a causal chainTried to explain why addition works, not just that it does
Please select an answer.
"Because it goes up by 2" — named the rule, nothing more
Explained the step-by-step reasoning"Each one is 2 more, so after 8 you add 2 again to get 10"
Couldn't explain it — knew the answer but not why
Please select an answer.
Association-based"Because it's red" or "because you eat it in salad"
Definitional rule appliedTried to define what makes something a fruit and applied it
"I don't know" or "it just is one"
Questioned the premise"It depends on how you define fruit"
Please select an answer.
Indifferent — comfortable not knowing why
Visibly uncomfortable — seemed frustrated they couldn't explain
Started reasoning out loud — trying to construct the explanation in the moment
N/A — they were able to explain all their answers
Please select an answer.
5
Activity 5 of 6 · Setup

The Explanation and Narration Game

A new dimension not covered by the previous activities. This measures how your child narrates their thinking when solving a problem unprompted — not when asked to explain, but when left to work naturally.

Setup

Give your child a simple puzzle — a jigsaw with 20–40 pieces works well, or a simple spatial challenge like fitting shapes into a frame. Tell them:

"See how quickly you can do this. I'll just watch."

Say nothing else. Do not react. Simply observe and listen.

What you are listening for

Does your child narrate aloud as they work? Some children explain their thinking to themselves or to you as they go — "this one's blue so it must go near the sky bit" or "I'll do the edges first because that's easier." Others work entirely in silence. Neither is better — but they are different signals.

Also watch: when your child gets stuck, what is their first move? Do they try something immediately, or do they pause and look before touching anything?

Follow-up question

After they have finished, ask:

"How did you know where to start?"

Wait for the full answer before saying anything.

5
Activity 5 of 6 · Observations

What did you see?

Yes — extensive self-commentary throughoutExplained decisions, reasoned aloud, described what they were doing
Occasionally — a few comments when stuck or when something clicked
Mostly silent — concentrated, few or no words
Silent but regularly looked up at you as if checking for a reaction
Please select an answer.
Tried something immediately — trial and errorActed before fully assessing the situation
Paused, looked carefully, then actedObserved the full situation before touching anything
Asked for help or asked if they were doing it right
Stepped back and looked at the whole puzzle before trying anything
Please select an answer.
"I don't know, I just did" or a shrugNo accessible reasoning — automatic action
Gave a rule — "I always do the edges first"Named a strategy but didn't explain why it's the strategy
Explained the reasoning — "the edges are easier because they have straight sides so you have fewer options"
Asked you how you would startReversed the question — interested in your reasoning
Please select an answer.
Clear consistent strategy from the starte.g. always edges first, always sort by colour first
Started with a strategy but adapted it as they went
Intuitive throughout — picked up pieces that looked right
Constructed a strategy mid-way and switched to itWorked out a better approach and changed tack
Please select an answer.
6
Activity 6 of 6 · Setup

The Rules and Play Observation

The most ecologically valid activity in this assessment. You have years of data on how your child behaves in play contexts — this activity asks you to recall and record it systematically. No setup required.

No activity needed. This section is entirely observation-based recall. You are reflecting on how your child naturally behaves during games and play. Take a moment to think before answering.

What to think about

Think about recent situations where your child was playing a game — board games, card games, playground games, or games they invented. Think about:

6
Activity 6 of 6 · Observations

Play and rule behaviour

These questions draw on your long-term observation of your child. Answer based on what is consistently true, not a single occasion.

Wants to start playing immediately and learn the rules as they go
Listens to the rules, asks clarifying questions, then starts
Wants to read or hear all the rules fully before touching anything
Watches others play first before joining in
Please select an answer.
Accepts the majority view and moves on
Argues their position with reasoning"But that doesn't make sense because..."
Wants to look it up — insists on finding the correct answer
Proposes a compromise rule that satisfies both sides
Please select an answer.
No — they prefer to play existing games
Yes — simple rules, loosely appliedMore of a free-play scenario than a structured game
Yes — with specific, structured rules they expected others to follow
Yes — with elaborate rules, exceptions, and scoring systemsMore complex than most published games they play
Please select an answer.
Moves on — doesn't dwell on not knowing
Asks you immediately
Tries to work it out from context before asking
Gets visibly bothered by not knowing — persists until they understand
Please select an answer.
Accepts corrections easily and moves on
Wants to understand why they were wrong before accepting the correction
Dislikes being wrong — gets frustrated or upset
Sometimes argues they weren't wrong — challenges the correction
Please select an answer.
They mostly pattern-match and act quickly
They tend to understand deeply before acting
They do both depending on the situation
I genuinely don't know
Please select an answer.
Analysing your observations…
Building a personalised cognitive profile from everything you've recorded across 6 activities.
Reviewing Activity 1 — Rule switching patterns
Reviewing Activity 2 — Story reasoning signals
Reviewing Activity 3 — Repetition and construction
Reviewing Activity 4 — Explanation depth
Reviewing Activity 5 — Narration and strategy
Reviewing Activity 6 — Play and rule behaviour
Composing your child's profile…