"Once upon a time, a little fish was hungry. So it climbed up the apple tree and picked the biggest apple…" Before you can finish, your child is laughing: "Fish can't climb trees!" Exactly. And in that moment, your child has done something clever: compared what they heard with what they know, and found the part that doesn't fit.
Stories with a silly mistake hidden inside are one of the simplest thinking games there is. They need no materials, work anywhere, and children of many ages love catching the grown-up out.
Why spotting mistakes is good thinking
To catch a silly bit, a child has to:
- Listen carefully all the way through, not just to the start.
- Compare what they hear with what they already know about the world.
- Explain why it doesn't make sense: "Fish live in water and don't have legs."
- Fix it: "A monkey could climb the tree instead!"
These are the same steps we use later to check a maths answer, notice a mistake in our own writing, or ask whether a claim we hear is really true.
How to play "spot the silly bit"
- Tell a short story with one silly part hidden in it.
- Agree on a signal. Your child shouts "Stop!" or claps when they hear something wrong.
- Ask "What's wrong with it?" and let them explain.
- Ask "How could we fix it?" and carry on with their fix.
- Swap roles: your child tells a story with a silly bit for you to find.
When your child tells the story, you might "miss" the mistake on purpose once in a while, so they get to explain it to you.
Silly bits from easy to tricky
Every child develops at their own pace, so treat the ages as rough guides.
| Around age | Type of silly bit | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 4–5 | Something impossible | The fish climbed the tree. The cat said "moo". |
| 5–6 | Wrong time or place | We ate breakfast at bedtime. We went swimming in the library. |
| 6–7 | Wrong order | She put on her shoes, then her socks. |
| 7–8 | Numbers that don't add up | Three children shared two apples, and each got a whole apple. |
| 8+ | A story that contradicts itself | The black cat… later: "the white cat jumped down". |
The last type is the hardest, because children must remember an early detail and notice when it changes.
Pictures with mistakes
You can play the same game with drawings:
- Draw a scene with one or two silly mistakes: a clock with no hands, a house with a door on the roof, a tree with fish instead of fruit.
- Ask your child to find and circle them, then explain each one.
- Let your child draw one for you. Making mistakes on purpose is harder than it sounds.
In Dologi, the Focus topic has "Spot the difference" puzzles, where children compare two pictures and tap what has changed: the same careful, comparing eye.
From silly stories to real life
As children get older, the game can grow into a useful habit: noticing when something doesn't quite make sense.
- "Does that make sense?" Ask about a story, a rule in a game, or something a friend said.
- "How could we check?" Look it up together, try it, or ask someone who knows.
- Keep it kind. The goal isn't to doubt everything or catch people out, but to think before believing.
Around age 7 and up, you can start talking about why some things we hear aren't true: someone made a mistake, misremembered, or was joking.
In short
- Stories with a silly mistake are a fun way to practise careful listening, comparing and explaining.
- Tell a short story, let your child shout "Stop!", ask what's wrong and how to fix it, then swap roles.
- Move from impossible things to wrong order, numbers that don't add up and stories that contradict themselves.
- Over time, turn the game into a kind, everyday habit: "Does that make sense? How could we check?"
Read more: Critical thinking for children: when your child asks "why?" all day long