Game: "The Clue Detective: Case of the Missing Cookie"

What You Need:

• 3 different toys/objects (e.g., a stuffed animal, a toy car, a building block)
• 1 "cookie" (can be a real cookie, a drawing of one, or a round object)
• Paper and crayons/markers

Set-up (The Mystery):

1. Tell the story: "Oh no! The special cookie from the kitchen counter is missing! I was baking earlier and left it right here."
2. Show the 3 suspects: Place the 3 toys in a row. "These three were in the living room when it happened. One of them might know something!"
3. Secretly pick one toy (e.g., the stuffed bear) to be the "innocent focus" - but don't tell your child this part.

How to Play:

1. Round 1: Make a Guess

   • Ask your child: "Who do you think might have taken the cookie? Pick one suspect."
   • Let them choose (e.g., they pick the toy car).

2. Round 2: Gather "Proof"

   • Say: "Great! Now let's be detectives. Let's each draw 3 clues that prove your suspect did it."
   • You: Draw clues "proving" your secret pick (the bear):
     • Draw crumbs near the bear
     • Draw the bear looking at the kitchen
     • Draw a chocolate spot on its paw
   • Your child: Draw clues proving their pick (the car):
     • They might draw the car driving toward the kitchen
     • Draw cookie crumbs in the car seat
     • Draw the car with a sneaky face

3. Round 3: The Reveal

   • Say: "Let's check the kitchen for more clues!" (Lead them to where you've hidden the cookie).
   • Reveal: "Look! Here's the cookie on this plate with a note!"
   • Read the note: "I didn't take it! I was just keeping it warm for you! - Mom/Dad" (Or "The cat was sniffing it so I moved it!")

4. The Big Discovery:

   • Point to your drawings: "Wow! I was SO sure it was the bear. Look at all my clues! But I was wrong."
   • Point to their drawings: "And you had great clues about the car too!"
   • Ask:
     • "Did we both only look for clues that proved our guess?"
     • "Did we ignore clues that didn't fit?" (Like: cars don't eat cookies!)
     • "What clues did we miss?" (The real story: the cookie was safe all along!)

The Lesson (Kid-friendly version):

"See what happened? Once we picked a suspect, our detective brains only looked for proof we were right. We didn't check for clues that showed we might be wrong! This is called confirmation bias - when our 'I think I'm right!' feelings make us see only what proves our idea."

Make it Concrete:

Give it a name they'll remember: "Guess-Goggles" - Once you make a guess, you put on goggles that only let you see matching clues!

Extension (if they're engaged):

Play again tomorrow with a new mystery (Who moved the remote? Who ate the last apple?). This time, challenge each other: "Find ONE clue that shows your suspect might be INNOCENT!" This teaches them to actively look for disconfirming evidence.

The magic of this game is that you BOTH model the bias together, making it a shared "aha!" moment rather than a lesson where they feel wrong. Plus, it's silly, creative, and feels like a detective adventure!