Analogies for Kids — Reasoning Practice
An analogy asks one quiet question: how does the first pair go together, and what keeps that same connection for a new pair? That is the whole idea. It is not about vocabulary or facts but about the thinking move of noticing a relationship and carrying it across. A small circle grows into a big circle the way a small triangle grows into a big triangle. A puppy goes with a dog the way a kitten goes with a cat. The child's job is to name the bridge between A and B, then build the same bridge from C.
In Bridge Builder, the analogy place in Logica, each puzzle shows a top pair that goes together and a bottom pair with a gap, and the child chooses what finishes the bottom pair to match the top one. The first three trails use shapes that change; trails 4 and 5 use pictures and meaning. These analogies games stay calm and untimed — get one wrong and Logica explains the relationship instead of showing a red X. The same A:B::C:? frame is a standard part of gifted and cognitive screeners, in both figure and picture form, which is why relaxed practice with it pays off.
Browse the skills
Each card opens a parent-readable explanation, with a link to the Logica trail that practices it.
Five trails, from easy to tricky.
Free practice in Logica, the reasoning game in the Practice Lab: six puzzles a trail, no timer, no login, and a calm explanation when a guess misses.
Shapes that change in one way: color, size, inside or number.
Open trail 1 → Trail 2 · Turns, flips and swapsShapes that turn, flip, become a different shape, or change color.
Open trail 2 → Trail 3 · Two changesTwo changes at once, such as a turn and a new color. At least four choices.
Open trail 3 → Trail 4 · Picture pairsPictures linked by meaning: babies, homes, and what animals give us.
Open trail 4 → Trail 5 · Tricky picture pairsMore picture links: what goes on what, what works with what, and what grows into what.
Open trail 5 →What makes a good analogy
The best analogies for young children are not about knowing facts — they are about noticing how two things connect and then carrying that same connection somewhere new. A child who sees that a puppy is a baby dog can find that a kitten is a baby cat, even if no one ever taught them that pairing. That transfer, relationship first and answer second, is the whole reasoning move, and it is why analogies show up so early in cognitive practice.
Good early analogies activities keep the relationship simple and visible: one clear change, one clear connection, nothing hidden. Bridge Builder does this by setting the pairs side by side, so a child can point to the change. When an answer misses, the game explains the connection in plain words rather than marking it wrong, which turns free analogies practice into something a child can do calmly and on their own.
Visual analogies and picture analogies, side by side
Bridge Builder's five trails come in two kinds. The first three work with visual analogies — pairs of shapes that change, like a circle that grows or a triangle that turns a quarter-turn: one change in trail 1, turns, flips and new shapes in trail 2, and two changes at once in trail 3. Seeing the change with your eyes makes the idea of a relationship obvious, which is why visual analogies are the friendliest starting point for a five- or six-year-old, and a common item type on nonverbal screeners.
Trails 4 and 5 keep the same A:B::C:? shape but fill it with pictures and meaning — a baby animal, a home, what an animal gives us, then what goes on what, what works with what, and what grows into what. These analogies questions read naturally as spoken sentences, so a parent can play them aloud: a bee goes with a beehive the way a dog goes with a doghouse. Working through both kinds shows a child that the analogy move stays the same whether the bridge is drawn or spoken. All five are free analogies games in Logica: untimed, with progress that saves on the device.
Common questions
What age is this for?
Bridge Builder is built for roughly kindergarten through third grade, centered on second grade. Its first trails use shapes and suit the youngest children; the picture trails use meanings and reach a little older. The shape trails need no reading at all, so there is no wrong age to start.
Do you have analogies worksheets, or is this only on screen?
Logica is an interactive game, not a printable — each analogy plays out on screen with a calm explanation for any miss. If you would like analogies worksheets on paper as well, our free sample set is a good companion to it.
Are these analogies games timed or scored against other children?
No. There is no timer and no leaderboard. A child earns up to three stars on each trail, and the goal is to recognize the relationship calmly, not to race.
Want a printable set too?
Get the free Reasonwell sample pack — printable reasoning and test-prep material you can use at the kitchen table.
Download All three Grade 2 workbook samples ↓22 pages · 1.9 MB · No email requiredText versions (screen-reader friendly): NGAT Grade 2 sample, CogAT Level 8 sample and OLSAT Level C sample