Figural Analogies for Kids (Grades K–3)
Figural analogies for kids: shape pairs that change by one rule — size, color, rotation, or an added mark. Free, untimed practice for grades K–3.
Understanding figural analogies
A figural analogy is an analogy built entirely from shapes. The top of the bridge shows one shape changing into another — a small square becoming a big square, an outline circle filling in solid, a triangle turning a quarter-turn. The child studies that change, names it, and then makes the same change happen to a different shape on the bottom of the bridge. The relationship is the whole puzzle; the specific shapes are just where it plays out.
Level 1 of the Bridge Builder stays with six clean relationships: a shape swaps for another shape, a color changes, a size grows, a figure rotates ninety degrees, a small mark is added, or an outline becomes filled. Only one rule changes at a time, so the reasoning stays visible. A child does not need to read to do these — they need to look, compare, and carry the change across. That makes figural analogies one of the earliest reasoning formats a young child can genuinely master.
These shape analogies are a staple of nonverbal screeners because they test reasoning without leaning on vocabulary or reading. You will see the same A:B::C:? frame on the CogAT Nonverbal battery, the NNAT, and the NGAT. In the Lab the point is not the test, though — it is the habit of finding the relationship first. Get one wrong and the room explains which change the pair was really making, so the next one clicks.
Key Idea
Level 1 of the Bridge Builder stays with six clean relationships: a shape swaps for another shape, a color changes, a size grows, a figure rotates ninety degrees, a small mark is added, or an outline becomes filled. Only one rule changes at a time, so the reasoning stays visible. A child does not need to read to do these — they need to look, compare, and carry the change across. That makes figural analogies one of the earliest reasoning formats a young child can genuinely master.
Seeing it in action
Worked example
A small circle grows into a big circle. A small triangle starts the second pair — what finishes it?
Name the change in the top pair: the shape stays a shape, but it grows from small to big. Size is the only rule.
Carry the same size change to the bottom pair: a small triangle grows into a big triangle.
Try a few
Small square is to big square as small star is to ___
the shape grows; nothing else changes.
Outline circle is to filled circle as outline triangle is to ___
the outline becomes solid.
Triangle pointing up is to triangle pointing right as triangle pointing right is to ___
each pair turns a quarter-turn clockwise.
Plain diamond is to diamond with a dot as plain circle is to ___
the same small mark is added.
Ready for the interactive room?
Practice figural analogies in the free Practice Lab — six puzzles, no login, calm explanations.
Common questions
What is a figural analogy?
It is an analogy made of shapes instead of words. One pair of shapes changes by a rule — bigger, turned, filled, or marked — and the child makes a second pair change the same way. The relationship is the puzzle, not the shapes themselves.
Do you have figural analogies worksheets or a practice set?
The Bridge Builder is an interactive room rather than a printable, so each figural analogies practice item comes with an on-screen explanation for any miss. If you would also like worksheets on paper, our free sample set is a good companion.
My child cannot read yet — can they still do these?
Yes. Shape analogies need no reading at all, only looking and comparing, which is exactly why they suit the youngest children. It is one of the earliest reasoning formats a child can do on their own.
Are these like the visual analogies examples on cognitive tests?
Yes. The format matches the visual analogies examples used on nonverbal screeners like the CogAT Nonverbal battery and the NNAT. In the Lab the goal is the thinking skill, not the test, so it stays calm and untimed.
Want a printable set too?
Get the free Reasonwell sample pack — printable reasoning and test-prep material.