Teach the thinking, not the test
Learning Lab is a calm, untimed puzzle adventure that gives your child one strategy they can use everywhere: notice what is there, compare two steps, find the rule, apply it, and check their answer.
Start a free questNothing to install and nobody to sign in as. Work is saved in this browser, so the same button picks up where your child stopped.
“We look at the puzzle together, find the rule, then check it. There is no clock.”
Kitty, the guide inside the lab
See something that needs fixing?
[email protected]Five steps, in every single puzzle
Children do not get better at reasoning by seeing more questions. They get better by running the same deliberate process until it becomes a habit.
- Step 1
Notice
What do you see?
Name what is actually in front of you before guessing — color, count, direction, position.
- Step 2
Compare
What changed?
Hold two steps side by side and find the one thing that is different.
- Step 3
Find the rule
Say it out loud.
Turn the difference into a sentence: “it turns one step each time.”
- Step 4
Apply
Use the rule.
Choose the answer the rule predicts, instead of the one that merely looks familiar.
- Step 5
Check
Does it still work?
Test the rule against every row before committing. Checking is part of the answer.
How a sitting works
Your child sees worlds, trails, and a guide who thinks out loud. There is no score to chase and nothing to lose by stopping.
A grown-up sets the grade
You choose the grade once, on this device. Kindergarten–Grade 5 are open today.
One short trail, not a test
Three to seven puzzles at a time, with a worked example first. No timer runs anywhere.
Every answer teaches the rule
A wrong choice gets a specific next thing to look at, never a buzzer or a red X.
Stop whenever you like
Progress saves as you go, and a gentle nudge suggests stopping while it is still fun.
No timers
Speed is never measured, scored, or rewarded.
No account
No sign-in, no email, no password to lose.
No ads or chat
Nothing is sold, and there is nobody to talk to.
Stays on the device
Progress lives in this browser and can be cleared any time.
What you get to see
- Which kinds of reasoning your child has practiced, and what they worked on most recently.
- The specific things that are getting easier, written in plain language rather than percentiles.
- A grade switch, sound and motion settings, and a one-tap reset.
- Everything is kept in this browser, on this device. Clearing your browsing data for this site erases it, so the Grown-ups’ Corner can save a backup file and load one back — on a new laptop, or after a wipe.
- Nothing your child does is shared, ranked, or compared with anyone else.
What Learning Lab is not
Is this an IQ test?
No. It is not an IQ test, and it produces no IQ score, percentile, age equivalent, or ability label.
Will it get my child into a gifted program?
No. It is not a standardized or diagnostic assessment, and it cannot predict gifted-program eligibility or school placement.
Is it based on a real test?
No. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or derived from any test publisher. Every puzzle, illustration, and line of narration is original to Open Learning Labs.
Can it tell me if my child has a learning difficulty?
No. It does not diagnose anything, and it is not a substitute for advice from a teacher or clinician.
What it does offer is practice at thinking carefully — which may also help when a child later meets reasoning activities at school.
Two different products
They do not share progress, and neither needs the other.
Learning Lab · this page
Five subjects — reasoning, math, reading, science, and social studies — for Kindergarten–Grade 5, in any browser. Free, no download, no account.
Open the labOpen Learning Labs app · iOS
A Grade 2–3 math adventure with mini-games, collectible pets, and a parent dashboard. Coming to the App Store.
See the appOpens full screen. A grown-up sets the grade first, then hands over the device.