In Odd One Out children pick one of four objects that has a feature the other three lack or a feature that it lacks but the other three have. It is a deceptively simple concept because they will need not only to identify relevant characteristics of each object, but also compare and evaluate these characteristics between all four. They're looking for commonality.

It's important that the remaining three objects either all lack the same quality that the Odd One Out possesses OR all have a quality that it doesn't. The images change every week.

Which one is the odd one out?

_____________ is the odd one out because all the others _______________

 _____________ is the odd one out because it's the only one that __________________

Brick Wall		Pink Flower
Wood Pile		Telegraph Pole

• The Brick Wall is the odd one out because all the others have curved parts
• The Pink Flower is the odd one out because it is the only one that grows upwards on its own
• The Wood Pile is the odd one out because it is the only one whose parts are not stuck together
• The Telegraph Pole is the odd one out because all the others attract insects/bugs. It attracts birds.

There are two ways of choosing the Odd One Out. It's either the only one with a certain feature or it's the only one lacking a certain feature. Encourage your children to think in both ways. The first tends to be easier because the 3 remaining objects only have to lack one feature. The second approach can be more challenging because the remaining 3 objects must have a feature in common (and one that the odd one out doesn't have).

Younger thinkers might benefit from thinking with just 2 related objects, looking for similarities and differences:

The flower is different to the log pile because the log pile's bits are not fixed together.
The flower is the same as the log pile because they are both natural.

Once learners are comfortable with Odd One Out you can extend the activity like this:

The__________and the ___________ are the same because they___________ (make sure the remaining 2 objects lack the feature)

Add a fifth and sixth object.

Work out 3 different reasons why each object could be the odd one out

Other Activities

The Teachers' Toolbox includes further activities: Links, Pick Me, Great Ideas and Storytime. The images change every 7 days giving you a ready-made visual thinking lesson starter for every day of the school week.

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