What is missing?

You will inspect six objects and identify which one your partner removes. Remembering their arrangement can help, but the partner must avoid giving the answer through an obvious empty gap.

Brain
Starter
About 15 minutes

Grown-up needed: yes for selecting safe materials and supervising the setup

What you need

Six safe familiar objects chosen by a grown-up
A partner
A clear table

The rule

They take one away. You name it.

How to do it

Ask a grown-up to choose six safe objects without sharp or tiny loose parts.
Place them on a table and look at each one.
Close your eyes while remaining seated.
Have your partner remove one object and gently rearrange the others.
Open your eyes and name the missing object.
Reveal it and swap roles.

Why it works

You compare the objects now visible with your remembered set. Grouping them in pairs or giving each one a verbal label can offer cues for finding the absent member. An empty space might reveal an object’s old position without much recall, which is why gently rearranging the remaining objects changes the task. Different strategies can help different people, and one correct answer is not proof that a strategy always works. Revealing the removed object checks your specific prediction.

Make it harder

Try a different pairing strategy.
Describe the missing object before naming it.
Explain how an untouched empty gap would change the evidence available.

Ask Taz

Why can grouping objects help me spot a missing one?
Why does rearranging change the task?
Why should I check my guess against the removed object?

Ask Taz

For grown-ups

Choose larger safe objects instead of the film’s keys, coins and buttons when needed. Eyes stay closed only during a seated pause, and the child opens them before reaching. Treat a wrong guess as information about the strategy. Ask at dinner: “What cue helped you notice what was absent rather than only what remained?”

Taz is an AI and can be wrong, so stay close by. Read how safety works on Taz.

Show us yours

Film your hands and what you made, not your face or name. Ask a grown-up before posting anywhere else.

Questions parents ask

Is a wrong answer a failed activity?

No. Keep the first answer and compare it with the revealed objects, timing or rule. That comparison tells you what to change next. The activity offers one observation of a strategy, and it does not provide a general score for intelligence or ability.

How can a grown-up help?

Prepare the safe space and agree the rule before starting. Ask the child to describe the clue or strategy they used, then check the actual result together. Offer a shorter adapted version if needed and say clearly how it differs from the original challenge.

Should we share the result?

Sharing is optional. A discussion at home is enough, and the privacy line above applies to any online post.

More to try

See all Taz Challenges, or look through the science labs. One place for every why. Ask for early access at aitaz.com