Level 2 · Medium
Which picture completes the pattern?
Missing piece
- A
- B
- C
- D
Show the answer and the rule
Answer: C
- Number: every row and column has one of each.
- Shape: the same all along each row.
Brain zone
Pattern matrix puzzles
Find the missing picture in a 3 × 3 grid of shapes.
Five levels
Choose your level
Start where it feels easy, then step up. Each round is new.
Easy
Ages 5–7 · 10 puzzles
Medium
Ages 7–9 · 10 puzzles
Hard
Ages 9–11 · 10 puzzles
Tricky
Ages 11–13 · 10 puzzles
Expert
Ages 13+ · 10 puzzles
What it trains
Pattern matrices
Matrices train you to spot several rules at once: what changes along each row, what stays the same down each column, and how shapes, patterns, numbers and turns can follow different rules in the same grid.
How to solve it
Three steps
Step 1: Look along the first row. What changes, and what stays the same?
Step 2: Check the second row follows the same rule. Then do the same for columns.
Step 3: Use the rules to build the missing picture, then find it among the answers.
Try one
An example puzzle
Questions
Is this an IQ test?
No. These are reasoning puzzles like those found in IQ-style tests, made for practice and fun. We don't measure intelligence or give IQ scores.
Which level should my child start at?
Each level shows suggested ages, but start where it feels easy and move up after a round with two or three stars.
Can I print these puzzles?
Yes. Every puzzle type prints as a black-and-white sheet with a separate answer key, on A4 or US Letter.
More brain puzzles
Try another kind
Analogies
A is to B as C is to … ? Find the change and use it again.
Mirror images
Which picture is the reflection in the mirror line?
Sudoku
Picture sudoku for little ones, then 4×4, 6×6 and 9×9.
Logic grids
Use the clues to work out who has what.