Homeschooling: Teaching Critical Thinking | Cat Crimes & Dog Crimes by Thinkfun!

Want to try out the games from this post? Here’s where you can find them:

Do your kids like solving mysteries? 

Do they like puzzles? 

Great! This week’s homeschool picks are for you!

(These picks are homeschool-related - but teachers, parents, or puzzle-loving legends… you might want to stick around too! Just scroll to the ✨ to skip the homeschooling chat.)

For homeschoolers, games like these are a powerful tool - not just for learning logic or practicing reading, but for building perseverance, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning.

Because homeschooling isn’t just about ticking curriculum boxes or getting perfect test scores. It’s about raising curious, capable kids who know HOW to think - not just WHAT to think.

When all the focus is on results, kids don’t learn to love learning - they just learn to fear failure.

And that’s the opposite of what we want.

🎲 Games like these teach kids (and adults!) that success rarely happens on the first try - and that’s totally okay. Getting it wrong the first time isn’t failure - it’s part of the process. 

Progress (and eventually success) comes through trial, error, and trying again.

Trying different approaches, learning from mistakes, sticking with it… it’s all part of the process.

And when kids experience this through play, it becomes a lesson they’ll carry with them through life.

✨ With that in mind, these are some of my absolute favourite games to bring out in our homeschool day (and the kids love them too!). It’s an activity which normally ends up involving the whole family because when we bring one of these out, EVERYONE gets drawn in!

They’re brilliant for building critical thinking skills (which is a huge part of homeschooling - because it’s a huge part of life!).

Each game includes 40 mysteries, which increase in difficulty - so they’re just as fun for adults as they are for kids. (This makes them great value because kids don’t grow out of them!)

Also… they’re great for reading practice! 

Each mystery card gives you clues… but solving it isn’t as easy as it sounds!
Here’s an example:

▪️ Mr Mittens is sitting near a fish bowl, and across from Sassy. 

▪️ Sassy is sitting to the right of Ginger but is not sitting next to a long haired cat. 

▪️ Pipsqueak is sitting to the left of a cat with blue eyes but is not sitting near a paw print. 

▪️ Tom Cat is not sitting next to Mr Mittens. 

▪️ Who’s the guilty cat sitting near the ruined shoes? 

You position the suspects around the table as the instructions are read… but fair warning - it will take you multiple attempts! 

When we play it as a two player game, we usually take turns - one of us reads the clues and the other positions the suspects to solve the mystery.

And when I say that the kids get reading practice… I mean it. 

…I’m always asking my kids to re-read clues because I need to double-check things (again and again and again).

I don’t think of it as “taking too long” to solve the puzzle - I think of it as helping my kids get amazing fluency practice… without them even noticing. 

Whether you’re a dog person or a cat person, you’ll love these puzzles! 

Each game can be played as a one player puzzle, or you can work together to solve the mystery.

And while they’re aimed at ages 8+, younger kids can absolutely play with a bit of help.
They also make a great gift for adults who love a good challenge! (I meant it when I said your kids won’t grow out of these! )

Each game encourages:

✅ Critical Thinking

✅ Logic

✅ Reading Practice

✅ Fun!

Cat Crimes and Dog Crimes are both available to purchase in-store or online at Brain Spice!

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