How Spot the Rule teaches kids to find the pattern from a few examples
A parent guide to Tomorrow Kid’s Logic Lab Spot the Rule—function-machine I/O, which-rule rows, wrong-pick feedback, stars from mistakes, and 7+ placement.
What Spot the Rule is for
Tomorrow Kid’s Spot the Rule world is Logic Lab’s Rule Finder puzzle (rule_finder). Kids either watch a function machine’s input→output examples and predict what comes out, or look at a finished row and tap which rule made every item—abstraction without typing any code.
Parent tip: say “what does the machine do?” once before they play. The habit is working out a hidden rule from a few examples—not memorizing the answer key.
Where it lives
- Confirm the child’s age band reaches 7+ so Logic Lab (and Spot the Rule) appear on Home
- Open Logic Lab and tap the Spot the Rule world (subtitle: “What does the machine do? Which rule made the row?”; kid chip: Spot the rule)
- Play either a machine board (predict the next output) or a which rule board (pick the rule that fits the whole row)
- Wrong picks shake; stars score from wrong picks
For the broader Logic Lab overview (age gate, world ladders, Today’s puzzle), see the Logic Lab ages 7+ guide. This article owns the Spot the Rule / Rule Finder deep-dive only.
Machine vs which-rule
Play runs in RuleFinderGameView:
| Mode | What kids do |
| --- | --- |
| Machine | See a few input→output examples, then predict what the machine will spit out next |
| Which rule | Look at a finished row and tap the rule that fits every item |
| Feedback | Wrong picks shake; calm coaching keeps the turn readable |
| Stars | Scored from wrong-pick count (LogicStars.forMistakes) |
Both modes teach the same habit—“Spotting rules”—with the parent note: “Working out a hidden rule from a few examples.” Stars still feed the familiar Sticker Book economy.
Why spotting rules matters (no typed code)
Rule Finder is pattern abstraction without a keyboard: infer the hidden rule from examples, then apply it. Parents can name that habit—“spotting rules”—without saying “function” or “abstraction.” Kids discover it when a wrong pick shakes, or when the machine’s next output finally matches what they predicted.
That is distinct from:
- Yes or No? — Flow Chart facts → yes/no arrows (decision trees, not function machines); see the Flow Chart guide
- Secret Codes — picture↔letter cipher wheel (substitution, not rule inference); see the Secret Codes guide
- Robot Walk — plan blocks → ▶ run (sequencing, not pattern finding); see the Robot Path guide
- Pixel Painter — pictures ↔ numbers; see the Pixel Painter guide
- Guess My Number — Higher / Lower binary search; see the Guess My Number guide
- Which Is Heaviest? — Balance Scale weighings; see the Balance Scale guide
- Pass & Play Bug Hunt — two-player plan fixing; see the Pass & Play guide
- Today’s puzzle — one shared Home board per day; see the Today’s puzzle guide
A calm way to introduce it at home
- Confirm age band 7+ and open Logic Lab together.
- Clear one simpler world first (Robot Walk or Bug Hunt) so the list feels familiar.
- Open Spot the Rule, try one machine board, and narrate “in goes this, out comes that—so what comes next?”
- Let them finish one board—celebrate the stars even if there were a few wrong picks.
- On a later session, try a which rule board and stop after one row.
What to try next
Keep Spot the Rule as the “spotting rules” stretch when pattern-from-examples feels ready (7+). Use Yes or No? when you want decision-tree charts (8+), Secret Codes for letter ciphers, and Today’s puzzle for the daily Home ritual. Ready to try it? Open Tomorrow Kid → Logic Lab → Spot the Rule.