When something strange happens, you can become a Brain Detective and ask detective questions like:

🧠 What was the brain trying to do? 🔎

🧠 What was the brain feeling? 🔎

🧠 What was the brain worried about? 🔎

🧠 What was the brain hoping for? 🔎

🧠 What can the brain learn for next time? 🔎

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Those five questions alone will teach many children more practical neuroscience than memorising the names of brain parts.

As a classroom poster, I would reduce the entire neuroscience curriculum to one sentence:

Every brain is trying to solve a problem.

The Brain Detective asks: 🧠”What problem?” 🔍

That single question captures much of modern neuroscience in a form a 10-year-old can use every day.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Scroll to bottom of page to download a copy of the School of Thinking’s student reader for Neuroscience in Primary Schools.

For 10-year-olds, parents, and teachers, the goal is not technical accuracy but curiosity about why brains do what they do.

FOR TEACHERS: 20 More Brain Detective Questions

Whenever someone does something surprising, clever, kind, silly, brave, or upsetting, ask:

1. What problem was their brain trying to solve?

(Stay safe? Fit in? Win? Avoid trouble? Control? Certainty? Comfort? Curiosity? Survival? Approval? Avoid embarrassment? Get attention?)

2. What feelings might have been driving their brain?

(Fear? Angry? (Amygdala) Happy? Excited? Worried? Lonely? Jealous? Ashamed? Proud? Disappointed? Anxious?)

3. Were they tired, hungry, stressed, or full of energy?

(Brains work differently depending on how we feel physically. Hormones. Lack of sleep? Illness? Dehydration? High cortisol? Adrenaline? Puberty? Blood sugar levels? Exercise? Caffeine? Physical pain?)

4. What had happened earlier that day that might have affected their thinking?

(Bad news? An argument? A success? Social rejection? A disappointment? Lack of sleep? A surprise? Stressful event? A reward? A change in routine?)

5. What did they think might happen if they acted that way?

(Gain approval? Avoid punishment? Impress someone? Solve a problem? Get attention? Feel better? Stay safe? Win? Escape? Be accepted?)

6. What was their brain paying attention to at that moment?

(TikTok. Phone notifications? Peer reactions? Threats? Rewards? Novelty? Movement? Social status? Loud sounds? Bad smells? Personal goals? Distractions?)

7. What did they learn from other people that may have influenced them?

(Culture, neighbourhood, social media. Parents? Teachers? Friends? Influencers? Coaches? Movies? Religion? Traditions? Community values? Online communities?)

8. Were they copying something they had seen before?

(Role models? Older siblings? Friends? Celebrities? Sports stars? Social media trends? Family habits? TV characters? Teachers? Leaders?)

9. Were they trying to belong to a group?

(Peer pressure? Social identity? Team loyalty? Friendship? Popularity? Acceptance? Fear of exclusion? Tribe? Shared values? Group norms?)

10. Were they trying to protect themselves or someone else?

(Physical safety? Emotional safety? Reputation? Family? Friends? Status? Territory? Beliefs? Possessions? Group identity?)

11. What clues in the environment may have triggered their reaction?

(Heat or cold, noise, Crowding? Bright lights? Darkness? Music? Social tension? Time pressure? Unexpected events? Screens? Weather? Familiar places?)

12. What memories might their brain have been using?

(Past success? Past failure? Trauma? Childhood experiences? School experiences? Emotional memories? Family memories? Learned habits? Previous rewards? Previous punishments?)

13. How might their family, school, or culture have shaped their thinking?

(Rules? Expectations? Traditions? Beliefs? Language? Values? Education? Social class? Religion? National culture?)

14. What reward did their brain expect to get?

(Dopamine? Praise? Attention? Fun? Status? Achievement? Money? Belonging? Relief? Excitement? Curiosity satisfied?)

15. What fear might their brain have been trying to avoid?

(Rejection? Failure? Embarrassment? Punishment? Loneliness? Missing out? Looking foolish? Physical harm? Uncertainty? Loss of status?)

16. If they had paused for ten seconds, what might they have done differently?

(Used their prefrontal cortex? Asked for advice? Considered consequences? Taken a breath? Used self-control? Gathered more information? Reframed the problem? Walked away? Counted to ten? Done a GBB?)

17. What would their future self think about this choice?

(Pre-frontal cortex when 25? Long-term consequences? Regret? Pride? Wisdom? Future goals? Reputation? Relationships? Health? Career? Life lessons?)

18. How might another person see the same situation differently?

(Different brain? Different neural networks? Different experiences? Different culture? Different memories? Different values? Different age? Different goals? Different emotions? Different personality? Different information? Different beliefs?)

19. What could help their brain make a better decision next time?

(Do a GBB, More sleep? Better information? Neuroscience at school? Practice? Reflection? Feedback? New habits? Better environment? Better role models? Brain training?

20. What can we learn about how brains work from this situation?

(Brains solve problems? Emotions influence decisions? Context matters? Biology matters? Learning shapes behaviour? Attention drives action? Memory influences choices? Social factors matter? Environment affects thinking? Behaviour has causes?)

For Parents and Teachers

Brain Detective’s Golden Rule

Before asking “Was it a good choice?” ask:

“What problem was the brain trying to solve?”

That single question captures one of the central insights of neuroscience: behaviour often makes much more sense when we examine the brain, body, memories, emotions, environment, culture and experiences that produced it.

A Brain Detective investigates before judging.

In addition, there is the fundamental insight in neuroscience:

Brains don’t create behaviour by accident.

Brains are always trying to solve a problem.

The behaviour may be wise or unwise.

It may be helpful or harmful.

But before judging the behaviour, children learn to ask:

“What was the brain trying to achieve?”

This simple habit develops:

Curiosity
Empathy
Self-awareness
Emotional regulation
Better decision-making
Scientific thinking

The Kids Version

Student reader. Free download. Feel free to make multiple copies.

Brain Detectives Download

• Contact Michael (click to email).

Neuroscience for Kids

When something strange happens, you can become a Brain Detective and ask detective questions like:

FOR TEACHERS: 20 More Brain Detective Questions

1. What problem was their brain trying to solve?

2. What feelings might have been driving their brain?

3. Were they tired, hungry, stressed, or full of energy?

4. What had happened earlier that day that might have affected their thinking?

5. What did they think might happen if they acted that way?

6. What was their brain paying attention to at that moment?

7. What did they learn from other people that may have influenced them?

8. Were they copying something they had seen before?

9. Were they trying to belong to a group?

10. Were they trying to protect themselves or someone else?

11. What clues in the environment may have triggered their reaction?

12. What memories might their brain have been using?

13. How might their family, school, or culture have shaped their thinking?

14. What reward did their brain expect to get?

15. What fear might their brain have been trying to avoid?

16. If they had paused for ten seconds, what might they have done differently?

17. What would their future self think about this choice?

18. How might another person see the same situation differently?

19. What could help their brain make a better decision next time?

20. What can we learn about how brains work from this situation?

For Parents and Teachers

Brain Detective’s Golden Rule

The Kids Version

Like this:

When something strange happens, you can become a Brain Detective and ask detective questions like:

FOR TEACHERS: 20 More Brain Detective Questions

1. What problem was their brain trying to solve?

2. What feelings might have been driving their brain?

3. Were they tired, hungry, stressed, or full of energy?

4. What had happened earlier that day that might have affected their thinking?

5. What did they think might happen if they acted that way?

6. What was their brain paying attention to at that moment?

7. What did they learn from other people that may have influenced them?

8. Were they copying something they had seen before?

9. Were they trying to belong to a group?

10. Were they trying to protect themselves or someone else?

11. What clues in the environment may have triggered their reaction?

12. What memories might their brain have been using?

13. How might their family, school, or culture have shaped their thinking?

14. What reward did their brain expect to get?

15. What fear might their brain have been trying to avoid?

16. If they had paused for ten seconds, what might they have done differently?

17. What would their future self think about this choice?

18. How might another person see the same situation differently?

19. What could help their brain make a better decision next time?

20. What can we learn about how brains work from this situation?

For Parents and Teachers

Brain Detective’s Golden Rule

The Kids Version

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