Mental Models (Kids)

📖 Intro Section: “What’s a Mental Model?”

👋 Hi there, Brain Explorers!
A mental model is like a pair of magic glasses 🕶️ that helps you see the world more clearly. With these 20 Brain Power Boosters, you’ll solve problems, make great choices, and even win at your favorite games. Ready? Let’s go! 🚀

🧠 The 20 Mental Models for Kids

1. 🎯 First Principles Thinking

🌟 Break big problems into little pieces and start from scratch.
📝 Example: Instead of just copying your friend’s Lego tower, figure out how to build an even cooler one from basic blocks!

2. 🔄 Second-Order Thinking

🌟 Think about what happens next… and next… and next.
📝 Example: If you eat all the cookies now, what will happen later when your sister wants some? Uh-oh!

3. 🔍 Occam’s Razor

🌟 The simplest answer is usually the best.
📝 Example: If your toy stops working, check if the batteries are dead before you assume aliens broke it. 👽

4. 🏁 Inversion

🌟 Think backwards to find answers.
📝 Example: Instead of asking “How do I get an A?”, ask “What could make me fail?” and avoid that!

5. 🕹️ Opportunity Cost

🌟 Every choice means giving up something else.
📝 Example: If you spend your only dollar on candy, you can’t buy that cool sticker later.

6. 🧩 Circle of Competence

🌟 Know what you know—and what you don’t.
📝 Example: You’re great at video games 🎮, but maybe ask Dad about fixing the car.

7. 🦸 Probabilistic Thinking

🌟 Think in chances, not certainties.
📝 Example: Will it rain tomorrow? Maybe! Bring an umbrella just in case. ☔

8. 🌱 Compounding

🌟 Small actions grow big over time.
📝 Example: Read 10 pages a day, and soon you’ve finished a whole Harry Potter book!

9. 🪞 Confirmation Bias

🌟 We like things that agree with us.
📝 Example: You believe dogs are the best pets 🐶—but have you asked any cats? 🐱

10. 🚦 Hanlon’s Razor

🌟 Don’t assume people are mean on purpose.
📝 Example: Maybe your friend didn’t wave because they didn’t see you—not because they’re mad.

11. 🗺️ Map Is Not the Territory

🌟 A drawing of a park isn’t the same as being there.
📝 Example: Just because you read about dolphins doesn’t mean you’ve met one!

12. 🪜 Feynman Technique

🌟 Teach it simply, and you’ll really understand it.
📝 Example: Can you explain how plants grow 🌻 to your little cousin?

13. 🛡️ Sunk Cost Fallacy

🌟 Don’t throw good time or money after bad.
📝 Example: If your video game is no fun, stop playing—even if you spent 2 hours already.

14. 🧮 Bayesian Thinking

🌟 Update your ideas when you get new clues.
📝 Example: At first, you thought your missing sock was in the laundry 🧦, but Mom found it under the couch. Time to update!

15. 🚲 Margin of Safety

🌟 Leave room for mistakes.
📝 Example: If you need 10 minutes to bike to school, leave 15—just in case of a flat tire.

16. 📦 Law of Diminishing Returns

🌟 Doing more doesn’t always give more.
📝 Example: Eating one cookie = yummy. Eating ten = tummy ache. 😖

17. 🎲 Randomness

🌟 Sometimes stuff just happens.
📝 Example: You lost rock-paper-scissors—not because of bad luck charms!

18. 💡 Thinking Gray

🌟 Not all answers are yes or no.
📝 Example: You don’t have to pick Team Pizza 🍕 or Team Tacos 🌮—why not both?

19. 🪜 Leverage

🌟 Small moves can make a big difference.
📝 Example: Using a big stick to move a heavy rock = leverage!

20. 🌎 Systems Thinking

🌟 Everything’s connected.
📝 Example: Bees 🐝 help flowers grow, flowers feed rabbits 🐇, rabbits… you get the idea!

🎁 Call-to-Action Section: “Level Up Your Brain!”

“Want to become a Brain Explorer Pro? Download our free printable Brain Power Booster poster and put it on your wall!” 📥✨