What this thinking game trains
Who Went Away?: Food is a working memory game from the Think & Remember track for children age 4-5. One picture walks away. Which one? The game is slow on purpose: research on preschoolers finds that strategy and memory games grow executive function, while quick-reaction games do not. There is no timer and no wrong buzzer; a wrong tap gets the name of what was tapped, then a glow on the right answer, then Golu points.
Why it fits age 4-5
Four- and five-year-olds can follow a rule, notice when it changes, and wait their turn, so this version asks for a little more memory and patience.
How to play
Golu speaks every instruction in your child's first language, with the picture names in both languages. Five rounds make a marble. If it feels too easy or too hard, the same game exists for the other age bands: age 2-3, age 3-4, age 5-6.
If it feels too hard or too easy
Change the age under the ⚙ grown-ups button and the same game gets easier or harder. Nothing is ever marked wrong: a wrong tap names what was tapped, then the right answer glows, then Golu points at it.
The same game without a screen
The Harvard Center on the Developing Child recommends exactly these games as everyday play. Try it with real things: line up three things, ask your child to close their eyes, hide one, and ask who went away.