Children learn one method they can fall back on: understand the problem, plan an approach, try it, check the result. The same four steps every session, applied to maths puzzles, design challenges and messy real questions — so a child always has somewhere to start when they are stuck.
The goal is not a child who knows more answers. It is a child who has somewhere to start when they meet something hard.
Most children who say “I can’t do this” have not run out of ability. They have run out of ideas about what to try next. A method fixes that.
One method, every session, until it is automatic.
Brolly Juniors runs problem solving classes in Hyderabad for ages 8 to 15. Children learn a four-step method — understand the problem, plan an approach, try it, check the result — and apply it across maths puzzles, design challenges and open-ended real problems. The goal is a child who has somewhere to start when they are stuck.
Design a way to move water across a room. Plan a school trip on a budget. Work out how many rickshaws pass the gate in a day. These cannot be solved by recalling a formula, which is exactly why they teach method.
The change families notice is not better marks. It is a child who reads a hard question twice instead of saying they were not taught it.
That habit shows up in maths first and spreads from there. We do not claim guaranteed academic improvement, and we would be cautious of anyone who does.
Six things that decide whether a thinking class actually teaches thinking.
One named method, every time, rather than a different trick each week.
Puzzles and challenges rather than worksheets and explanation.
Patterns, sorting, sequencing and reasoning from evidence.
Messy, open questions of the kind nobody sets as homework.
Compare two approaches, then choose one on purpose.
A dead end is information. It narrows down what is left.
Working out what to do when you do not already know the answer. Children do it constantly — they just do not have a name for it yet.
A child has three blocks but wants to build a taller tower. Nobody has told them how. So they think: what can I change? What can I try? Which block should go first?
That is the whole process in miniature. Understand what you want, plan something, try it, see what happened. The classes give this a name and a shape so children can use it on purpose.
Because it shows up everywhere, not just in maths homework: questions that are not quite like the worked example, getting stuck at home with nobody to ask, working out a strategy in a game, small everyday snags that need a plan rather than a rescue.
Simple explanationProblem solving is having a way to start when you do not know the answer. Understand, plan, try, check — four steps, in that order, every time.
Easy example“My tower keeps falling.” Why did it fall? What if the base were wider? Try it. Did it hold? That is the whole method, on a problem a six-year-old already has.
At Brolly JuniorsThe method is the subject, not the answers. Nobody needs to be good at maths first, and educators wait longer than feels comfortable before helping.
Ten things children get practice with. None of them is a guaranteed outcome.
A structure to follow instead of staring at the page.
“It cannot be that, because…” — reasoning rather than guessing.
Comparing two approaches and picking one on purpose.
Finding a second route when the first one closes.
Being stuck feels normal rather than alarming.
Staying with a problem past the first thirty seconds.
Holding one problem in mind while working through it.
Trying something before asking for the answer.
A wrong attempt narrows down what is left.
Choosing an approach before starting, not during.
The method never changes; only the problems do. Repetition is the point — it has to be automatic by the time a child meets a problem alone.
Restating it in your own words, and naming exactly what is known and what is being asked.
Choosing a strategy on purpose — work backwards, simplify, look for a pattern, try a smaller case.
Attempting it properly, noticing where it broke, and changing one thing rather than starting over.
Does the answer make sense, and can you convince somebody else that it is right?
Example activities within the 8–15 range. Illustrative rather than confirmed official batches.
Age 8–9
Age 10–11
Age 12–13
Age 14–15
This programme runs for ages 8 to 15. The method needs enough reading and number confidence to work with, so younger children are usually better served by brain games first.
By Step 2 children have named strategies to reach for, rather than hoping something occurs to them.
“You have two ways to solve a puzzle. Which one should you try first?” Children learn a short sequence for answering that, so choosing becomes deliberate rather than a guess.
Question — is this really the problem? Think — what do I already know? Check — does that hold up? Decide — which way am I going? Solve — do it and verify. It is what stops a child accepting the first idea that comes along.
Four problems from the programme. There is deliberately no single right answer — that is the point. Pick the idea you would try first.
A toy is stuck under a table and you cannot reach it. What could you try?
Problem 1 of 4 — Every option here is a sensible idea.
Beginners start with the simplest version of everything: easy puzzles, sorting, matching, patterns, simple choices, short challenges. Nobody needs to be good at maths first.
Games, puzzles, stories, challenges, team activities and hands-on tasks. Playful activities make thinking practice something children stay with for longer.
Some challenges are done as a group, where no one child has the whole answer — listening properly, sharing ideas, taking turns, then presenting competing solutions and comparing them.
An example learning flow. The shape stays the same so the method becomes automatic.
Something short to get everyone thinking before the main problem.
Restate it, list what is known, draw it if that helps.
Name a strategy from the toolkit before starting.
Carry it through properly, and notice where it breaks.
Does it make sense? Can you show somebody why?
Compare competing solutions, including the ones that failed.
An example flow rather than a fixed structure, and we do not publish fixed session durations here. Ask us for current session details.
Eight example activity types, and what each one exercises.
Planning a route ahead.
Spotting the rule.
Careful observation.
Reasoning from evidence.
Designing and testing.
Working out the rule.
Order and prediction.
Eliminating what cannot be.
Example activity types used to explain the learning areas, not a session-by-session plan.
What shapes the problem solving sessions specifically.
The same four steps every session, until they are automatic.
About half have no single right answer, so method matters more than recall.
Longer than feels comfortable, because being stuck is where the learning is.
A maximum of eight children, so every solution gets heard.
Presenting and defending an approach is part of the work.
Puzzles and challenges rather than worksheets and explanation.
No jargon. A child can describe the method back to you.
Ask what your child got stuck on and what they tried.
We do not publish student counts, ratings, awards, certifications or partnerships on this page. For anything not listed, ask us.
We share these directly, so what you get is current and specific to your child rather than a number that may not apply.
Ask us
Changes through the year
Nothing before the trial
Every new family can book one free trial class. Your child works through a real problem with the method, and you see how the session runs — before any payment.
Metro Pillar No. A689, Dr Atmaram Estates, 3rd Floor, Nizampet X Roads, Nizampet, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500072
Five things that help, and one that quietly does not.
“What could you try?” opens a door. “The answer is 12” closes one.
Wait longer than feels comfortable. That pause is the whole exercise.
Including trying something you can see will not work.
“Is there another way?” is worth asking even after they got it right.
Explaining out loud is how children find their own mistakes.
Praise the attempt and the reasoning, not just the correct answer.
And the one that does not help: stepping in the moment a child looks stuck. It feels supportive, and it removes exactly the part they came to practise.
Brolly Juniors is a children’s learning centre at Nizampet X Roads running activity-based skill programmes for ages 3–16. Problem solving runs for ages 8–15.
Parents looking for kids learning activities or skill development classes in Hyderabad most often reach us from the areas around Nizampet X Roads. We do not claim centres or branches in areas where we do not have them.
Metro Pillar No. A689, Dr Atmaram Estates, 3rd Floor, Nizampet X Roads, Nizampet, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500072
Beside Sri Bhramaramba Theatre, near JNTU Metro Station.
Tell us your child’s age and where they usually get stuck, and we will say whether this or brain games is the better fit.
What is worth checking before enrolling anywhere — including here.
If there is no named, repeatable method, children are just doing worksheets.
Problems with one lookup-able answer teach recall, not method.
A class that rescues children quickly is comfortable and not very useful.
Comparing solutions needs a group small enough for everyone to speak.
This programme starts at 8. Younger children usually do better with brain games.
Nobody can promise better school results from a thinking class.
Get current figures directly rather than relying on a webpage.
Watch one session. It answers more than any brochure.
Several programmes build on the same thinking skills from different directions.
Puzzles and reasoning, taken further — and the better fit under age 8.
♟️One strategy game, studied properly.
🧮Quick calculation and number sense.
🦾Building and debugging something physical.
🧭Deciding and delegating in a team.
🤝Explaining your reasoning clearly.
Clear explanation
Guided activities
Visible outcomes
Short, direct answers to the questions parents search for most.
Working out what to do when you do not already know the answer — understanding the problem, planning an approach, trying it, and checking the result.
We will not promise that. What families tend to notice is a child who reads a hard question twice instead of giving up on it — a habit that shows up in maths first.
This programme starts at age 8, because the method needs some reading and number confidence. For younger children, brain games cover puzzles and reasoning at a level that suits them better.
Tell us your child’s class and what they enjoy. We will suggest the closest program fit—no pressure and no upfront payment.