Yufena
For parents

How to use Yufena at home

You don't need to know the answers. You need a big question, about 15–20 minutes and a curious grown-up. Here is the method we use in every lesson, with the haze lesson as a worked example.

Get the worksheetOpen the haze lesson

Before you start

Sit side by side

One screen, two explorers. Let your child hold the tablet or press “Next”.

Let them be wrong first

A wrong guess that gets checked teaches more than a right answer you hand over.

Stop while it's fun

Fifteen happy minutes beat forty tired ones. You can always finish tomorrow.

The method

The seven steps, for grown-ups

Each step has one job. Here is what it is, what to say, what to avoid, and how it looks in the haze lesson.

  1. Ask

    Start from something your child noticed. Turn it into one clear question and write it down where you can both see it.

    Try saying“That's a great question. Let's write it down.”
    Try to avoidThat's easy, it's because...
    Haze example“Why can't the wind blow the haze away?”

  2. Guess

    Before any facts, your child makes a guess and says why. Any guess is a good guess. It gives them something to check later.

    Try saying“What do you think? Why?”
    Try to avoidNo, that's wrong.
    Haze example“Maybe the wind is too weak to push it away.”

  3. Find out

    Collect a few clues, one at a time: from the story, a map, pictures or a trusted source. Two sources that agree are better than one.

    Try saying“What does this picture show us?”
    Try to avoidReading a whole article aloud.
    Haze exampleFour facts: dry-season fires burn in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The monsoon wind blows the smoke towards Malaysia and Singapore. A layer of warm air can sit on top like a pot lid. On calm days there is hardly any wind.

  4. Check

    Put the first guess next to the clues. Right, partly right and “I'm surprised!” all count as wins.

    Try saying“What do we know now that we didn't before?”
    Try to avoidSee, I told you.
    Haze exampleThe guess was partly right: on calm days the wind is weak. The new piece is the warm-air lid.

  5. Chain

    Put the causes in order, from first to last, and say “because” or “so” between each link.

    Try saying“What has to happen before that?”
    Try to avoidGiving the whole chain at once.
    Haze exampleDry season → fires burn → smoke rises → the wind blows it to KL and Singapore → a warm-air lid traps it → we breathe hazy air.

  6. Try it

    A small, safe experiment that shows the idea in real life. Always ask for a prediction before you start.

    Try saying“What do you think will happen?”
    Try to avoidLetting a child handle anything hot.
    Haze exampleA grown-up pours hot tea and holds a cold plate above the cup. The steam gathers under the plate, like smoke under the warm-air lid.

  7. Teach back

    Your child explains the whole chain to someone in about a minute. You are the student. Explaining is how the idea sticks.

    Try saying“I don't get it yet. Can you show me?”
    Try to avoidCorrecting every word.
    Haze example“The fires make smoke, the wind blows it here, and the warm air is like a lid, so the smoke stays.”