Guess the number

A game for 2 players or teams

This game is a variation of the popular game Guess Who? ™. It encourages thinking about the properties of numbers and can be used to focus on particular numbers or concepts.

You will need:

  • Numbers appropriate to the area of focus (e.g. large numbers, decimals, fractions etc). Numbers can be prewritten on sticks or cards, or players can write their own according to instructions (e.g. numbers less than 1000, numbers with up to 3 decimal places).
  • How to play

    Each player or team picks 10 numbers and secretly chooses one of their opponent's numbers as their target number.

    Players then take turns to ask their opponent a question to determine which of their numbers is the target (e.g. Is it a multiple of 5? Does it have more than 1 decimal place?), turning over or crossing off any number which doesn't fit the answer.

    The winner is the player or team that guesses their opponent's number with the fewest questions.

    Variations

  • Display appropriate vocabulary, for place value and properties, to support questioning.
  • Questions must include a chosen word to focus on particular properties (e.g. factor, multiple).
  • Alter how many numbers each team picks at the start of the game.
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