Name that Number!: A Guessing Game

What You Need:

• Just yourself and your child

What You Do:

1. Think of a number from 0- 10. Tell your child they'll have ten guesses to figure it out.
2. As your child makes guesses, you'll give “higher” and “lower” responses to help steer them to the unknown number. A typical game might go like this: Parent: I'm thinking of a number between 0 and 10. Child: Is it 10? Parent: No, lower. Child: Is it 2? Parent: No, higher. So now we know it's between 2 and 10....Like that, with encouragement until your child lands on target.
3. As your child's ability and confidence grow, change roles so that you're the one guessing the number and your child gives the clues.
4. Eventually, increase the range of numbers to 0-50, or change the range to start with a higher number, such as 30-50.

Kids will likely focus on the fun of the guessing, and the added delight of tricking mom or dad with clues. But they're also learning a key preschool math concept: how to compare, describe, and order numbers by more or less. If the game is too hard at first, you can give extra support by jotting down a quick number line for your child to reference when they need a hint. If it's too easy, you can limit the number of guesses your child can make, or challenge them to guess the number within a certain time frame.