Twenty Questions

What You Do:  

1. Ask about his school day. When he tells you that it went “ok” and that he learned “some stuff,” it's time to start the game. Pick a specific class and start with the broadest question: “In science/social studies/art, did you learn about a person, place or thing?  I bet I can guess what/who it is in twenty questions.”
2. Remember, after you guess the category (person, place, thing), you must only ask yes or no questions. It'll work best if you work your way from general questions to more specific questions. Here are some examples of the kinds of questions you could ask your kid:
   For a person:
   • "Is she a woman?”
   • “Is she alive?”
   • “Did he invent something?”
   • “Was he an explorer?”
   For a place:
   • “Is it someplace from the past?”
   • “Is it someplace on this planet?”
   • “Is it in this country/state?”
   • “Is it a place we've been?”
   For a thing:
   • “Is it something that still exists?”
   • “Is it something on this planet?”
   • “Is it something in this country?”
   • “Is it something you can touch?"
   3. After you've gathered enough general information, start working on specifics. Keep track of how many questions you've asked. Identifying a category doesn't usually count as a (person/place/thing) question, but we'll leave it up to you to decide with your child if it should count or not in your version of the game.