Math Games and Puzzles: Guess My Number

Guess My Number is one of the best math games and puzzles for teaching basic equation solving. This game is an ideal way to softly introduce the topic by reversing operations. The level of difficulty of this game can be easily adjusted to the maths level of your child.

It is always best to promote success first, so I recommend that, as with all math games and puzzles, you start well within the capabilities of your child and then slowly build up the difficulty. Your child will more than likely ask you to do this; it is a highly addictive game that evolves as your child's skills grow.

Objective: To undo a sum to solve for the starting number.

Number of Players: 2.

Materials required: Two pens, two sheets of paper.

How to Play: The two players take it in turn to state a sum. One player is stating the sum, the other is undoing it to solve it.

Step 1:
The player stating the sum picks a number between 1 and 10 inclusive.

She says out loud to the other player "I pick a number..." For example, she may pick the number 7. She writes that number on her secret sheet.

Step 2:

She then decides what to do to it. If she decides to double it, she says "then I double it". She writes the double of her previous number on her page (unseen by her opponent) so she does not forget.

Step 3:

Once she has finished performing operation on the number, she calls out the final result. She then says "What was my starting number?"

The job of the second player is to UNDO the operations one at a time until the starting number is revealed. It is not compulsory to use pen and paper for this, but your child will start to do so after two or more operations are used.

Modifying the game: If you have a young child just in the starting stages of maths, just use one change to the starting number using + or -; this ensures that after a few turns she will experience success with the game.

Children with a higher maths level can simply repeat step 2 more times per round giving longer sums to undo.

The Winner: Score can be kept in this game. You can devise pretty much any system you like, but a simple point for each correct guess is the easiest way.

Learning: The process being employed here is called backtracking and is an essential foundation for equation solving, which is also heavily linked to algebra. Both equation solving and algebra are recognized as key indicators for overall performance in maths. Get your child started early with this best of math games and puzzles; this is fun, easy and very repeatable.

Stay up to date