20 Questions

Opening Discussion

This game works well as a reflective exercise after you have explored outside, been on a field trip, etc. Reflect on some of the things your students observed during that experience. Did any of the things they observed surprise them? What were some of the most memorable parts of the activity or trip? Tell them that you are going to play a game based on what they experienced.

The Challenge

Try to guess what your classmate is thinking!

Doing the Activity

Tell the children the name of the game and the rules.  The rules are as follows:

1. One child will be the “Thinker”. The other students are all “Guessers”.
2. The Thinker will think of something that he/she saw during the activity or trip you just took. The thing he/she thinks of can be anything—it could be an a living thing, an inanimate object, a place or even a person.
3. The Thinker will not tell the Guessers what he or she is thinking of—the Guessers must ask questions and try to figure out what the Thinker has chosen.
4. All questions MUST be “yes” or “no” questions—meaning the Thinker’s answers can only be “yes” or “no”.

Ask for a volunteer to be the “Thinker”, have them imagine something they observed, then play the game!

Let’s Talk About It

Once your class has guessed the first person, place or thing, stop and talk about the game. Was it easy or hard to guess what their classmate was thinking of? What were some of the questions that helped them figure it out? Were there any questions they could have asked that might have helped them guess sooner?

Build On What They Talked About

Play again with another volunteer acting as the “Thinker.” Keep playing, with new Thinkers until you are out of time or the children seem to be done with the activity.