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Recipe for Fun!
Twenty questions is a classic game that can be played almost anywhere as players attempt to guess the secret person, place or thing – with only 20 questions to do so! This is a fun game to play on a road trip, one on one or with a group of kids (and adults) or all ages! It’s a great activity to help young children strengthen their critical thinking skills and learn more about communication.
STEP 1: This game works best with a small to medium-sized group of people, so that everyone gets a chance to ask a question. Choose a random player to be “it.” This could be the youngest player in the group, alphabetically by first name, or the child celebrating a birthday!
STEP 2: Ask the answering player who is “IT” to think of someone or something they know enough about to answer some basic questions about and don’t say it out loud! Classic rules suggest choosing a person, a place, or a thing.
STEP 3: For those that are not “IT”, the goal is to figure out what the “IT” person is thinking of by asking questions to narrow down the possibilities. All questions should have “yes” or “no” answers. For example - “Is it alive?”, “Is it an object?”, “Is it famous?”, “Is it bigger than a toaster?”
STEP 4: Instruct the player group to ask questions in any order, but make sure to go in order so that each player gets to ask at least 1 question. If a player asks a question that can’t be answered with “yes” or “no,” ask them to rephrase it so that it can be, since the person who’s “it” can only say “yes” or “no.” For example, a player could ask, instead of “What color is it?”, suggest they ask, “Does it live in the water?”
Remind the players to try and remember the questions and answers already asked and answered as they ask their own questions. By remembering, they can gather more information about the same topic. For example, you could go from "Does it live in the water?" to “Can I hold it in my hand?”
Classic questions:
- If it’s a person: Are they real? Are they still alive? Has anyone here met them? Are they a singer in a band? Do they play a sport?
- If it’s a place: Do we need a plane to get there? Is it in this country? Is it hot? Is it a famous place? Have I been there before?
- If it’s a thing: Is it an animal? Is it bigger than a car? Is it food? Would it be expensive to buy? Is it in this room?
STEP 5: Play until the total number of questions reaches 20 or until someone guesses the right answer. Make sure to designate a player to keep track of the number of questions asked. If the group reaches 20 questions and they haven’t guessed correctly, then the person who is “IT” should reveal what their secret item is (or you can continue past 20 questions depending upon your time frame).
STEP 6: The person who guesses the right answer is next to be “it,” and they think up their own secret person, place, or thing. If no one guessed correctly, the next “IT” can be a volunteer from the group. Keep the game going until everyone has had a chance to be “IT.”