{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/children--guessing-games","type":"mechanic","id":"children--guessing-games","lang":"en","title":"Guessing through questions and partial information","summary":"One participant knows the answer and another reconstructs it from clues. In Heads Up! friends describe a word the guesser cannot see.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/children--guessing-games/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/children--guessing-games.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/children--guessing-games.md","aliases":["Guessing through questions and clues"],"tags":["Children’s games","Story, communication and creativity"],"sourceIds":["source-52e48502e240574e"],"sources":[{"id":"source-52e48502e240574e","title":"Heads Up!","url":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/heads-up/id623592465?uo=4","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"One player knows an answer while another narrows the options through questions, acting or guesses."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants\n\n<a id=\"guessing-games-variants\"></a>\n\n- Think of an object and answer questions <a id=\"guessing-games-1\"></a>\n- Remove unsuitable cards after an answer <a id=\"guessing-games-2\"></a>\n- Act out a word without speaking <a id=\"guessing-games-3\"></a>\n- Identify an object by touch without seeing it <a id=\"guessing-games-4\"></a>\n- Guess a sound performed by another player <a id=\"guessing-games-5\"></a>\n- Reveal an image one fragment at a time <a id=\"guessing-games-6\"></a>\n- Create a clue without naming the answer <a id=\"guessing-games-7\"></a>\n- Switch the clue-giver role after a successful guess <a id=\"guessing-games-8\"></a>"},{"id":"example","title":"Design example","body":"Hypothetical visitor game: ask questions to identify the character hidden behind a door."},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"An action map for children’s digital, board, active and mixed games. An instructional goal is optional: children can invent stories, explore toys, compete or enjoy play itself. Select age suitability, reading demands, controls and pace separately; different implementations can suit different ages. Learning tasks and instructional support have their own reference."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"children","id":"guessing-games","title":"Children’s games","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/children/#guessing-games","categoryIds":["social"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Guessing through questions and clues","description":"One participant knows the answer and another reconstructs it from clues. In Heads Up! friends describe a word the guesser cannot see.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/touch-heads-up-0.webp","width":665,"height":1440,"crop":{"x":0,"y":314,"width":665,"height":923},"game":"Heads Up!","sourceUrl":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/heads-up/id623592465?uo=4","originalUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource211/v4/1d/00/4b/1d004bc2-47ac-fb70-1eb9-d42e1a2f1c80/Screen1.jpg/720x1560bb.jpg","credit":"Warner Bros.","rights":"© Warner Bros.. Developer-distributed app screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"Heads Up!: friends see the word while the phone’s holder receives clues","alt":"Heads Up!: friends see the word while the phone’s holder receives clues","markers":[{"x":67,"y":30,"label":"The forehead word is visible to others but not the holder"}]},"tips":["Choose familiar categories and explain which types of clues are allowed."],"examples":[{"title":"Heads Up!","url":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/heads-up/id623592465?uo=4"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Play-focused selection adapted from the original children-education taxonomy, with original editorial additions dated 2026-10-20. Developer sources support specific examples, not the entire classification.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/children"}}