“Who Am I?” is an activity where each player wears a card on their forehead with the name of a famous person, animal, or fictional character, without knowing who they are.

By asking only yes/no questions, each player tries to figure out their identity. 

The first player to guess correctly wins the learning-game!

Skill focus

Primary Skill Focus

• Problem-solving

Complementary/Secondary Skill Focus

• Critical thinking

Age group	Student number	Duration
6-10 years old	whole class working in pairs or small groups	50-100 minutes

Proposed step by step implementation of the learning activity

1. Write the name of a person, animal, profession or famous figure on each post-it note.
2. Stick a post-it notes on the forehead of each player without them seeing what is written on it.
3. Choose someone to start. That person may ask one yes/no question to a classmate. Then it is the next player’s turn.
4. If someone thinks they know who they are, they may take a guess during their turn.
5. The game ends when everyone has correctly guessed their post-it note.

Set up tables or mats on the floor where small groups of 3–6 players can comfortably sit.  Let them sit in circle. This makes it easy for everyone to ask each other questions.

Outdoor: In a quiet and clean environment, the pupils can also sit outside in a circle.

Outdoors, the game can also be played while moving around. Everyone walks around and you can ask a question when you bump into someone. This way, there is not only movement but also more interaction between the different players.

The learning game ‘ Who Am I?’ encourages problem solving because players must actively develop strategies to discover their identity. They first learn to gather information by asking specific yes/no questions and then must logically analyse which questions will lead them to the answer most quickly. Players plan their approach: they decide which categories to exclude first and how to use their questions as efficiently as possible.

As a result of this activity, students will:

• be able to gather and analyse information through yes/no questions; 
• able to ask effective and logical questions; 
• able to use reasoning to eliminate unlikely options and identify their hidden identity; 
• able to adapt their thinking based on new information and responses from others.

• Choose themes that are appropriate for the lesson (professions, animals,  historical figures, etc.).
• Post-it on forehead: “Horse”

Questions:

1.     Am I an animal? ✅

2.     Am I a human? ❌

3.     Do I have four legs? ✅

4.     Can I fly? ❌

5.     Can I run fast? ✅

6.     Do I have a tail? ✅

7.     Do I have a long neck? ✅

8.     Do I make sounds like neighing? ✅

9.     Can people ride me? ✅

10.  Do I live on a farm or in a stable? ✅

11.  Am I smaller than a dog? ❌12. Do I eat grass? ✅

• Post-it notes
• Pens or markers

Helpful questions before the game (preparation and strategy) 

• How can you ask questions in such a way that you quickly obtain a lot of information? 
• Which category do you think is useful to exclude first (e.g. animal, profession, famous person)? 
• What can you do if you are not sure what the answer is?

Helpful questions during the game  (process guidance) 

• Which questions have helped you and which haven’t? 
• Can you try a different strategy to get to the answer faster? 
• What do you think someone else would ask if they were in your position? 
• Can you combine information from different answers to rule something out?

• Challenge: Students may ask questions that are too specific too early in the game.
  Tip: Encourage students to start with broad category questions and gradually narrow down the possibilities step by step.
• Challenge: Students may struggle to think of effective questions.
  Tip: Suggest using opposite questions or eliminating large groups of possibilities at once to make questioning more strategic.
• Challenge: Students may forget previous answers or repeat the same questions.
  Tip: Encourage students to listen carefully, remember eliminated options, or write down important clues before making a guess.

• Beginners (6-years old): 

•  The general category of the characters can be given. For example: everyone is a plant.
• Hints can be given if they are struggling.
• Playing together in pairs: Two students can guess together and help each other ask questions.

• Advanced learners (8-9 years old):

•  Provide a slightly broader mix of categories (e.g., animals, professions, and well-known characters) without narrowing them too much. 
• Encourage students to ask both category and detail questions (e.g., “Am I an animal?” and “Do I live in water?”). 
• Allow students to work individually but support them with occasional peer discussion if needed. 
• Reduce hints compared to beginners, but still offer minimal support when students are stuck. 
• Encourage students to explain briefly why they think a certain answer helps them get closer to the solution.

• Expert learners (9-10 years old): 

• Use more challenging categories, such as historical figures, book characters, or professions. 
• Limit the number of questions each player may ask before making a guess. 
• Encourage students to explain their reasoning after each question or guess. 
• Add a time limit to increase strategic thinking and quick decision-making. 
• Let students create their own characters or categories for classmates to guess.

• Which strategy worked best to find the answer? Why?
• Which questions were less effective and what would you do differently next time?
• Did you discover new ways of thinking during the game that you can use for other problems?
• How can you better plan which questions to ask first?