Which game should I pick?
“There are dozens of games — how do I choose?”
Pick on three things: the age of the class, how much noise you can afford, and whether you want the maths to be visible.
AGES 5–8. Use the junior games. They show planks, paw prints, balloons and coins rather than numbers, nobody ever loses points they have already collected, and the rounds are short.
WHEN YOU WANT THE MATHS TO BE THE POINT. Target 21 is the one game where a child can work out exactly what will bust them — "I am on 17, a 5 kills me". Sum Surge is next best: the bonus and the danger are the same event.
WHEN THE ROOM NEEDS TO GET LOUD. Press Your Luck, Chaos Countdown and Risk It Rally all get more dangerous as the round goes on, so the noise builds on its own.
FOR A NERVOUS CLASS. Streak Builder is the only game where failing does not cost you everything — finished legs are banked and safe, and dropping the baton only costs the leg you were running.
Every game is balanced to pay roughly the same for roughly the same nerve, so you can play three different ones in a lesson and the scores still mean something against each other.