Random Number Generator Games: 9 Ideas for Class and Parties

A random number generator looks like a simple tool, but it can run a whole lesson or a party game. Set any range, pick one number or several, and choose whether numbers may repeat. Here are nine games that need nothing else: no cards, no boards, just a screen everyone can see.

1. Guess My Number

The generator picks a secret number from 1 to 100 (keep the screen hidden, or let one player look). Players take turns guessing, and after each guess the host says only "higher" or "lower". The player who guesses it wins.

It hides a neat piece of maths. If you always guess the middle of the numbers that are left (50, then 25 or 75, and so on), you halve the options every time, so you never need more than 7 guesses for 1 to 100. For 1 to 1,000 you need at most 10. Ask the class to work out why before you tell them.

2. Higher or Lower

Draw a number from 1 to 10 and show it. Everyone stands and guesses whether the next number will be higher or lower: hands up for higher, hands down for lower. Draw the next number. Wrong guesses sit down, and if the number is the same, everyone stays in. The last player standing wins.

It is also a quiet lesson in probability. After a 9, "lower" is the smart guess, and after a 5 or a 6 it is close to a coin flip.

3. Number Bingo

Each player draws a 3 by 3 grid and fills it with any nine different numbers from 1 to 30. Set the generator to 1 to 30 with no repeats and draw one number at a time. Players cross out numbers as they are called, and the first to complete a line shouts "Bingo!"

For a maths version, call a sum instead of the number, such as "6 times 4" for 24, so players have to work it out first. Classic 75-ball bingo uses 1 to 75, if you want a longer game with bigger cards.

4. Place Value Build

Players draw a row of three or four boxes: hundreds, tens and ones. Set the generator to 0 to 9 and draw one digit at a time. After each digit, players must write it in one of their empty boxes, and they cannot move it later. The biggest number at the end wins, or the smallest, or the closest to 500.

It works for any age: with younger children use two boxes, with older ones add decimals.

5. Target Number

Draw a target from 100 to 999, then draw six smaller numbers from 1 to 10. Players use any of the six numbers, once each, with plus, minus, times and divide to get as close to the target as they can. It is the same idea as the numbers round on the British TV show Countdown. Give everyone two minutes, then compare answers.

6. Random Fizz Buzz

The class counts around the room, one number each. Any multiple of 3 is replaced by "fizz", any multiple of 5 by "buzz", and multiples of both (15, 30, 45...) by "fizz buzz". Anyone who slips up sits down.

The random twist: draw the starting number (for example 37) so nobody can rehearse, or draw the two "fizz" and "buzz" numbers themselves, such as 4 and 7, for a harder round.

7. Mystery Page

Set the range to the number of pages in the class book or a dictionary, and draw a page. Everyone opens that page and races to find a target: the longest word, a word starting with Q, a noun, or the first number on the page. It is a quick, fun way to practise reading and dictionary skills.

8. Number Line Race

Draw a number line from 0 to 20 on the board, with two teams starting at 0. Each team takes turns drawing a number from 1 to 4 and moving that many steps. Landing exactly on 20 wins, and an overshoot means you bounce back. Swap the range to 1 to 6 and it is the same as rolling a die, so you can also play it with the dice roller.

9. Lucky Seat

Number the seats or desks. At the end of the lesson or the party, draw one number: whoever sits there wins a small prize, a sticker or the first pick of the next game. Draw several with no repeats to pick helpers for the day. For prize draws with entries and backup winners, see how to pick a giveaway winner fairly.

Tips for Using the Generator in Class

• Show the screen. When everyone can see the draw, nobody can say the teacher chose.
• Use "no repeats" for bingo and draws, and allow repeats for games like Higher or Lower and the number line race.
• Check the range. Both ends are included, so 1 to 10 can give 1 or 10.

For more ideas with wheels, dice and name pickers, see 15 classroom games with a random picker.

FAQ

What games can you play with a random number generator?

Guess My Number, Higher or Lower, number bingo, place value build, target number, random fizz buzz, mystery page, a number line race and lucky seat draws.

How many guesses do you need to find a number from 1 to 100?

At most 7, if you always guess the middle of the numbers that are still possible. For 1 to 1,000 you need at most 10.

How do you play number bingo with a random number generator?

Players fill a 3 by 3 grid with numbers from 1 to 30. Draw numbers from 1 to 30 with no repeats, cross them out, and the first player with a full line wins.

Can the random number generator avoid repeats?

Yes. Set how many numbers you want and keep no repeats ticked, and each number is drawn only once.