Resource Reviews: Guess Who?
Note: All our reviews are based on clinical experience in face to face sessions with paediatric populations. We only review resources we have experience using, are well regarded in the speech language pathologist world, and have lots of uses in therapy sessions for numerous different therapy goals.
What is Guess Who?
Guess Who? is a classic two-player game where each player chooses a character card from a pool of 24 possible characters. The goal is to figure out the opponent’s character by asking yes-or-no questions about features like hair color, hats, or facial expressions. Players gradually eliminate characters based on the answers until only one remains.
Age Range
Recommended age range is 5 years and up.
Who Is Connect Four For?
Children with expressive and receptive language challenges
Kids working on social communication skills (like asking questions or turn-taking)
Children developing vocabulary related to categories and attributes (e.g., colors, shapes, or facial features)
Kids with articulation needs, if the target sounds are related to words used in the game (e.g., "hair," "hat," "glasses")
Who Is Connect Four Not For?
Children with severe communication difficulties who struggle with yes-no questions or answering verbally
Kids with very limited attention spans, as the game requires focused interaction
Children with visual impairments, since the game relies heavily on visual cues
Suggested Therapy Goals
Descriptive Language:
Encouraging the child to describe characters clearly using words like "bald," "glasses," "red hair," or "smiling."
Expanding vocabulary related to physical features.
Forming Questions:
Practicing how to form complete yes-or-no questions.
Helping children understand question structures (e.g., "Does your person have...?" vs. "Your person has...?").
Social Communication Skills:
Practicing turn-taking, patience, and maintaining eye contact during interactions.
Learning to handle winning and losing gracefully.
Articulation Practice:
Using specific characters or features with target sounds. For example:
If working on /s/ sounds: “Does your person have glasses?”
If working on /r/: “Is your person wearing red?”
Extension Ideas for Home/Class
Create a Custom "Guess Who?" Board
Use pictures of family members, pets, or classroom objects instead of the game’s original characters.
This personalizes the activity, making it more engaging and meaningful for the child.
Add Category Challenges
Restrict questions to certain themes (e.g., "only ask about colors" or "only ask about clothing"). This encourages the child to think creatively within a set of rules.
Increase Complexity for Older Kids
Use more complex yes-or-no questions (e.g., "Is your character smiling AND wearing a hat?").
Introduce problem-solving and prediction by encouraging the child to guess the character with fewer questions.
Use as a Barrier Game
Turn "Guess Who?" into a barrier activity where one player describes a character without the other player seeing it. This promotes clearer descriptions and active listening.
Role-Reversal Practice
Have the child be the one who answers questions while the parent or peer guesses. This promotes the ability to give accurate responses under pressure.
Play in Groups
Involve more players, with one child acting as the "moderator" to help others stick to the rules. This builds teamwork and group communication skills.
Final Thoughts
Fun Factor: 4/5. A fun challenge to try and guess what character your opponent has. Limited engagement potential for children with reduced attention spans is the only caveat.
Replayability: 3.5/5. New questions keep the game fresh for a few round, but can be prone to overstaying its welcome.
Adaptability to Therapy: 5/5. A fun way to work on social skills and asking questions.
Final Score: 4.2/5. A classic, but with limited replay value.
Please note the above information is general in nature and is not intended as professional medical advice. Please seek an appointment with a registered speech-language pathologist if you are at all worried about your child's development.
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Suggested Resources
Guess Who Board Game
Guess Who is a game of guesswork to try and figure out who the other person is before they do the same to you. Great for working on more on social skills and asking relevant questions in a fun environment! Click on the picture to find out more.