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The Price Guess

Without looking at the prices, rank the dishes you'd expect to be most expensive, then check how close you were.

Ages 6–1010–15 min1–6 kidsHousehold items

Each person covers the price column and picks 5 dishes they'd expect to be the most expensive, ranked from most to least. Then uncover the prices and compare. Count how many you ranked correctly. The game teaches that price logic is not obvious. Children assume elaborate-sounding things cost more (not always true) and plain-sounding things cost less (also not always true). No money is spent and no lessons need to be given. The surprise does the work.

What you need

  • The menu

How to do it

  1. 1Cover the price column with your hand and say: "Before we look — guess. Which five things on here cost the most?"
  2. 2Each person announces their ranking before anyone checks.
  3. 3Reveal actual prices. Count correct rankings. The surprises teach more than any explanation would.

Variations

  • If they're unsure where to start: you guess out loud first and let them agree, disagree, or correct you.
  • How it ends: the reveal lands right as the waiter takes the order — the close is built into the next thing that was happening anyway.

💡 Parent tip

The most interesting discussions come from surprises. A simple dish that costs more than expected, or a fancy-sounding one that's cheap. Ask 'why do you think that is?' rather than explaining. Their theories are usually partly right and more memorable than a correct answer.

What your child develops

  • Informal economic reasoning — price reflects ingredient cost, labor, rarity, and perception, not just appearance
  • Calibration — comparing a prediction to reality builds the habit of testing assumptions against evidence
  • Numeracy in context — reading and comparing prices is real-world number work without being a math exercise

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