A barrier game involves two or more players. One player secretly draws a picture/diagram and hides it from the other players. The picture is carefully described so that the others can draw the image hidden behind the barrier, usually a book standing open.

Here is a drawing to start you off.

Instructions could include:

• Draw a circle near the top of the page.
• Draw a square joined to the bottom of the circle and a bit bigger than the circle.
• Draw two long rectangles from the bottom of the square.
• Draw a smaller rectangle sticking out sideway from each rectangle.
• Draw 3 small triangles in a column in the middle of the square.
• Draw a line at an upward angle from the top right corner of the square and put a small circle on the end.
• Draw a line at a downward angle from the top left corner of the square and put a circle at the end.
• Finish the head any way you like.

Note: your drawing can be as easy or as hard as required.

Where is the maths?

Depending on your diagram and age of child there is plenty of scope for:

• drawing and naming shapes and their properties,
• using numbers and counting,
• giving and following positional language clues including naming angles if appropriate,
• including measurements, e.g. a square with sides 6centimetres.

P.S. Did you know that there is a correlation between visual spatial thinking and positional vocabulary and later maths success?

Stay safe and enjoy some fun maths.