About 10 minutes. The game looks right, so now your child decides the rules: what happens, and how it ends.

Your task

Play the game as it is now, then choose the rules. Start with the two that matter most: what happens when you tap one, and how the game ends.

You’ll need

• Page 3 of the design sheets (the play page), or plain paper or a tablet
• Pens or crayons
• The game, so your child can play it while they think

The worksheet is just there to help. Your child can come up with any rules they like, including ones that aren’t on it.

Parent guide

What your child does: plays the game as it is, then fills in the play page, with your help if they want it. You can do the writing, but the ideas need to be theirs.

What you do: ask the questions below, one at a time. Let your child keep playing while they think. It’s much easier to decide what should happen when you can see what happens now.

Draw it, write it, or both. A drawing of a popped bubble with a big score next to it is just as good as a sentence.

Before you move on, make sure you know:

• What happens when you tap one
• How the game finishes

The special one, the points and the message at the end are all bonuses.

Questions to ask:

• How fast should they float up?
• What should happen when you tap one?
• Is there a special one? What makes it special?
• How many points is the special one worth?
• How does the game finish?
• What should it say at the end?

Sentence starters:

• “They float up slowly / not too fast / fast”
• “When you tap one, it…”
• “The special one is…”
• “It’s worth … points”
• “The game finishes when…”
• “At the end it says…”

The big idea: how a game looks and how it plays are different things. The rules need deciding too, and if your child doesn’t decide them, the computer will.