How Can Kids Practise Planning Ahead? Try a Strategy Game
A simple barrel game lets children practise planning moves, managing limited power-ups and adapting when the board changes.
Kids can practise planning ahead by making choices, seeing what happens and adjusting their next move. In this barrel strategy game, irregular character pieces fall freely and settle under gravity. Matching faces merge into a new character only when their physical shapes touch. Each power-up is limited, and the round ends when the pile reaches the top.
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Barrel Strategy
Drop irregular character pieces into the barrel. They tumble and settle under gravity; matching faces merge only when their shapes touch. The run ends when the pile reaches the top.
Move the next character above the barrel, then tap or release to drop it.
Drag across the barrel and release, or tap to drop. Use left/right and Space or Down on desktop. Power-up 1 changes the current face to a different random upcoming face; 2 arms a bomb to drop; 3 shakes the barrel.
There is no single perfect sequence to find. A drop that works in one arrangement may not help in the next, so players need to watch the moving pile and decide what matters now.
Discover: notice the changing board
Aim the next face by moving it left or right along the top of the barrel. Tap or click to drop it; on a touchscreen, you can also drag across the barrel and release. On a keyboard, use the left and right arrows to aim and Space or Down to drop. The odd-shaped pieces tumble and settle wherever gravity and the other pieces take them. Matching faces merge only when their physical outlines touch, and that merge may bring another pair together. If the pile reaches the top line, the round ends.
Ask the player to pause occasionally and notice:
- Where might the next shape settle?
- Which matching faces are close enough that their outlines might touch?
- How close is the pile to the top?
These are invitations to observe, not hints with one right answer. Let the player aim, drop and see how gravity, shape and contact change the arrangement.
Learn: treat power-ups as limited resources
Each round starts with two uses of each power-up:
- Swap randomly replaces the face waiting above the barrel with a different early face; it does not move pieces already inside.
- Bomb turns the waiting piece into a bomb. Drop it onto a face to clear all matching pieces; the unsupported pieces then fall under gravity.
- Shake makes the pieces wobble and tumble; matching shapes may touch and merge.
Before using one, ask: “What problem do you want this to solve?” A swap changes only the next drop, while a bomb must be aimed at a face and may open space beneath other pieces. A shake jostles every piece: it may create a useful contact and a merge, or leave the pile less settled.
The point is not to save every power-up or use them as quickly as possible. Choosing when to spend a limited resource is part of the strategy.
Do: make a plan, then adapt it
Try a second round with a small personal goal, such as keeping the pile low or trying to merge a particular face. Before aiming or using a power-up, say what you expect to happen. After the pieces settle, check what actually changed and decide whether to keep the same plan.
Parents and teachers can take turns playing or observing. Instead of directing every move, ask:
- “Which face are you hoping will meet the one you drop?”
- “Would you use a power-up now or keep it for later? Why?”
- “What changed your plan?”
There is no timer, and restarting is always an option. A thoughtful choice that does not work is still useful information for the next round. The aim is to explore different strategies, not to compare players or turn one score into a measure of ability.
If you would like more low-preparation ideas for family practice, see our English activities to try at home. Teachers can also explore BXB FutureLabs education programmes.