Task Instructions

• Write the numbers 1 to 6 in a horizontal row. You (Player A) will play the Big Bad Wolf who is
  Player B.
• Every time it is your turn, you can take any number in the list, as long as at
  least one factor of that number is also in the list.
• You get your number and the Big Bad Wolf gets all of the factors of that number that are on the list. For example, if you take a 4, the Big Bad Wolf would get 1 and 2 since those are the factors of 4 left in the list.
• The Big Bad Wolf must get something every time, which means you cannot choose a number if
  no factors of the number remain in the list. When no number in the list has any factors
  left in the list, the game is over and the Big Bad Wolf gets all the numbers that are left in the
  list.

Variation

Try Big Bad Wolf with the numbers 1–10 or the numbers 1–12. Can you find a winning strategy for any string of number?

Materials

Paper and pencil

Reference

From Helping with Math at Home: More Ideas for Parents. 2006. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.