Remember six numbers
You will hear six numbers once and repeat them in order. Remembering the values is only part of the task because a swapped pair changes the sequence.
- Brain
- Explorer
- About 15 minutes
Grown-up needed: yes for selecting safe materials and supervising the setup
What you need
- A partner
- A quiet comfortable room
- Paper for checking the sequence
The rule
Hear them once. Say them back in order.
How to do it
- Have your partner prepare a six-number sequence without showing it.
- Listen once to seven, three, nine, one, four, eight.
- Repeat the numbers in the same order.
- Have the partner compare your response with the written sequence.
- Discuss whether grouping three numbers together helped.
- Try a new short sequence with roles swapped.
Why it works
Sequence recall includes both the items and their positions. Grouping several numbers into a familiar or manageable unit can provide a cue, but the group still contains an order you must retain. Seven-three-nine and one-four-eight are possible chunks for this example, not guaranteed easy units for everyone. Quiet conditions can reduce competing information. A single six-number trial cannot describe a person’s whole memory capacity, and success with the same sequence after practice is a different task from first hearing it.
Make it harder
- Compare groups of two with groups of three.
- Explain the difference between a missing and a swapped number.
- Predict how practice changes the task before repeating an old sequence.
Ask Taz
- Why does order matter as well as the numbers?
- Why can grouping give a useful cue?
- Why is repeating a practised sequence different from a new one?
For grown-ups
Use ordinary sample numbers, never phone numbers, passwords or personal codes. Read at a comfortable pace and avoid comparing children. If six feels too much, choose fewer and label the change honestly. Ask at dinner: “Did your strategy help remember the values, their order, or both?”
Taz is an AI and can be wrong, so stay close by. Read how safety works on Taz.
Show us yours
Film your hands and what you made, not your face or name. Ask a grown-up before posting anywhere else.
Questions parents ask
Is a wrong answer a failed activity?
No. Keep the first answer and compare it with the revealed objects, timing or rule. That comparison tells you what to change next. The activity offers one observation of a strategy, and it does not provide a general score for intelligence or ability.
How can a grown-up help?
Prepare the safe space and agree the rule before starting. Ask the child to describe the clue or strategy they used, then check the actual result together. Offer a shorter adapted version if needed and say clearly how it differs from the original challenge.
Should we share the result?
Sharing is optional. A discussion at home is enough, and the privacy line above applies to any online post.
More to try
See all Taz Challenges, or look through the science labs. One place for every why. Ask for early access at aitaz.com