How to explain mean, median and mode to kids

“Average” is a word children hear long before anyone explains it. The lessons below start with the simplest idea, the middle of a sorted list, then show that there is more than one kind of average and when an average can mislead.

What the Batch unit “Averages” covers

What's typical? It is unit 3 of the Data Detectives track and has 5 lessons and 48 cards:

1. The Middle
2. Mean = Share It Equally
3. Mode = Most Common
4. When the Average Misleads
5. Boss Level: Review

What the first lesson says

This is the actual text from lesson 1, “The Middle”, word for word:

Five kids each have some cookies. Who has the TYPICAL amount? Not the most — not the least. Just the middle.

An average is a number that's typical for a group — not the biggest, not the smallest. The middle gives one idea of 'typical.'

A question from that lesson to try together

Try it at home

Line up the shoes by the front door from smallest to largest and ask your child which pair is in the middle. Then ask which size turns up most often.

Play the lesson

Open Batch in the browser, choose Data Detectives, and start with Unit 1, Data & Chance, lesson “What is Data?”. Units unlock in order, so Unit 3, “Averages”, opens once the units before it are finished. Whether an account is needed is answered in the FAQ.

Printables for the fridge

Two free PDFs for the Data Detectives track. The checklist lists the lessons from 4 of the track's 4 units.

• What we learned (PDF)
• Fridge checklist (PDF)

More guides: all Batch guides.