Teaching Math to Children Using Dice Games
Fun Math Games to Learn Addition, Subtraction & Multiplication Facts
Sep 25, 2009
Dice games have been around for thousands of years, and with good reason! Not only do dice provide hours of fun and entertainment, but they can also be used to practice mathematics skills such as addition, subtraction and multiplication. Following are descriptions and playing instructions for two dice games that offer many variations for teaching math to children of all ages.
Learn Multiplication and Addition Math Facts With Going to Boston
Also known as Yankee Grab and Newmarket, Going to Boston is a well known and easy to play math game that can help kids learn addition and multiplication skills. It can be modified to provide easier or more challenging versions, based on the skill level and age of the players.
Skills Learned
- Less than and greater than
- Addition
- Multiplication
Materials Required
- 3 dice
- Paper and pen for scoring
How to Play Going to Boston
Have each player roll one die. The player with the highest number goes first.
Each player in turn rolls all three of the dice. After the first throw, remove the die with the highest number and put it aside. Roll the two remaining dice and again put the highest number aside. Roll the last die and add up the numbers on all three dice to get the player’s score for that round. Record the score on a pad of paper.
Continue taking turns moving clockwise around the table until all players have had a turn. The highest score for the round wins.
Play a number of rounds and either add up a combined score at the end or tally winning rounds to come up with a game champion.
Variations of Going to Boston
- Play with two dice for younger children to learn addition skills.
- Keep the lowest numbered die rather than highest for a slightly easier game that teaches addition skills.
- Increase the number of dice in the game to 4+ to learn more complicated addition skills.
- Learn multiplication by taking the sum of the first two dice and multiplying it by the third.
Teaching Math to Children with War Math Game Using Dice
Based on the card game by the same name, this is a fun and easy dice game that can be modified to teach addition, subtraction and multiplication skills.
Skills Learned
- Less than and greater than
- Addition
- Subtraction
- Multiplication
- Place value
Materials Required
- 2 dice for each player
- Counters (beads, sticks, rocks, pennies, etc.) and/or paper and pen for scoring
How to Play War
Have each player roll one die. The player with the highest number goes first.
Each player rolls their two dice. The numbers on both dice are added together to come up with an individual player’s score. The player with the highest scoring combination wins the round.
Winning rounds can be noted on a pad of paper with a tally mark under the winning player’s name, or with counters such as beads, rocks, or pennies.
Play a number of rounds and have players add up their counter or tally marks at the end to come up with a game champion.
Variations of the Game War
- Play with one dice for younger children to practice basic less than/greater than sequencing.
- Learn subtraction skills by having players subtract the lower die from the higher die to come up with a number for each round.
- Increase the number of dice in the game to 3+ to teach more complicated addition skills.
- Practice place value skills by having players create a double-digit number from the rolled dice. For example, rolling a two and a five becomes either 25 or 52.
- Learn multiplication skills by multiplying the numbers on the two dice to determine the winning score.
Dice-based math games are a wonderful way for kids to learn addition, subtraction, and multiplication, as well as practice other mathematical skills. With some basic supplies and a little imagination, the possibilities for learning and fun are endless!
Related Articles About Teaching Math Facts to Kids
Readers may also enjoy Learning Addition Facts with Math Games: How to Teach Math to Kids with Classic Card Games for Children.
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