Engage Your Students with This Fun Kindergarten Math Game: Dice Grid Challenges!
Last month, I introduced you to our little panda friend, part of the Dice Grid Printable Game Pack. Today, I’m excited to share an extra way to use these game boards, perfect for extending your students’ math skills in an engaging, hands-on way. Whether your learners are just beginning to grasp basic addition or are ready for an extra challenge, this game provides a fun and versatile activity for your kindergarten math centers.
How to Play Dice Grid Math:
In this game, students will work to cover their entire game board, using number cards and dice. They can play independently or with a partner, and the winner is the player who covers the last two squares on their mat. Here’s how it works:- Shuffle a set of number cards (with sums from 2-12) and place them face down.
- Students take turns flipping a card and finding two dice that match the total on the card. For example, if a student flips the number 11, they would cover a 6 and a 5 on the mat.
- Play continues until a student can no longer place two numbers, or the board is completely covered.
How Does This Game Build Math Skills?
This activity offers excellent practice in:- Addition: Students need to add two dice together to find the sum that matches their number card.
- Subitizing: By using dice with dot patterns, children strengthen their ability to quickly recognize numbers without counting individual dots, a key early math skill.
- Number sense: As students play, they build confidence in working with numbers and develop their understanding of how numbers can be broken down and combined in different ways.
Challenge Extension for Advanced Learners:
If you have students ready for a higher-level challenge, try this twist:- when they place dice on the mat, ask them to find the doubles. For example, if they cover a 6 and a 5, they will mentally calculate 5+5+6+6. In their math journals, they can record: “5 + 5 = 10” and “6 + 6 = 12” and then add, writing “10 + 12 = 22.”
- This introduces them to the concept of doubling and reinforces mental math strategies while still making the game fun and interactive.
Why You’ll Love This Kindergarten Math Game
This easy-to-prep game is flexible and adaptable for any math level, making it a great option for differentiation in your classroom. All you need are dice (or use our printable dot cards) and the game mats from the Dice Grid Printable Pack. With 20 fun-themed mats, like the panda I shared in our last newsletter, there’s plenty to choose from to keep your students engaged.Don’t have the panda mat yet? Don’t worry! You can grab it when you join my newsletter (scroll to the bottom of this post).
Looking for More Ideas for Kindergarten Math Games?
The Dice Grid Printable Game Pack is packed with 20 game mats that can be used in various ways, making math time fun and interactive for your students. Keep a few sets of number cards ready on your math shelf for variations like this! Whether you’re focusing on simple addition or exploring higher-level concepts like doubling, these fast-prep games are a fantastic addition to your math centers.