Games using Dice

Dice games in the primary classrooms

Dice is essentially a randomizer. Since it helps create random numbers - any activity that requires random numbers can use dice.
Example: Instead of teacher given numbers for math exercises - children enjoy using dice to generate their own numbers and then do the problems. Obviously the trick is then to get children check each other's answers (classwork or even homework) - there by multiplying the learning.
While we talk about uses of Dice in classroom here, any other randomizer can be used for any of the activities listed below. (For a list of zero cost randomizers pl visit www.geniekids.com/randomizers). What we like about the dice as a tool for pre primary children is the dots on the dice make it easy for children to count and knwo the number - also they automatically relate the quantity to the number.

The games below use single or a combination of two or three dices. Use different coloured dice if you want to use one dice as units place and another as tens place digit.
Also some activities require making your own dice - you can either paste on top of dice bought from market or make origami dice (google for origami dice or cube)

MATHS (for primary classes)
Well dice is all about numbers - so many simple math games can be played using dices. Since these games are fairly obvious - we give only the very brief description for you to build on. Get children to record their rolls in a note book - this makes their number experience concrete and builds early pencil-paper work skills.:

Larger roll wins - could be based on just the number on the dice or on addtion or subtraction or multiplication of two or three dice rolled together.
Roll till you reach a particular target total - whoever reaches in smaller number of rolls wins. This could be based on addition or subtraction (target could be zero while starting at say 30) multiplication or a combination of any operand. Obviously children may have to skip certain rolls if those are not suitable for them to reach the target.
Timer based highest total - children roll - add - roll again - add - as fast in the given time. Whoever reaches the highest total wins - do in pairs so that each becomes a check for the other. The other in the pair can be given a calculator to check the first player's total.
Get all the numbers - write a series of numbers in the note book (say 2 to 12 for a standard dice) - now children roll two dice and try to get all the numbers one by one (keep canceling as you get them).
Write the largest (or smallest) number using the dice rolls (2-4 dices) as digits - eg: if I roll three dices and got 4,2, and 5 - then 542 is largest and 245 is smallest.
Play cricket using Dice - 1 to 6 are 'runs' except for 5 is 'out'. Let each child have 11 batsman - so they total each batsman's score as well as their total team score to see who is the winner.
Children also love making their own tracks (like car race, or ludo) and play race to reach the 'home'. Tracks are a great way to build the number line concept. Add all kind of fun rules in random boxes.
Use a hundreds board (or a snakes and ladders board). This game is to reinforce multiplication tables. Children own a number (can be decided by roll of dice eg player1 get '3' and player2 gets '5'). Now player1 can move only on the multiples of 3 while player2 can move only on the multiples of 5 on the board. So if player1 throws 2 on dice - she moves to 6; if player2 throws 3 on dice she moves to 15.
Another game to reinforce multiplication tables. Here children use 2 or 3 dice (they can decide how many to roll) to try and form all the numbers in a particular number's table - which they can form using addition, subtraction or multiplication.
Obviously a lot of learning games can be made using custom made dices: Examples: (i) Making dice with only even numbers (children realise they can never get any odd numbers by just using even numbers no matter what operand they use; (ii) Making dice with multiples of same number or only prime numbers and so on.

Apart from maths a lot of pre primary and primary school activities can benefit from the zing that a dice brings into any activity. Here are some examples - just to get you excited into creating your own many custom dices for various purposes.

Colour dice with each face a different colour - now children, to decide which colour to use for a particular task, use the colour dice.
Vowel Dice - Write the six vowels (a,e,i,o,u and y) starting consonants. Children pick up words and try making sensible (or nonsensical) words by changing or adding the vowel with the one that the dice throws up (eg change bag to beg or bug or big or bog).
Consonant Dice - similar to above - children write any six consonants and depending on the letter that comes up - try to change any letter in a given word to create a new word. (Sand changes to Land or Sank). Each face can have more than one consonant or can even have phonemes or phonic blends.
Rhyming Dice - Write six rhyming words on the six faces. Now children roll the dice and for each word make a sentence ending with that word. With further rolls children create rhyme out of four or more rolls.
Picture Dice - paste six random pictures on a dice and then children as they roll the dice either make a story or write a simple composition based on the pictures that the dice throws up.
Tune Dice - Write six popular songs on two dice - roll together - sing one song in the tune of the song on the other dice.
Constraint Dice - Put six interesting constraints on a dice. Now either for the whole day or for a specific activity children will have to follow the constraint they get (example constraints - cannot use thumb, cannot speak, cannot ask questions, cannot make excuse, etc)
Choice Dice - this is basically a variation of problem solving dice - where six choices are given to the child if the child finds himself emotionally or socially stuck. Example: I am upset over broken clay piece - i can laugh aloud, or ask a friend to help, or sing a song about my sorrows, or restart etc.

A note on making custom dice - get a carpenter to cut some cubes for you out of waste wood - then children use chalk to write on plain wooden dice - then the same dice can be used over and over again. Or paste papers on each side of a large plastic dice (commonly available in toy shops) and then children use pencils to write and then erase.

So in concise:
A roll of a dice
Can add spice
and break the ice
to make any work nice
so don't think twice
just take my advice
Use dice as fun device