Grab some dice, pencils and paper and you have a great dice game that you can use for addition or multiplication practice.
I love this simple game for so many reasons. Apart from the fact that the kids love it, I find it great because it uses many different math skills including addition, multiplication, estimation and probability. It is also very easy to prepare and to learn. The other big plus with this game is that it is easily differentiated.
There are variations for addition and multiplication below but you can easily adapt this for subtraction or division.
The first version is called –
3 Rolls to Make 100
This game can be played with 2 players, a small group or even a whole class.
Materials
2 dice, pencil and paper for each player
Object of the Game
In this version, players attempt to create 3 numbers that will add to 100 or as close as possible to 100.
To Play
The teacher or a player rolls the 2 dice and tells the two numbers that are rolled.
Players make a 2 digit number from these 2 numbers, e.g. roll 3 and 5 and students can record 35 or 53. Once the number is recorded, it can’t be changed.
Repeat twice so that players have recorded three 2 digit numbers.
Players add these three numbers together and the player who is closest to 100 is the winner.
The winner scores a point.
Play several rounds.
It really is as simple as that and while students play they are also estimating, adding and considering the probability of certain numbers being rolled. Sometimes working out who is closest to 100 creates a great discussion with more skills required to calculate this.
Now, let’s look at some other versions that you could choose depending on the ability of your students.
Variations of the Game
Addition Games
- 5 Rolls to Make 200: Roll 2 dice five times to create five, 2 digit numbers. Add them together. Aim to get as close as possible to 200.
- 3 Rolls to Make 1000: Roll 3 dice three times to create three, 3 digit numbers. Add them together. Aim to get as close as possible to 1000.
- 2 Rolls to Make 7000: Roll 4 dice two times to create two, 4 digit numbers. Add them together and aim to get as close as possible to 7000.
Multiplication Games
- Roll 3 and Make 200: Roll 3 dice and arrange the numbers in a multiplication equation of 2 digits x 1 digit. Aim to get as close as possible to 200.
- Roll 4 and Make 1,000: Roll 4 dice and arrange the numbers to make a multiplication equation of 3 digits x 1 digit. Aim to get as close as possible to 1,000.
- 2 Rolls to Make 1000: Roll 2 dice two times to create two, 2 digit numbers. Multiply them together and aim to get as close as possible to 1000.
So grab some dice and start rolling. You can easily come up with your own versions to practice different operations.
Wishing you and the children lots of fun with these dice games!
Till next time,
Teresa
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