Independent Math Practice With Dice Games
7 Math Games Using Dice For Kindergarten and First Grade Print, Add Dice, Play Over and Over
Summary of 7 Math Games Using Dice For Kindergarten and First Grade
Math games using dice are a great way for students to practice hands-on math. There’s just something about using dice to teach math that makes it so much fun. These roll and add dice games are perfect for independent hands-on learning in the socially distancing classroom as well as for remote at home learning.
Today Santa’s elves are having some fun building s’mores with 7 fun dice games to practice math facts, numbers and more.
Let’s see what those little elves are up to.
This is not a podcast post. It shows up in the podcast tab but, alas, I can’t figure out how to get it to leave. So there’s no podcast episode. Sorry.
Free Printable Math Games Using Dice For Kindergarten and First-Grade
Read to the end to get your own set of S’more Elf Dice Games. Bring a little holiday fun into your student’s math time. Maybe your little elves want to play too.
Why Your Students Need FUN Independent Math Practice
Now more than ever you need resources that your students can do by themselves in the classroom or at home. These dice games are part of a bigger set of independent learning games and activities to meet the needs of your students. (If you want more of these types of resources, scroll to the bottom to get the more you need.)
The World Changed And You Need Resources To Meet The Challenge
We could go into all the reasons these independent learning resources are awesome but the bottom line is this…
Kids need practice with skills, you need easy prep materials they can use again and again and these resources have to be independent, fun and ready to be used at school and at home.
The world has changed and that means we need resources that meet the challenge.
S’more Elf Dice Games 1 and 2
Let’s start really basic. Some of your students need practice with just identifying numbers 1-6. Some may need to count the dots. Some are getting good at subitizing. Use this kindergarten math game using dice to practice counting and subitizing.
Game 1
Use one dice. Roll it. Count the dots. Cover that number on the game board and use that marshmallow, chocolate square or graham cracker to build your smore below.
Each elf has a box to build his smore.
If students are playing independently they take turns building each elf’s smore.
If they are playing with a friend they take turns rolling and building their own s’more.
Play It Again
These S’more Elf math dice games can be played again and again. Either laminate or place in a page protector. I like to store all of these in one page protector and then students can bring the one they want to play to the front. A little less prep for the teacher. (oh, yah!!!!!)
Remote Learning Variations
Students can play along with a pencil and a piece of paper. Divide a piece of paper in half. One half is for recording data and the other half is for building their own s’more.
Example- on zoom call teacher places game board under the camera or uses pdf and shares screen. Play students against the teacher to see who makes the best s’more.
Teacher rolls for students and a s’more piece is marked. Students write the number on one half of their paper and on the other half they begin to build their s’more.
The teacher takes their turn by rolling the dice, counting the dots, covering the s’more piece and drawing a s’more piece.
Play until all the pieces are covered. The player with the most s’more pieces wins.
Game 2
This is the same as Game 1 Roll-Cover-Build but this time students roll two dice and find the sum of those 2 dice. The sum is then covered on the game board and the s’more piece is added to the box to build the s’more.
Use the ideas from game one for remote learning and reusing the games over and over.
Game 3 and 4
Game 3 uses one dice and Game 4 uses 2 dice. It’s the same game but depending on the students skill level they will use 1 or 2 dice.
How To Play Game 3 and 4 Roll-add 10-Cover-Build
Select a game board. Notice the 1 or 2 dice in the corner. Yep? Now you know how many dice to use.
For 1 dice, roll, add 10, find that number on your game mat, cover that piece and use it to build your s’more in the box next to the elf.
For 2 dice, roll, find the sum of the two dice, add 10 and then cover that number on your game mat. Use that s’more piece to build the s’more next to the elf below.
Game 5 and 6
Just like the last two sets of games these come with the options of 1 dice (game 5) or 2 dice (game 6). This is a fun dice game to practice addition and subtraction facts.
For Game 5, roll 1 dice, decide if you want to add or subtract 1 from that number, then cover the answer to your equation on the game board. Use the s’more piece you covered up to build your s’more in the box by your elf.
Game 6 is exactly the same but this time you will use 2 dice. Roll the dice, find the sum, decide if you want to add or subtract 1 from that number. Cove the answer to your equation on the game board. Use the s’more piece you covered up to build your s’more in the box by your elf.
Game 7
Game 7 is for your more advanced students.
In this like a roll and add dice games above but there’s a fun twist.
Roll one dice then, determine which number is needed to make a sum of 10.
So if you roll a 6 you would need 4 to get 10. Cover the number 4 on your game board and then use that piece to build your s’more below.
Remote or Whole Group Socially Distancing- Learning Options
If students can’t have their own game board use this option.
Playing whole group is a good way to practice skills together. Students will need a piece of paper and a pencil. Divide the piece of paper in half. One side will be used to record data. The data are the numbers or equations, depending on the game they’re playing and the other side will be used to draw their s’more.
Elf Against Elf Competition
To make it a competition the class can be one player and the teacher will be the other player. Teacher vs Students is always fun…. Especially when the teacher wins. (maniacal laugh)
Print and Play
This game is perfect for December but there are even more games in the Early Finisher Solution resource. This is a growing resource and every time resources are added the price goes up. If you are curious about what is available and the current price click the link below to answer your questions.
Part Of A Complete Solution
This game is part of a complete solution. This is the same system I used in my Kindergarten and First-Grade classrooms to keep my early finishers learning and busy so I could do other teachery things. (There’s nothing worse than having an early finisher screaming that they are done and not having anything for them to do.) This system made my students independent. I didn’t even have to tell them what to do after they were done, they knew. It was awesome.
Free Early Finisher Solution Set-Up- No Games
Click below to find out more about the system. If you just want to know the system and you don’t need all the easy low prep independent learning games you can get to learn the system for free. Just Click here for the free course and learn how to set the Early Finisher Solution up in your own class. It’s a video tutorial that lasts about 1 hour.
Full and Growing Early Finisher Solution with All the Games and Activities
If you want the system and all the games (remember more are added all the time and as soon as you sign up you get them all and any future resources at the current low price. If you wait until next month the price will go up.) If you want the games and the how-tos on getting this system up and running in your class this is your link.
