Need a math dice game to inspire preschoolers to learn through play? Yes, please! This math dice game will inspire number sense and help better understand the foundations of what adding looks like. Let’s play this fantastic math game for kids!
You’ve heard me before. Learning math needs to be hands-on. Preschoolers need to touch the objects as they count and have an opportunity to take in new information to make it fit with what they have already practiced.
RELATED: If you are here, you already know we believe in the benefits of play. These activity cards are for you to inspire learning through play at home quickly!
Supplies
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- Giant Wooden Yard Dice – When you invest in these dice, you will not regret it! We use them over and over again. However, you can make your own dice out of a tissue box!
- Rigatoni Pasta – I use pasta for so many activities! You don’t have to use rigatoni, but this is what I had lying around in the house.
- 3pk Divided Plates – You’ll need these plates for your child to separate out the pasta as they count!
How to Play the Math Dice Game
Step 1. Grab some plates and pasta.
For our math manipulations, I used pasta noodles. – Rigatoni! This noodle was big enough for his hands to grasp and the perfect size to still be able to count the number of noodles on each side without them getting lost in a pile. I also gave him some divided plates to quickly sort the pasta.
Step 2. Roll the dice and count the number using pasta.
Begin by rolling the dice. Then, place the same amount of pasta as the amount rolled in the first section of your plate. Then roll the dice again and put the next amount of pasta on the other section of the plate.
Step 3. Combine the two groups and count.
My preschooler rolled the dice on either side and added the correct amount of pasta on either side. Then, he added both sides to the large section of the plate to see how many in all. Keep the pasta in the large section or take the pasta pieces out one by one and count each piece.
Language to use:
You rolled a 6 here. Here are 6 noodles.
On this side, you rolled a 4. Let’s count them out. 1,2,3,4.
Let’s put all the noodles together to see what we have.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10! I see that! A group of 6, plus a group of 4, makes 10 total!
The fun started when my four-year-old could see the total before his eyes!
Remember, math needs to be hands-on, even as kids grow older. Kids do not need to learn math on a worksheet.
RELATED: Hands-on learning through play for the win! See our favorite activities for kids at home and play today!
Why I Started the Math Dice Game
I began hearing my preschooler explore addition.
Moooom, what are 3 pluses and 3 pluses?
Oh, you mean what is 3 plus 3?
But I needed to back my preschooler up. I knew that he had a solid foundation of what a group of objects looks like, and I also knew he understood quantity.
Now we needed to see these numbers combine, and this math dice game was the perfect way to help it all come together! Children need to practice touching the dice as they count. In fact, I recently read an article on why it is so important to use your fingers to count.
RELATED: We have played plenty of math games to help strengthen number sense, such as Heart Number Match and Googly Eye Count Up.
Learn Math Through Play
Let’s remember that math games need math manipulatives for children to pick up, move around, and touch as they count. Having good math toys at home matters. When will you try this preschool math dice game?
Activities on Demand
Want great ideas without the ads? Download these 20 hands-on learning games for kids.
Need More Math Games?
- Color Sorting Pom Pom Delivery
- Magnetic Measurement Activity
- Sorting by Shapes – Preschool Math Activity
- 50 Math Activities for Preschoolers
Frequently Asked Questions
Begin teaching math with dice by rolling and chatting about the total amount of dots. I also like making a DIY board game to help build number sense and recognition.
Dice is a great way to bring more learning into play. Use dice with toddlers and preschoolers to introduce and practice numbers 1-6. Next, add another die to practice adding.
I find the large dice in the dollar store, or you can find these wooden dice in an outdoor game called Yard Dice.
