FUN FROM FOLLOWERS: Four PreK Dice Games

I'm on vacation, followers! So, in my absence, a few non-bloggers but deceptively educational moms are offering up a post or two. First up, a friend who diligently incorporates community activities, Montessori-style learning,  and fun into her son's day. And without further adieu …  

When my dear friend since college asked me to write a blog post for her, I was thrilled. It is so much fun to share in her enthusiasm and creative ideas for educational activities. I feel honored to participate. Coming up with an activity was easy, we diced it up. 

My son, Sebastian, is in Pre K. He loves the typical little boy stuff: trains, cars, etc. But he also has an obsession for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Chicka Chicka 123. So any activity with either letters or numbers (and maybe a few skittles) has him jumping for joy. 

1. Roll, Color, Count, & Write (with candy)
Our first activity was with a color and count sheet he brought home from preschool. Essentially it is 5 different circles that he had colored a different color in, with a space to write numbers. I asked him to first to pick a color, roll the dice, then count the dots, and pick out that number of skittles for that color. So if choose red and rolled a five, he had to choose five red skittles. I then asked him to write the number in the square provided. Then we went on to the next color. This was a great activity because he had to find the color, count, and write. And eat candy.

2. Dice Roll Addition
Our second activity was simple addition. For this activity we used two dice and he rolled one and I rolled one. He wrote his number and then I wrote my number. Then we added them together. He seemed to enjoy this one a lot. You can also make it more challenging by adding more dice. You can get this great free printable from Lesson Plan Diva at Teachers Pay Teachers.

3. Dice Roll Value Recognition Competition
The next activity was value recognition: greater, less, and equal. Not only is he learning what is more or less, he also is learning the symbols. Again, we used two dice: I rolled one and he rolled one. My son is very competitive, so he enjoyed the opportunity to see if he could roll a higher number than me. Then he wrote in his number and I wrote in mine.

I tried tricking him by asking him which number is greater, which is less, etc. Then, to reinforce the concept, I told him the arrows were alligators, and the alligator eats the bigger number. He liked drawing in an alligator to eat the bigger number. I also enjoyed teaching him the concept of equal. Get this great free printable from Lesson Plan Diva at Teachers Pay Teachers.

4. Draw the Dots Addition
Our last activity was on our white board. Again, it was addition, he rolled the dice and then added the numbers and then put in the correct amount of dots. 








These were fun activities for us that reinforced number recognition, counting, addition, and writing. I also love to find free printables. So the next time you are looking for a fun and simple math activity, just get out your dice and roll on over to Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational. Thanks for letting me share!