Beat That!

This is an easy game to learn, but one which is very popular. Equipment: 2 dice (up to 7 dice for older players), Paper and pencil for scoring How to play: Roll the dice and put them in order to make the highest number possible. If you roll a 4 and an 6, for example, your best answer would be 64. Using 3 dice, a roll of 3, 5 and 2 should give you 532, and so on. Write down your answer, pass the dice, and challenge the next player to Beat That! Play in rounds and assign a winner to each round. For a change, try making the smallest number possible!

Climb a higher mountain If you decide to play by adding the dice together, it can be fun to increase the height of the mountain (try 9, 10 or 12) - but we suggest increasing the number of dice to 3. Random order The character of the game can be changed completely by allowing the players to cross off their numbers in random order. However, all the numbers on the ascent must still be crossed off before a player can begin to descend the mountain. Play this variation with 3 dice and the numbers to 12. Each die may only be used once (but does not have to be used) in each go. This introduces a strategic element to the game. Children will soon realize that it is better to cross off the higher numbers first.

Example: Your first rolls shows 1, 2, 3, 3, 5, and 6. You keep the 1 and the 5 for 150 points. You then opt to roll the remaining four dice. On that roll you get 3, 4, 4, and 5. You select the 5 and decide to Pass and bank your points. The final round starts as soon as any player reaches 10,000 or more points. Scoring Dice Single Die 1 Spot 5 Spot Combinations Three 2 Spot Three 3 Spot Three 4 Spot Three 5 Spot Three 6 Spot Three 1 Spot Three Pairs Six-Straight Dice Three Farkles Scoring 100 50 200 300 400 500 600 1,000 500 1,000 Loose 1,000

Mouse
This game can be enjoyed by any number and needs nothing but a scrap of paper, a pencil and a die. Equipment: One die, Pencil and paper How to play: The aim of the game is to be the first to complete a Mouse. Each roll of the die enables a particular body part to be drawn as follows: 6 = body 5 = nose 4 = whiskers 3 = eyes 2 ears 1 = tail The body must be drawn before the other body parts are added to it, so players must therefore roll a 6 to start. Once the body has been drawn, the other parts of the mouse may be added in any order. If you roll a number which relates to a part you have already added, you miss your go and pass the die on. Younger children may like to trace their mouse using the printable page provided. Older children may find it useful to have one copy of the Mouse! Put the printout in the middle of the table as a reminder for which body part relates to which number on the die.

Divide and Conquer

One person rolls six dice. All players race to total the number and shout the correct answer. Each player then writes that number as the dividend on their own piece of paper. One die is rolled to determine the divider. The first player to correctly calculate the problem wins and gets to roll the next hand.

Climb the Mountain

Mountain is a well-known game which is called by many names. Its simplicity makes it ideal for younger players, but with its variations it is popular with all ages. Equipment: 2-3 dice, Paper and pencil How to play: The object of the game is to be the first to climb your mountain, in number order, and then descend the other side. Give each player a printout (or simply write the appropriate numbers yourself on a scrap of paper), a pencil and 2 dice. Allow the youngest player to start. He rolls the dice and hopes for a 1, which will allow him to cross the number 1 off his mountain. He must ascend in numerical order, so cannot cross off the 2 until he has crossed off the 1. If he rolls a 1 and a 2, however, he can cross both numbers off in one turn. Play continues until someone has made it all the way up their mountain and down the other side in the correct order. Variations: Introduce adding For a quicker game, allow the players to add their dice together to produce another number. For example, a throw of 1 and 2 would allow that player to cross off the 1, the 2 and the 3, all in one turn.

Farkle
To win at Farkle you must be the player with the highest score above 10,000 points on the final round of play. Farkle is also called Zonk, Zilch, 5000, 10000, Wimpout!, and Hot Dice. Each player takes turns rolling the dice. On your turn, you roll all six dice. A 1 or a 5, three of a kind, three pairs, or a six-dice straight earn points. You must select at least one scoring die. You can then pass and bank your points, or risk the points earned this turn and roll the remaining dice. Scoring is based on selected dice in each roll. You cannot earn points by combining dice from different rolls. If none of your dice rolled earn points, you get a Farkle. Three Farkles in a row and you lose 1,000 points. You continue rolling until you either Pass or Farkle. Then the next player rolls the six dice. Play continues until it is your turn again.

Scoring is based on selected dice each roll. You cannot earn points by combining dice from different rolls. For example, if you roll a 5 (50 points), and then roll two 5s (100 points), you can't combine them to form three of a kind (500 points). The 1 and 5 spot dice are special, as they are the only dice that can be scored outside of a combination (such as three of a kind).

Stuck in the Mud!

This is one of our favorite family dice games. We love the surprises that the game produces, with some turns ending abruptly and some going on forever and ever... Equipment: 5 dice, Paper and pencil How to play: The aim of the game is to achieve the highest score. You can only score on a roll which does not include the numbers 2 and 5. Any dice which show a 2 or a 5 become stuck in the mud. Choose a player to start. Roll all 5 dice. If you have rolled any 2s or 5s, you do not score any points for this throw. If you have not rolled any 2s or 5s, add up the total of the dice and remember it. Set aside any 2s and 5s, and throw the remaining dice. Again, if you have rolled any 2s or 5s you fail to score this turn. Throws without 2s and 5s are added <contd>

Going to Boston
A well known and easy to learn dice game. Equipment: 3 dice, Pencil and paper or score chart How to play: Roll the dice and keep the highest. Roll the remaining dice and again set aside the highest. Roll the last die, and add up your total. Write down your score. Play a number of rounds and then either total your points for the winner or simply count how many rounds were won by each player. Variations: Substitute specialty dice with higher numbers. Older children could try multiplying the dice together to get their score.

<contd> to your previous total. Continue in this

way until all your dice are stuck. Write down your score, and pass the dice to the next player. Agree a number of rounds (five works well) and total up the score. You can use the score charts we have provided. You will be surprised at how much the score can vary and just how tricky the dice can be!

3-5, after which he decides to hold on to his points, and adds a total of 19 to his score. Objective: Players can add to their point total by continuing to roll 2 to 6, but if they roll a 1, they lose all their points. The first player to reach 100 points is the winner. Two is Better than One: In a variation of Pig, players can opt to play with two dice instead of one. In this case, the following rules apply: (1) If neither of the two dice rolled is a 1, their sum is added to the turn total. (2) If either of the two rolled is a 1, the player scores nothing and the turn ends. (3) If two 1s are rolled, the player loses his entire score, and the turn ends.

In the simple 6-5-4 version you must first have the ship (6) before you have the captain (5); likewise, you must first have the captain before you have the crew (4). This can be very frustrating when you fail to roll a six, and have a score of zero. As you shoot each one of these points in order, you can pull that die out of the cup and set it aside. Alternatively, you can elective to put as many of the dice in the cup and try again (this is stupid, since it does not improve your odds, but it is legal). Each player gets at least one and no more than three flops (toss of the dice cup) in the two player game. The score is the total of the two dice left over after the Ship, Captain and Crew have been completed. A 2 is the lowest score and is called a "minimum" while 12 is the highest score and is called a "midnight"; I don't know why. The highest score wins. If there is a tie in a multiplayer game, then the (n) players who tied for high score play shoot two dice again for highest score. This process continues until you have a winner.

categories. Part of the strategy is deciding the best section to score each roll. Rolling A player gets three rolls of the dice per turn; a roll consists of all five dice at once; he can save any dice that he needs to complete a combination and then reroll the other dice. After the third roll, the player must find a place to score on his scorecard from one of the rolls (though he may choose to end his turn and score after only one or two rolls). If after three rolls there is not a combination that fits into a scoring category, the player must mark a "zero" in an empty box. The total scores are added at the end, after each player has had 13 turns and filled in all 13 score boxes. The player with the highest score wins. Objective Fill in scoring categories with each turn, and get a higher score than your opponent! Say it Loud and Proud YAHTZEE! Half of the fun of this game is to yell out the game's name if and when you roll one. A Yahtzee occurs when a player rolls and all five dice are the same number. Rolling five "sixes" is the best roll in the game. If you're lucky enough to hit one, dont forget the icing on the cake "YAHTZEE!"

Penny Dice Game

Equipment: 10 pennies for each player, 1 die for each partnership or group How to Play: Partners pool their pennies to make 20. They take turns rolling the die and picking up as many pennies as the number on the die. To pick up the last pennies, the number of the die must match the number of pennies remaining. The game ends when the last pennies have been picked up. The child with the most pennies wins the round. Option: At the end of a round, children may flip a penny to determine whether the player with the most or least pennies will win that round. Heads means the highest number of pennies wins; tails means the lowest number of pennies wins.

Plus and Minus

A simple childrens game requiring some basic mathematical skills, a score sheet and five dice. Play: Each player in turn has four rolls of the dice. On the first roll a player sets aside two of the dice, adding them together. On the second roll the remaining three dice are rolled and one is set aside and the value is subtracted from the players total score. On the third roll the two remaining dice are rolled and one is set aside and its value is added. On the final roll the last remaining dice is rolled and the value is subtracted. The final resulting number is the players score for that round. Five rounds are played as before and the winner is the player with the highest total of points over all the rounds. Example: Dice Rolled Dice Set Aside 6, 5, 2, 2, 1 +6 + 5 5, 4, 3, 3 -3 4, 2 +4 5 -5 Score for above round is 7. Total 11 8 12 7

Yahtzee
Score the most points by rolling the five dice in a number of combinations Requires: At least 2 people, but more people make for more fun, 2 six-sided dice, Scorecard (optional) How to Play: A Yahtzee scorecard contains 13 boxes divided into an upper section and a lower section. Upper Section The upper section contains boxes that are scored by summing the total number of dice faces matching that box one box for each number 1 through 6. For example, if a player were to roll three "fives," the score would be marked as 15 in the "fives" box. If a player scores a total of 63 points in these six boxes, a bonus of 35 points is rewarded and added to the upper section score. Lower Section The lower section contains a series of poker-themed combinations with specific point values (seen on the right). The difference in this section is that a score for a certain combination can fall into more than one category; a full house can score in the Full House, Three-Of-A-Kind, or Chance

Pig
Roll dice to score points, but as soon as you roll a 1, the turn is over and you score nothing. Requires: At least 2 people, but more people make for more fun How to play: The game begins with a player rolling a die, and earning points for each roll that is not a 1. The player scores any roll between 2 and 6. After every roll, each player has two options: 1) risk the points accrued in that round by continuing to roll in hopes of amassing more points, or 2) score the points he has earned and pass the dice to the next player. If a player rolls a 1, he loses all the points compiled in the round and passes the dice to the next player. Point totals are carried over round by round. For example, Phoebe begins with a roll of 4. She may hold and score 4 points, but chooses to roll again and hits a 3. She could hold again for a total of 7 points, but she rolls again and lands a 1, ending her turn with no score. The next player, Gary, rolls the series 2-6-3-

Run for It
The object of this game is to get as many runs (i.e 12-3) as possible in one roll of six dice. Each number in each run is worth 5 points. A roll of 1, 6, 2, 2, 3, 1 has two runs (1-2-3, and 1-2) for a total of 25 points. Each turn consists of one roll, and players may not score if there are no runs. The first player to 100 wins. (Instead of practicing counting by fives, adjust the points so children practice counting by threes, tens, etc.) Example hand 1: 6 dice rolled give us the numbers 1, 4, 2, 1, 3, 2 The following sequences can be scored: 1, 2 (10 points) 1, 2, 3, 4 (20 points) The hand is therefore worth a maximum 30 points. Example hand 2: 6 dice rolled give us the numbers 1, 4, 6, 6, 3, 3 No sequences can be formed, and no score is recorded.

Ship, Captain and Crew

It has been known by many names, including Ship of Fools, Battleship, 6-5-4 Mariner ,and Clickety Clack it is a dice game of nearly pure chance.