My brother collects dice and this past weekend, we did some learning with dice games. He has a LOT of dice. He has all different types of dice of all different sizes. Not just six sided dice either but the kind you use for roleplaying games. It’s from him that I learned what to call them. D10 means a 10 sided die. You can see all different kinds of dice in the photo below. This is just a small portion of what he has!
Since there are so many kinds of dice, my daughter decided to separate them by colour so she could see what colours he needed more of. She also separated by type. My mother and my other daughter took the bigger dice and built towers out of them. The big one may LOOK huge but in reality, there were BIGGER ones at the store! The biggest die sold for over $80.
My 3 year old has an obsession with my brother’s dice. Perhaps one day he will have his own collection. Whenever he plays with them, he seems to think they are all HIS. Then again that might just be because he’s three. He doesn’t want to share them at all.
Learning With Dice Games – Suggestions
You can use dice to play all types of learning games. These games could be used for homeschooling (math) or just for fun. You don’t necessarily have to have THAT much dice to make them work but the more you have, the more fun it is!
- Sort by colour, sides, shape, type (have dots/have numerals/have pictures), or size.
- Roll dice together and add up the two dice. Or one person rolls two dice while the other rolls one and subtract.
- Keep rolling a handful of dice until you roll all the same number. This will be harder with the more dice you have.
- Stack the dice into towers. See who can build the biggest tower.
- Make a chart of numbers 1 through 6 (if you are using a D6) and roll the dice 25 times. Mark down what you roll each time. At the end, analyze the results.
- Line them up by size:
If you have more suggestions, try these activities or have something else to say, I’d love to hear it!
Scott says
October 14, 2014 at 7:40 AMHave him practice his math by putting them in groups that total X amount (ie, 7 dice totalling 28, etc.).
Ellen Christian says
October 14, 2014 at 9:54 AMVery cool. I used to have tons of different dice from back when I played D&D games. I will have to see what I can find.
Brett says
October 14, 2014 at 12:33 PMholy moly that’s a ton of dice! my kids would be building towers and stuff!
Skye says
October 14, 2014 at 8:59 PMNice list! When our school asked us to do flash cards at home for addition, we used 2 dice instead, made our kiddo a lot happier to do his practice!
Kathleen Garber says
October 26, 2014 at 10:58 PMYes dice make good math manipulatives.
Amanda says
October 14, 2014 at 9:05 PMI played dice with my grandpa growing up and have great memories. I loved playing with his red dice.
Carlee C says
October 15, 2014 at 7:47 AMDice are such a fun way to learn numbers. I think my kids also enjoy exploring the sides and adding the numbers.
loriag says
October 21, 2014 at 9:39 PMI always found learning is best done through play, and that is exactly what those dice became a great game. I was always amazed at how my kids were sponges, and soaked everything up.
Treen Goodwin says
October 22, 2014 at 9:22 AMawesome way to teach kids their math skills and games are always a great way to do that thanks for sharing :)
Judy Cowan says
October 23, 2014 at 2:20 PMThat is quite the collection of dice! Thanks for the ideas of how to use them for learning. I remember using them to learn how to do math when I was younger.
Holly Wright says
October 23, 2014 at 5:35 PMGreat game and lots of math learning and pattern learning involved
Dawn says
October 25, 2014 at 8:12 PMThis is so cool! I think finding a way for children to learn and have fun is a great idea. They seem to like that a lot better and are more inclined to want to learn!
Anne says
October 25, 2014 at 8:59 PMThat is a lot of dice! We never seem to be able to find dice when we need them, I need a stash like yours.
Debra @A Frugal Friend says
October 25, 2014 at 9:08 PMWhat a fun collection. I love that this really is educational…..so many ways to use dice!
Michele says
October 26, 2014 at 3:58 PMWhat a great way to learn and have fun all in one. I love the way you lined up the dice from largest to smallest. The ways of playing and learning with dice is endless!
Stefani Tolson says
October 26, 2014 at 4:22 PMThat is quite the collection. I think I should find some games with dice to play with my six year old.
Wanda Tracey says
November 14, 2014 at 1:01 AMI love dice games and math games that can be done with dice.Look for them in stores.Theya are fun and interesting.
Edna Williams says
December 13, 2014 at 9:27 AMVery nice way to use dice for learning! Thanks for sharing!
kathy downey says
December 15, 2014 at 5:38 PMAwe collection,dices are such a fun way to learn numbers.
Terrance crawley says
December 18, 2014 at 1:19 PMThat is really a fun way toe o math I’ll have to try it with my son he’ll love it!
Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert says
May 17, 2015 at 9:38 PMI love this! We have a bag of dice, these ideas are going to come in so handy for us!