Roll and Add Race

Two dice, a quick race, and a lot of addition without it feeling like work. Roll both dice, find the total, and move that many spaces (or cover that many squares). The repetition quietly builds the counting-on strategy and instant recognition of dice dots.

  1. Use two dice and a simple track — a homemade number path, a spare board-game track, or a row of 12 squares to colour in.
  2. The child rolls both dice. Encourage counting on: “You rolled 5 — now count up: 6, 7” rather than counting every dot from 1.
  3. Move that many spaces, or colour that many squares. Take turns; first to the end (or to fill the grid) wins.
  4. Say the equation aloud as you go: “5 and 2 makes 7.” Over many rolls the common totals start to stick.
  5. Keep it brisk and fun — the goal is lots of cheerful repetition, not perfect calculation on any single roll.

Variation: start with one die and a 1–6 track for beginners. Use dot dice (to subitise) before numeral dice. Try “Roll and Cover”: roll two dice, find the sum, cover that number on a 2–12 grid — first to cover all wins.

Requirements

  • Space: A tabletop or floor spot for the board; a few minutes per game
  • Surface: Flat enough to roll dice without them flying off; a shallow tray or box lid as a dice pit keeps them contained
  • Materials: One or two dice (dot or numeral), a simple track or number grid, and a token or crayon each; a lid or tray to roll in
  • Participants: 2+ players — adult and child, or two children — taking turns
  • Supervision: Light for 5-year-olds; close if dice are small and a younger sibling is nearby

Rationale & Objective

Board games with a linear number path are among the most research-supported early-maths activities: Ramani and Siegler’s studies show that playing simple number-path games measurably raises low-income preschoolers’ number knowledge. Two-dice addition gives repeated practice at counting on from the larger number — the key strategy on Clements and Sarama’s learning trajectory between “count all” and recalled facts — and at subitising dice patterns so totals are seen, not laboriously counted. It serves Common Core K.OA.2 (add within 10) and the move toward K.OA.5 fluency within 5, all inside a turn-taking game children will ask to replay.

Progress Indicators

  • Early: counts every dot on both dice from 1 to find the total; may lose track and need to restart
  • Developing: subitises each die (“that’s 5”) but still counts on slowly; getting reliable within totals of about 6
  • Proficient: counts on from the larger die (“6… 7, 8”) and recognises many totals quickly; rarely needs to count every dot
  • Advanced: recalls common sums instantly (“5 and 2 is 7”) without counting, and may start adding three dice or predicting who will win

Safety Notes

  • Dice are small parts — keep them away from children who still mouth objects, and collect them promptly after play (choking and slip hazards)
  • Roll inside a tray or box lid so dice don’t fly off the table onto the floor
  • Keep games short enough to end before frustration; losing a race can sting, so emphasise fun and rematches over winning

Hints

  • Playfulness: theme the track (rocket to the moon, race to the treasure), let the child pick a special token, and add a “bonus roll” square. Cheering each roll keeps energy up
  • Sustain interest: rotate the board and the goal — race to the end one day, fill a grid the next; swap dot dice for numeral dice as skills grow; add a third die for a challenge
  • Common mistake: letting the child recount both dice from 1 every time. Gently prompt counting on from the bigger number — that is the skill the game grows. Don’t correct so much it stops being a game
  • No equipment: make a die from a folded paper cube, or draw number slips from a cup; draw the track on scrap paper or use floor tiles as spaces
  • Cross-domain: turn-taking and coping with winning or losing build self-regulation and social skills; moving a token one space per count reinforces one-to-one correspondence
  • Progression: one die on a 1–6 track → two dot dice, count on → two numeral dice → “Roll and Cover” sums to 12 → add three dice → race using subtraction (move back)

Sources

  • Ramani, G. B. & Siegler, R. S. (2008). “Promoting Broad and Stable Improvements in Low-Income Children’s Numerical Knowledge Through Playing Number Board Games.” Child Development, 79(2), 375–394
  • Clements, D. H. & Sarama, J. (2014/2021). Learning and Teaching Early Math: The Learning Trajectories Approach (3rd ed.). Routledge
  • Common Core K.OA.A.2 (add within 10) and K.OA.A.5 (fluently add within 5)
  • Head Start ELOF — Mathematics Development (P-MATH 6: addition and subtraction)
  • HighScope KDI 33 (Part-whole relations — combining and separating quantities)
  • National Research Council (2009). Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood. National Academies Press