The Great Race

During Curriculum Night, this is the game that Mr. Two's preschool teacher had out to play and take home.  Although Mr. Two didn't want anything to do with playing it at the school, he really enjoyed playing this one at home.  Go figure.

Here it is:  (I take no credit for this idea, but I'll take credit for recognizing a good thing when I see it! :))

 

The Great Race

You will need:
one lima bean "die", with a 1 on one side and a 2 on the other (write with a sharpie)
game board (The game board is a line of ten boxes, numbered one to ten on a half sheet of cardstock.)
game token(s), which could be just another unmarked bean (oh, a tiny car would be fun as well)

How to play:

 

Each player takes a turn shaking and dumping the lima bean die.  The player calls out the number that is face up on the bean, then moves the token accordingly.  The first player to get their token to the number 10 wins.

Here's the most important part:

When a player moves his/her token, he/she doesn't count the number of spaces he/she is moving.  Instead, he/she names the numbers on the spaces through which he/she moves.

Example:  Let's say that my token is resting on the "3" box and I have "rolled" a 2.  As I move my token along the game board, I say, "4, 5."  If I "roll" a 2 on my next tun, I move my token and say, "6, 7."

This is a bit counter-intuitive, and kids will sometimes forget the rule.  If a child makes a mistake or forgets the name of a number, give him/her a reminder and hep him/her repeat the move correctly.

Have fun with this simple activity that creates stronger number sense.