Dice games are a fine first step into board games for children: the rules are short, the rounds are quick and anyone can win. Pig is the perfect starter, with one die and one decision: roll again, or stop while you still have the points.
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Everyone rolls five dice, chasing ones, then twos, all the way up to sixes. The first player through all six numbers wins.
Roll the die and draw a beetle part by part. The body comes first, and the first complete beetle wins the round.
Roll five dice where twos and fives go dead, and score the most points before every die is gone.
Aces feed the pot and sixes go to your neighbour, and whoever holds the last chip must roll three times without a six.
Only doubles score, double 6 is worth 25 and double 3 wipes your score. The first player to reach 50 points wins.
Roll two dice, add a chip to the room or pocket the one already there, and hope for the pig or the king.
Roll the die as many times as you dare, but a 1 wipes out the whole turn. First to 100 points wins.
Roll two dice, shut the tiles that add up to your total, and try to close the whole box.
Four rolls with five dice where you add and subtract your way to a round score. Highest total after five rounds wins.
Roll the dice and hit the numbers 1 to 12 in order, like the hands moving around a clock face.
Three rolls with three dice where only 1, 3 and 5 score, since they have a spot in the centre.
Roll two dice and keep scoring until a seven ends your turn. The first player to 500 points wins.
Bowling with two dice over ten frames, where 5-5 is a strike and any six rolls off the alley.
Nine holes with three dice, where you roll until a double appears and the fewest strokes wins.
Roll five dice and collect three, four or five of a kind to score points, round after round.
Three rolls, keep the highest die each time, and win the round with the highest total.
Many of these games train counting and mental arithmetic without anyone noticing. Fifty and Round the Clock are about recognising numbers and adding up, while Beetle rewards patience with a finished drawing. Ten Pins and Dice Golf bring sports to the kitchen table.
The best part is that adults and children play as equals. The dice do not care who is oldest, and a child who beats a parent at Yatzy will not forget it any time soon.