Here is a collection of tips and tricks to help you
enjoy Activity Village's Dice Games for Kids
all the more!
Adapting dice:
You can easily adapt existing dice with stickers if you can’t find just
what you are looking for, or make your own dice from scratch with blanks
(available from educational suppliers). Cover each surface with clear
contact paper for more permanence, or add a light coat of varnish.
Wooden cubes (find them at craft stores) can also be used.
Containers for dice:
If you use your imagination and keep your eyes open you can find all
sorts of fun containers for your dice collection! Small plastic candy
containers (some come in bright plastic tubes with attached lids), film
canisters, potato crisp cans, spice containers, washing tablet bags,
drawstring bags, little boxes, resealable bags, and pencil cases are
just a few examples. Encourage your children to decorate their own small
papier-mâché or wooden “blank” box (available from craft shops) with
paint, glitter, sequins and other “treasure” and use it for storing
favorite dice.
Shakers:
Sometimes using a shaker can be fun. You could buy the traditional
leather version - which wear wonderfully with age - but plastic cups and
mugs, empty potato crisp cans and even an empty yoghurt tub can make
good alternatives.
Noise control:
A piece of felt makes a great surface for dice games which can easily be
folded, stored or carried around. For home use you could line an old
wooden tray with felt and contain the dice too! Or go the whole hog and
paint a wooden tray with blackboard paint, then line one half with felt.
Roll the dice in the felt half and score with chalk on the other!
Travelling dice:
Use a small box or plastic tub: cut out a hole in the top and line it
with a see-through piece of plastic. Throw in some dice, attach the top
(using elastic bands if necessary) and you have a perfect travelling
container. It’s good for preventing cheating too!
Advance planning:
Print up a stack of our print-outs and package them in sheet-protectors
and a file ready for road-trips and rainy day blues. Take them with you
to the doctor’s office, beach or restaurant and you won’t find waiting
such a problem! Sheet protectors also turn any print-out into an easy
write-on-wipe-off surface without the use of a laminator contact paper.
You can also “pre-package” a game for a journey by storing all the
necessary equipment and print-outs in a small resealable bag.
Printing:
Most, if not all, of Activity Village's Dice
Games for Kids can be printed on economy or even grayscale settings,
and reproduced on a photocopier for classroom use if required.
Call My Bluff
This is a fun word game (made famous by the TV show) which can
help children to learn new words, practise dictionary work and presentation
skills! It works best in a classroom or large group setting, and you will need
time to prepare.
Make A Ping Pong Bat And Net
The Chinese introduced table tennis to the world and have always been extremely
good at the sport. You can make your own ping pong bats and net and have a go!
Make A Name Book
More of a craft activity than a game, this is a great way for kids to get to
know each other at the beginning of the school year.
Fishing (Tiu-u or Chinese Dominoes) This game of Chinese dominoes sounds a little complicated to
begin with but is in fact very simple to play. The name ‘fishing’ comes from
the idea that players ‘fish’ for matching dominoes. You can either print out
our dominoes or make your own more authentic version with popsicle sticks
(instructions included!)
Matching Game cards can be used to play Memory
(Concentration), Go Fish and many other card games, as well as played with
our sorting mats by one child on their own. Printable Games
