Dice Games for Math: Hands-On Activities Your Students Will Love

Easy-to-use math dice games that keep your K–1 students learning—and loving it!

Dice might be one of the easiest math manipulatives to grab—but they’re also one of the easiest to underuse. It’s tempting to toss them into an early finisher bin and call it a day.

But with just a little intention, dice math activities can become powerful tools for number sense, problem-solving, and patterning.

Whether you're prepping morning tubs or math centers, these hands-on math with dice ideas are a no-prep way to increase engagement throughout the day.

Try this: Hands-On Math with Dice – Race to a Build Pattern

Put out a collection of pattern blocks, linking cubes or tiles, and a die. Students roll the die and place the number of objects to match their roll to begin building a pattern of their choice (AB, AAB, ABC, for example).

Partners take turns and keep rolling and adding to their pattern until one player reaches 30 blocks.

Why try this game? It blends dice games for kids with early patterning skills and can be adjusted for any pattern complexity level.

Try this: Hands-On Math with Dice – Domino Train Addition Game

Roll two dice and add the dots together. Find a domino that matches that number. Place the domino to start your “train.” Partners take turns building their train. The winner is the first with a 20-domino train, or you can stop after a predetermined number of dominoes, and students count the dots. The train with the highest number wins.

Why try this game? Students practice addition while reinforcing number recognition and subitizing with domino patterns.

Even More Dice Games for Math Centers and Early Finishers

If your students love dice, you’ll want to check out these printable dice games for math centers. There are 11 hands-on games designed for K–1 classrooms and work beautifully in morning tubs, early finisher bins, or small groups.

One class favorite? Roll and Add: 3 in a Row

In this game, students roll two dice, add them together and cover the sum, trying to get three in a row on the board. It's math tic-tac-toe! It’s a quiet, focused way to build addition fluency — a game, not a worksheet!

I use this activity during math time or as a morning work activity, and it is also available for early finishers. My dice activities are designed for independent or partner play and have lots of variety, covering skills like operations, composing numbers, patterning, and symmetry.

Explore More Hands-On Math Games Using Manipulatives: I also have a bundle of activities for 15 different manipulatives that you can check out here: Hands-On Math Activities for Early Finishers, Math Centers, and Morning Work.

You don't need to rely on chance when it comes to dice games for kids. With just a few simple materials and intentional prompts, your dice can become powerful tools for building number sense, problem-solving, and fluency.

Beyond Busy Work: Pattern Block Activities That Actually Teach Math

Pattern blocks deserve to be used for more than free play!

Pattern blocks often get lumped into the “free choice” or “early finisher” bin, but they’re so much more than busy work. They are a powerhouse for pattern block activities like spatial reasoning, geometry vocabulary, symmetry skills, and even problem-solving, especially for use during morning tubs or morning work. When used with intentional tasks, they quickly become one of your most versatile and loved math manipulatives.

Engaging Domino Math Activities That Go Beyond Just Matching Dots

Dominoes are a powerful math tool!

Dominoes are one of those classic games most classrooms have tucked in a drawer... but they’re often overlooked as powerful math tools. Dominoes are great for matching, but they can do much more. With just a little creative thinking, this classic game piece becomes a powerful tool for building number sense, composing numbers, and exploring operations.

You're in the right place if you’re looking for fun, hands-on ways to use dominoes in math centers. Try these two no-prep ideas, and then a few more printable ideas that have been a hit with every class using them.

Try This! Find the Target Number

Pick a target number, but don't share it yet. Place dominoes around the room, encourage each student to find one, and then figure out what the two sides could represent. For example, a domino with 5 and 6 could be 56 or 65. Reveal the target number, and students check their domino to see if they have the match.

If you don't want to have your kids moving, have them sit in a circle and pick a domino from a bag. Another option is to put a collection of dominoes on a table, and students take turns picking and then reveal the target number. So many options!

Why it works: Using a concrete tool reinforces number structure (tens and ones), place value, and flexible thinking.

Try This! Domino Addition Memory Match

Create a quick memory-style game by laying out dominoes face down and the same number of number cards or tiles with numbers 0–12. Students flip a domino and try to match it to the correct sum card. Students get to keep the match if correct—or flip them back and try again.

Why it works: It combines mental addition and memory skills, encourages self-checking, and builds automaticity through play.

Do you need more activities? I've got you covered.

I have more hands-on activities that your students will love that focus on making 10, addition, comparing numbers, odd and even numbers, and more.

One of our favourites is Add Them Up. It's a simple partner game that the students like to play over and over again.

In Add Them Up, students select two dominoes, count the dots on each domino, and then add them together. Then, they record the total on a game board. It’s quick to set up, perfect for centers, and gives students hands-on addition practice without a worksheet.

I use this activity during math time or as a morning work activity. I have 8 more Domino activities in this pack and another set that includes a Google Slides option for your students working online. I also have a bundle of activities for 15 different manipulatives that you can check out here: Hands-On Math Activities for Early Finishers, Math Centers and Morning Work.

Dominoes are more than just quiet day fillers; they’re a low-prep, high-impact tool for hands-on math learning. Try one of these creative activities this week and let your students explore numbers in a new way.

Do you need activities for the other math manipulatives on your shelf?

Check out these posts with ideas to use right away!

Fun Math Card Games for Young Learners that Boost Skills

Don’t Underestimate That Deck of Cards

If you’ve got a few spare decks of playing cards in your classroom closet, you’ve got a no-prep math card game ready to go.

Playing cards are a surprisingly versatile tool for math card games, practicing addition, subtraction, comparison, and number sense. The best part is that kids love them. They feel like games, but they're doing real math.

I’m sharing two simple, no-prep math card games you can play right away using a regular deck of cards, plus a few more class favorites that your students will love!

Base 10 Blocks Activities for Place Value: Ideas to Try This Week

Base 10 Blocks can and should be used all year long! 

Base 10 blocks are manipulatives we all have tucked away in a bin, but they’re often underused or saved just for the “place value unit.”

Let’s change that. Today, I’m sharing two easy, engaging ways to use base 10 blocks in your classroom. These ideas can be used tomorrow without any extra prep. And if you’re looking for something more, I’ve got six more student-loved activities you’ll want to see at the end of this post.

How to Teach Word Families in a Few EASY Steps

Looking for a fresh way to teach word families that actually sticks with your students?

You're not alone.

When taught strategically, word families offer a powerful way to build decoding fluency and strengthen phonics instruction. Word families have always been a go-to for building early reading skills, but how we teach and display them might need a little update.

As more classrooms shift toward Science of Reading-informed practices, it’s time to reframe how we teach word families. We can integrate routines that are interactive, engaging, and grounded in research-based instruction. Here's exactly how I teach word families using a hands-on approach that actually sticks.