Pig
How to play
During a turn, roll a die as many times as you want. When a roll is not 1, you add that roll to your turn’s total. If it is 1, you lose everything for that turn and the turn is over. A player may choose to stop before rolling a 1, keep the turn’s points so far, and add them to the player’s running total.
How to win
The first player to reach the target number, say 30, wins.
Variations
A two dice variation has these rules: If neither die shows a 1, the sum is added to the turn’s running total. If exactly one of the dice shows a 1, then nothing more is added to the running total and the turn ends. If two 1’s are rolled, the turn’s total becomes 0 and the turn ends.
Helping your child
First and foremost, playing math games should be fun, like any other game your family plays together!
Please let your child make poor plays (mistakes) without correction, and resist the urge to tell them the best ways to play. Bit by bit, your child will get better at the game, and they will learn so much more if you let them figure things out. There is no hurry.
If you see your child make a mistake, ask them to describe why they decided to do what they did. If your child is stuck and doesn’t know which play to make, ask them to describe the pros and cons of their choices, or ask them about how they solved a similar situation in the past. If your child doesn’t remember how to do a calculation, discuss with them the methods they know for figuring it out. These conversations are important for helping your child to develop mathematically.
Through math game play and math conversations, you are helping your child learn to enjoy math and develop important problem solving skills!