Purpose:
The purpose of this activity is to help your child practise their multiplication facts.
What you need:
- Four dice
- Pen and Paper for recording
What to do:
The aim of the game is to produce the largest total by adding the values on pairs of dice and then multiplying these two totals.
- The dice are rolled. Players race to produce the largest value. For example, If 2, 4, 5, 6 are thrown they could be paired as:
2 + 4 and 5 + 6 which would give 6 x 11 = 66 or
2 + 5 and 4 + 6 which would give 7 x 10 = 70 or
2 + 6 and 4 + 5 which would give 8 x 9 = 72, the winning total - Roll again. The first player to win three games is the winner.
What to expect your child to do:
Children should be able to add numbers to ten together mentally or give instant responses to these. They should have instant recall of multiplication facts.
Variations:
- Try to get the smallest value.
- Add three numbers together and multiply the total by the fourth number.
- Use 5 dice: Add three numbers and two numbers and then multiply these totals.
He Kupu Māori:
| dice | mataono tau |
| add | tāpiri (-hia) |
| multiply | whakarea (-tia) |
| pair | takirua |
| answer (to a maths problem) | otinga |
| roll (a dice) | pīrori (-hia) |
He Whakawhitinga Kōrero:
- Pīrorihia ngā mataono tau e whā. (Roll the four dice.)
- Wehea kia rua ngā takirua mataono tau. Tāpirihia ngā tau o ia takirua. (Split the dice into two pairs add the numbers on each pair.)
- Whakareatia ngā tapeke. He aha te otinga? (Multiply the totals. What is the answer?)
- E whai ana koe i te otinga nui rawa atu e taea ana. Nō reira, āta whakaarohia te wehewehe i ngā mataono tau ki ngā takirua e rua. (You are aiming to get the biggest answer possible, so think carefully about how you pair the dice together.)
- E whai ana koe i te otinga iti rawa atu e taea ana. (You are aiming for the smallest answer possible)
- Tāpirihia kia toru ngā tau, ka whakareatia ai ki te tau tuawhā. (Add three numbers and multiply by the fourth.)
- Pīrorihia kia rima ngā mataono tau. Tāpirihia ētahi tau e toru me ētahi tau e rua. Whakareatia ngā tapeke. (Add three of the numbers and two of the numbers. Multiply the totals.)
Download a file of this activity:
PDF (72KB)