You already know we like to play kid friendly card games while camping but did you know we are also fans of kid friendly dice games?
You’ve arrived at your destination, your campsite is ready, and it’s time to unwind, take in the fresh air, and relax. However, the weather is rainy, or your child is struggling to find playmates. That’s when you inevitably hear those challenging words from your youngster: “I’m bored! There’s nothing to do, and no one to play with!”
We enjoy being a family with just one child, but there are moments when our kid doesn’t fully appreciate the perks. He longs for a playmate, especially since there isn’t a built-in sibling companion. When the dog needs a break, and he’s not in the mood to entertain himself, we look for a diversion. It’s the perfect time to grab some dice and play some games!
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We don’t like to bring along complex games to the campsite. What if we lose pieces? The board might get damaged. This mama’s brain might forget how to play (and doesn’t really want to read instructions while relaxing). But a set of dice is a different story. They don’t take up a lot of space. There are multiple games to play. And many of these can be played with just two or three people, perfect for our small family.
Some reasons we love playing dice games with kids:
- The versatility. They can be played with any number of players, any age of players, and just about anywhere.
- They are cheap. It doesn’t cost much to purchase some dice brand new, or you can pick them up in thrift stores or from old board games.
- Not only are they entertaining, but they are also educational. They teach social skills such as taking turns, good sportsmanship, and patience, plus they also sneak in some good math lessons.
- They are portable! You can easily place a few dice in the glove box, in a pocket, or keep some in your backpack. Plus, most games only need a pencil and some paper to go along with the dice.
- Want to introduce kids to strategic thinking and planning? Dice games promote cognitive development.
- They can be collectible. There are so many varieties of dice available that each member of the family can have their own type.
Our Favorite Kid Friendly Dice Games:
In alphabetical order here are nine of our favorite kid friendly dice games to play while camping.
Basic Dice Game
This is probably the easiest dice game out there and it is the one we started with as soon as our kid had number recognition.
SUPPLIES: 1 die, paper & pencil
GOAL: To reach 10 points
MATH: Number recognition
PLAYERS: 2+
INSTRUCTIONS: Have the youngest member select a number between 1 and 6. Each player takes a turn rolling the die. If the selected number is rolled, that player earns a point, and they get to roll again. IF the selected number is not rolled, their turn is over. Keep track of how many times each player rolls the number and the first player to reach 10 points wins.
DIFFICULTY: Easy
Beat That!
If you have a younger child struggling with place values or the concept of greater than/less than, this game is a great way to sneak in some practice!
SUPPLIES: 2-3 dice, paper & pencil
GOAL: To reach 10 points
MATH: Number recognition or Multiplication drills
PLAYERS: 2+ players
INSTRUCTIONS: In this game, players alternate rolling the dice and writing down the highest value number that can be made with the results (e.g. if a player rolls a 6 and a 3, they have a 63 for the round). The winner of the round is the person who has the largest number for the round, and they score a point. The first player to reach 10 points wins.
DIFFICULTY: Easy to moderate
VARIATIONS:
Two Dice Multiplication: Multiply the two dice numbers rolled and the highest value on the round scores the point.
Three Dice Multiplication: Roll all three dice. Add the lower two and multiply it by the third (highest) number. Whoever has the highest value on the round scores the point.
Dice Wars
You know the card game War? This is a version played with dice and it is great for practicing math skills! You will want to decide ahead of time if you are playing for number recognition, addition practice, or multiplication drills.
SUPPLIES: 1-3 dice and 10-20 counters
GOAL: To obtain all the counters
MATH: Number recognition, Addition practice, or Multiplication drills
PLAYERS: 2
INSTRUCTIONS: If playing for number recognition use one die. For addition and multiplication use two or three dice. In this game, players alternate rolling the dice, recording either the number on one die, the sum of the two dice, or the product of the numbers. The winner of the round is the person with the highest number, sum, or product. The loser must give one counter to the other player. When one person has all the counters, they are the winner.
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
Going to Town
This game is a very sneaky way to practice adding 3 numbers. Want to make it more difficult? Bump it up to use even more dice!
SUPPLIES: 3 dice, paper & pencil
GOAL: To reach the highest score after ten rounds or be the first player to reach 100
MATH: Addition
PLAYERS: 2+
INSTRUCTIONS: Each player takes turns rolling the dice three times. On their first roll, the player rolls all three dice. They set aside the die with the highest number and roll the remaining two dice. The higher die gets set aside with the first die and they roll the remaining die again. Then, they add all three dice together for their points for the turn. Play passes to the next player. The game ends when all rounds have been played or when a player has reached the agreed upon final score.
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
Ladder
This simple game is a great one for the waiting room as it moves quickly and if it doesn’t get finished it can be picked up again later.
SUPPLIES: 2 dice, paper & pencil
GOAL: To cross out all the rungs on your side of the ladder
MATH: Number recognition and strategy
PLAYERS: 2+
INSTRUCTIONS: On a piece of paper, draw a ladder and number both sides of the rungs from bottom to top. Depending on the age of the child you may want to have a ladder from six to ten rungs tall. Each player rolls the dice and crosses off the number or numbers from their side of the ladder. If a player rolls a 1 and a 2, they can choose to cross off both the 1 and 2 or they can add the numbers and cross off the 3. The first player to eliminate all their numbers wins the game.
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
Passage
This game is just for those who are looking for something just slightly more difficult than the Basic Dice Game listed above.
SUPPLIES: 2 dice, paper & pencil
GOAL: To be the first to reach 11 points
MATH: Number recognition
PLAYERS: 2+ players
INSTRUCTIONS: Have the youngest member select a number between 1 and 6. Each player takes a turn rolling the dice. If the selected number is rolled, that player earns a point. If the player rolls doubles of the selected number, that player earns two points. Each player gets one roll per turn and the first player to reach 11 points wins. If you want to make it more difficult, throw in some addition or multiplication practice.
DIFFICULTY: Easy
Pig
This game also goes by the names of Greed and Jeopardy. It also has quite a few variations that can be fun to play with older kids.
SUPPLIES: 1 die, paper & pencil
GOAL: to reach 100
MATH: Addition
PLAYERS: 2+
INSTRUCTIONS: Participants take turns playing the game, aiming to achieve the highest score in each round without rolling a one. If, or when, a player rolls a one, they forfeit the entire accumulated score for that round. Players have the option to quit at any time after the initial roll, adding the total to their overall game score. First player to 100 wins!
DIFFICULTY: Easy
VARIATIONS: Two Dice Pig, Big Pig, Sixes Pig, and Whole Hog
Two Dice Pig: Play with two dice. If either die is a 1, the player loses the points for that turn. If a player rolls double 1s, he loses his entire score and must start over.
Big Pig: Similar to Two Dice Pig in that it is played with two dice and if either die is a 1, the player loses the points for that turn. However, if the player rolls double 1s, she adds 25 to her score. And if any other doubles are rolled, the player adds double the dice to their score (e.g. double 3s scores 12 because we are doubling the double).
Big Pig Two: As above with the additional variation of requiring any player who has rolled a double to roll again.
Sixes Pig: Can be played with 1 or 2 dice, as above, but with six as the bad number, instead of 1. Of course, kids can choose to substitute any number for 1, as they wish.
Whole Hog: Played as above, but with any number of dice!
Pirates
This is probably the most complicated game on the list, and it works best for older children. I consider it a gateway to role playing games such as D&D.
SUPPLIES: 5 dice, paper & pencil
GOAL: To be the first to reach an agreed upon score
MATH: Number recognition and strategy
PLAYERS: 2+ players
INSTRUCTIONS: Each player will take their turn rolling the five dice three times in each round. The objective is to roll a six (representing the ship), a five (captain), and a four (crew). If you roll any/all of these, set them aside as you continue to roll the remaining dice up to three times for the round. Failing to roll all three results in a zero for that round. However, successfully obtaining the ship, captain, and crew allows you to add the last two dice values as your pirate booty. Your total for the round is your amount of booty.
DIFFICULTY: Moderate to complicated
Three or More
Like Yahtzee, players take turns rolling all 5 dice, looking to roll at least 3 of a kind. This game is perfect for a large crowd, in fact the more the merrier!
SUPPLIES: 5 dice, paper & pencil
GOAL: To have the highest score at the end of ten rounds
MATH: Addition
PLAYERS: 2+ players
INSTRUCTIONS: Each player takes their turn rolling all five dice. If their roll contains no matches, the score is zero and the player’s turn is over. In the case of two of a kind, the player has the option to re-roll the remaining three dice. If, after the second roll, there are fewer than three matching dice, the score remains zero. If, after the second roll, there are not at least 3 of a kind, the score is zero. For rolls with 3, 4 or 5 of a kind, record the score. 3 of a kind = 3 points, 4 of a kind = 6 points, and 5 of a kind = 12 points.
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
Roll a Picture
A bonus to our list of kid-friendly dice games would be Roll a Picture in all its variations. You will see these a lot of times around the holidays, but you can create any theme you want. It can be used as a way to keep one person occupied or turned into a game. Let’s use bugs as an example. Each number on the die represents one part of the bug:
1. Body
2. Head
3. Leg
4. Eye
5. Antenna
6. Tail
Each time the player rolls a number, they draw that part of the bug on their sheet of paper. However, they can’t start just anywhere, they need to roll a one to draw the body first. Additionally, they can’t add an eye until they have drawn the head. Plus, they need to roll a three for each leg they draw. If you are playing this as a game, whoever finishes their bug first wins.
FAQ about Dice and Dice Games:
Q. Why should we play dice games with our kids?
A. There are many benefits to playing kid friendly dice games. They will learn how to be patient, how to take turns, and how to be good sports. They will also improve their math skills.
Q. You mention math benefits. What are they?
A. It starts with encouraging counting and numbers in little children as well as quick mental addition in older children. And it moves on to introducing children to the wonders of probability, apply and enhance their mathematical calculation skills, and boost both visual perception and manual dexterity.
Q. What are some other reasons to play dice games with kids?
A. No matter what age the kids are, there is an age-appropriate game to play. Some are based on luck; others depend on skill and planning. And you can find games for all size groups from two players to twenty!
Q. Did you know that dice games are one of the oldest of all types of games?
A. There are records of dice being played over 5,000 years ago and they have been found in Egyptian tombs as well as Roman records.
Playing games is a great way to connect with each other and relax while enjoying the outdoors (unless it is raining and then we play indoors).
This is one of the reasons we always bring along some dice and a deck of cards. For other games we like to play while camping, check out our favorite card games using a standard deck of cards. We prefer these as we don’t like to bring specialty decks camping just in case cards get lost.
If you have other dice games to suggest, please tag us on Instagram @campinganswer and tell us about them. We are always looking for new games to play.