Roll & Pound Math Game For Preschool

We love math. If I posted all the math activities we do I there would be no time for anything but math. My kids are wild about numbers and I love seeing them find such joy in a simple math game like this. Even though this is a one person game having a cheering section is usually a wonderful thing. My kids both enjoyed having me cheering them on but if yours doesn’t ( and some kids feel uncomfortable with parents watching even when they are getting praise) let them be. You can still offer praise or help but give them space. My daughter loved this math game for preschool!

If you are looking for a similar game with letter sounds check this activity for letter sounds out!

Gather your materials. You will need a toy like this Pound-A-Peg ( affiliate link), some masking tape, scissors, a marker, dice, and a shoebox or other way to contain the dice.

Start by cutting the tape into small squares and popping them on the ends of the pegs. Add numbers. I was distracted when I added them and actually wrote 14 on one. Um… yeah that won’t be possible with a pair of dice.

Show your child how to play.

Roll the dice.

Count up all the dots or subitize and add  – both work. Subitizing is the ability to immediately recognize the amount on a dice ( or tally, fingers on a hand etc… ) without counting.

Pound the matching peg. Sometimes there is no peg to pound down, and sometimes it’s already pounded down. Roll again!

She LOVED this game and I didn’t really have to do anything because it was just at the right level, it made her think but wasn’t too challenging for her to do. She had to recount a few times and started subitizing on her own with 2 and 5 and when they were rolled with one and two she would add. It’s crazy fun to watch her math skills develop through fun activities like this.

With older children you can try subtraction , adding more dice, or even multiplication and division. You would be surprised how this toddler toy that my children played with daily as 18 month olds can still appeal to kids in elementary school. It’s very satisfying to whack!