Dice Games for Kids

Easy games for one or two dice, paper and a pencil: press Pick 3 new games, or choose an age.

Dice Games for Kids

Giant Floor Track1. Lay 15 paper plates across the floor as a track. 2. Split into teams, and one child from each team stands on the track as its counter. 3. Teams take turns to roll a die, and their counter steps that many plates. 4. The first counter past the last plate wins the race for its team. Dice: one. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Ages 5 and up.
Cross Off the Sums1. Each player writes the numbers 2 to 12 in a row. 2. Roll two dice, add them and cross that sum off your own row. 3. A sum that is already crossed off is a lost turn. 4. The first player to cross off any eight numbers wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 10 min. Ages 6 and up.
Climb the Ladder, One to Six1. Each player draws a ladder with six rungs, numbered 1 at the bottom to 6 at the top. 2. Roll the die. You climb a rung only when you roll the number written on the next rung up. 3. Any other number is a rest. 4. The first player to stand on rung 6 wins. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 10 min. Ages 5 and up.

How it works

These dice games for kids need only dice, paper, a pencil and sometimes a handful of counters. Each one, for ages 4 to 12, is written as numbered steps and ends with its dice, players, time and starting age.

Read the full guide

Pick by age

The All games menu sorts the list. One die, ages 4 to 6 is counting and drawing. Two dice, ages 6 to 8 adds two numbers. Scoring games for ages 8 to 12 bring in choices: keep the roll or risk another.

One child, or thirty

Games for one child are beat-your-own-score games for a quiet half hour. In The whole class or party at once everyone plays together, most often from one die that a leader rolls, and in most of those games nobody is out. More filters narrows by youngest player, dice, players and time.

Tips

Roll inside a box lid or a tray, so dice stay on the table.
Counters can be buttons or dried beans. For the youngest, building blocks are easier to count.

Questions and answers

What is an easy dice game for a 4-year-old?

Color the Number: draw six circles numbered 1 to 6, roll one die and color the matching circle. Feed the Monster and Race Along the Paper Track are just as simple, and each needs only one die.

What dice games can kids play with two dice?

First to 50, Lucky Doubles, Cross Off the Sums and Roll a Robot all use two dice. They suit ages 6 to 8, when adding two small numbers is good practice.

Are there dice games for one child?

Yes. In Clear the Clock, Brick by Brick and Six Sixes the child counts the rolls it takes to finish and then tries to beat that count.

Which dice games work for a whole class?

Sit Down on the Leader's Number, Table Race to 100, Everybody Draws a House and Four Corners all run with one leader and up to thirty children. The last two need only the leader's die.

All 41 games

One die, ages 4 to 6 9

Animal Moves by the Die 1. Agree on six moves: 1 is a frog hop, 2 a penguin step, 3 a bunny jump, 4 a crab step, 5 a flamingo stand and 6 a kangaroo bound. 2. Roll once for the animal and once for how many. 3. Everyone does it together, counting aloud. 4. The roller picks who rolls next. Nobody is out. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 5 min. Ages 4 and up.
Climb the Ladder, One to Six 1. Each player draws a ladder with six rungs, numbered 1 at the bottom to 6 at the top. 2. Roll the die. You climb a rung only when you roll the number written on the next rung up. 3. Any other number is a rest. 4. The first player to stand on rung 6 wins. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 10 min. Ages 5 and up.
Color the Number 1. Each player draws six big circles and writes 1 to 6 in them. 2. Roll the die and color the circle with that number. 3. If it is already colored, the die moves on. 4. The first player with all six circles colored wins. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 10 min. Ages 4 and up.

Show all 41 games (38 more)

One die, ages 4 to 6, continued

Feed the Monster 1. Draw a monster with a wide open mouth and give each player 15 counters. 2. Roll the die and count that many of your counters into the mouth. 3. The first player to feed the monster every counter wins. The last roll does not have to be exact. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 10 min. Ages 4 and up.
Higher Roll Takes a Counter 1. Put ten counters between two players. 2. Each rolls one die at the same moment. 3. The higher number takes one counter. On a tie both roll again. 4. When the pile is gone, whoever has more counters wins. Dice: one each. Players: 2. Time: 5 min. Ages 4 and up.
Longest Caterpillar 1. Each player draws a caterpillar's head at the edge of the paper. 2. Roll the die and add that many round body parts. 3. After six turns each, count the parts. 4. The longest caterpillar wins, and then it gets legs. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 10 min. Ages 4 and up.
Race Along the Paper Track 1. Draw a track of 20 boxes on paper and put a button for each player on the first box. 2. Take turns to roll the die and move that many boxes, counting aloud. 3. The first button to reach the last box wins. No exact roll is needed. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 10 min. Ages 4 and up.
Roll and Build a Tower 1. Put a pile of building blocks in the middle. 2. Roll the die and add that many blocks to your own tower. 3. If your tower falls, start again from the blocks you can pick up in one grab. 4. The tallest tower after five turns each wins. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 10 min. Ages 4 and up.
Stepping Stones 1. Lay six paper plates on the floor and number them 1 to 6. 2. Roll the die, say the number and step to that plate. 3. Roll again and step to the next number without touching the floor between, if you can reach. 4. Count how many plates you reach in five rolls. Dice: one. Players: 1 to 6. Time: 5 min. Ages 4 and up.

Two dice, ages 6 to 8 8

Cross Off the Sums 1. Each player writes the numbers 2 to 12 in a row. 2. Roll two dice, add them and cross that sum off your own row. 3. A sum that is already crossed off is a lost turn. 4. The first player to cross off any eight numbers wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 10 min. Ages 6 and up.
First to 50, Two Dice at a Time 1. Roll two dice and add them. 2. Add that sum to your running total on paper and say the new total aloud. 3. Pass the dice. 4. The first player to reach 50 or more wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 10 min. Ages 6 and up.
Knock Out, Pick Your Number 1. Each player chooses 6, 7, 8 or 9 as a knock-out number and writes it down. 2. Take turns to roll two dice and add the sum to your score. 3. When your own number comes up you are out, and you keep your score. 4. When everyone is out, the highest score wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 10 min. Ages 6 and up.
Lucky Doubles 1. Take turns to roll two dice once. 2. A double, two dice the same, wins a counter from the middle. 3. Any other roll wins nothing. 4. The first player with three counters wins. Doubles are six of the 36 ways two dice can land. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 5. Time: 10 min. Ages 6 and up.
Paper Pin Bowling 1. Draw ten pins for each frame. 2. Roll two dice and cross off that many pins: ten or more is a strike. 3. If pins are left, roll one die and cross off that many more. 4. Write down the pins you knocked over, ten at most. The highest total after five frames wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 15 min. Ages 7 and up.
Roll a Robot, Part by Part 1. Add two dice to find the part: 7 is the body, 6 or 8 the head, 5 or 9 an arm, 4 or 10 a leg, 3 or 11 the antenna. A 2 or a 12 is any part you like. 2. The body must be drawn first. 3. A part you already have enough of is a lost turn. 4. The first robot with a body, a head, two arms, two legs and an antenna wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 15 min. Ages 6 and up.
Roll a Story, Hero and Place 1. Write six heroes numbered 1 to 6, such as a dragon, a baker or a lost dog, and six places, such as a lighthouse or the moon. 2. Roll one die for the hero and the other for the place. 3. Tell one sentence about that hero in that place. 4. The next player rolls and carries the story on. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 10 min. Ages 6 and up.
Up the Mountain and Down Again 1. Draw a mountain with the numbers 1 to 6 up one side and 6 to 1 down the other. 2. Roll two dice. If either die shows your next number, move there. 3. Both dice may be used in one turn, one after the other. 4. The first climber back at the bottom wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 15 min. Ages 6 and up.

Scoring games for ages 8 to 12 8

Dice Detective 1. One player sets two dice under a cup to any numbers they like. 2. The others ask questions that can be answered yes or no, such as is the sum more than 7. 3. After five questions the detectives name both dice. 4. Right, and the detectives score. Wrong, and the hider scores. Swap roles. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 10 min. Ages 8 and up.
Higher or Lower, Two Dice 1. Roll two dice and say the sum. 2. Before the next player rolls, they guess whether their sum will be higher or lower. 3. A right guess scores a point. An equal sum scores nothing. 4. Their roll becomes the sum the next player guesses against. First to 7 points wins. Dice: two. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 10 min. Ages 8 and up.
Ones and Fives 1. Roll six dice. Only 1s and 5s score: 100 for each 1 and 50 for each 5. 2. Set the scoring dice aside, then stop and keep the points or roll the rest. 3. A roll with no 1 and no 5 loses the turn's points. 4. The first player to 1,000 wins. Dice: six. Players: 2 to 5. Time: 15 min. Ages 8 and up.
Pairs, Triples and Runs 1. Roll five dice up to three times, keeping any you like. 2. Score your best line: a pair is 1 point, two pairs 2, three of a kind 3, four of a kind 6, five of a kind 10. 3. A run of five, 1 to 5 or 2 to 6, scores 5. 4. The highest total after five rounds wins. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 5. Time: 15 min. Ages 8 and up.
Six Boxes 1. Each player draws six boxes, marked 1s to 6s. 2. On your turn roll five dice up to three times, keeping any you like between rolls. 3. Choose an empty box and write in the total of the dice that show its number: three 4s in the 4s box is 12. 4. After six turns each, the highest total wins. Dice: five. Players: 2 to 4. Time: 15 min. Ages 8 and up.
Stick or Roll Again 1. Roll three dice and add them. 2. Stick with that total, or roll all three again. You may roll again twice at most. 3. The last roll is the one that counts, even if it is lower. 4. The highest total wins the round, and the first to win five rounds wins. Dice: three. Players: 2 to 6. Time: 10 min. Ages 8 and up.
Three in a Row on a Number Grid 1. Draw a grid of three rows and three columns and fill it with nine numbers from 2 to 12, chosen together. 2. Take turns to roll two dice. If the sum is on the grid and free, mark it with your initial. 3. The first player with three in a row wins. 4. A full grid with no line is a draw. Dice: two. Players: 2. Time: 10 min. Ages 8 and up.
Tug of War on a Number Line 1. Draw a line numbered from 10 down to 0 and up to 10 again, with a counter on 0. 2. Two teams take turns to roll one die. 3. Each team moves the counter that many steps toward its own end. 4. A team wins when the counter passes its 10. Dice: one. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 10 min. Ages 8 and up.

Games for one child 8

Brick by Brick 1. Draw a wall of 20 bricks. 2. Roll one die and color that many bricks. 3. Count your rolls. The last roll must fit exactly: with two bricks left, only a 1 or a 2 will do. 4. Write down how many rolls the wall took. Dice: one. Players: 1. Time: 10 min. Ages 5 and up.
Clear the Clock 1. Draw a clock face with the numbers 1 to 12. 2. Roll two dice. Cross off one die, the other die, or the two added together. 3. Count your rolls. 4. When all twelve are crossed off, write the count down and try to beat it. Dice: two. Players: 1. Time: 10 min. Ages 6 and up.
Corner to Corner on a Paper Grid 1. On graph paper, mark a square ten boxes wide and ten tall, and start in the bottom left corner. 2. Roll one die: a 1 or a 2 moves one box right, a 3 or a 4 one box up, and a 5 or a 6 one box both ways. 3. Draw your path as you go. 4. Count the rolls until you touch the top or the right edge. Dice: one. Players: 1. Time: 10 min. Ages 6 and up.
Five in a Row, How Few Rolls? 1. Roll five dice. You want a run of five: 1 to 5, or 2 to 6. 2. Keep the dice that help and roll the others again. 3. Count your rolls. 4. When the run is complete, write the count down and try for fewer. Dice: five. Players: 1. Time: 10 min. Ages 7 and up.
Roll a Creature to Draw 1. Roll one die four times and write the numbers down. 2. The first roll is how many legs your creature has, the second its eyes, the third its arms and the fourth its spots. 3. Draw it and give it a name. Dice: one. Players: 1. Time: 10 min. Ages 5 and up.
Six Sixes Solo 1. Roll six dice and set aside every 6. 2. Roll the rest and set aside the 6s again. 3. Count each roll with a tally mark. 4. When all six dice show a 6, the tally is your score. Lower is better. Dice: six. Players: 1. Time: 10 min. Ages 6 and up.
Three Lives up the Ladder 1. Write the numbers 1 to 12 up a ladder and draw three hearts. 2. Roll two dice. To climb, the next number must show on a die or be the sum of both. 3. A roll that does not help costs a heart. 4. How high are you when the third heart goes? Dice: two. Players: 1. Time: 10 min. Ages 7 and up.
Which Face Reaches Five Marks First? 1. Write 1 to 6 down the side of the paper and guess which number will win. 2. Roll one die and put a tally mark beside that number. 3. Keep rolling until one number has five marks. 4. Was your guess right? Play again and see if another number wins. Dice: one. Players: 1. Time: 10 min. Ages 5 and up.

The whole class or party at once 8

Everybody Draws a House 1. The leader rolls one big die and everyone draws the part for that number: 1 walls, 2 a roof, 3 a door, 4 a window, 5 a chimney, 6 a tree. 2. A part you already have gets a second one, so houses grow extra windows and trees. 3. After ten rolls, hold the houses up. Nobody loses. Dice: one. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Ages 4 and up.
Four Corners, the Die Decides 1. Number the corners of the room 1 to 4. 2. Everyone walks to a corner of their choice. 3. The leader rolls a die: a 5 or a 6 is rolled again. 4. The children in the corner with that number sit down. Go on until one child is left. Dice: one. Players: 8 to 30. Time: 10 min. Ages 5 and up.
Giant Floor Track 1. Lay 15 paper plates across the floor as a track. 2. Split into teams, and one child from each team stands on the track as its counter. 3. Teams take turns to roll a die, and their counter steps that many plates. 4. The first counter past the last plate wins the race for its team. Dice: one. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 10 min. Ages 5 and up.
Musical Dice 1. Sit in a circle and pass two dice around in opposite directions while music plays. 2. When the music stops, the two holders each roll their die. 3. The higher roll picks an action for everyone, such as five jumping jacks. 4. Start the music again. Nobody is out. Dice: two. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 10 min. Ages 5 and up.
Roll a Six Relay 1. Line up in teams, with one die on a table at the far end for each team. 2. The first runner walks fast to the table and rolls until a 6 comes up. 3. Then they walk back and tag the next runner. 4. The first team with everyone back wins. Dice: one for each team. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 10 min. Ages 6 and up.
Sit Down on the Leader's Number 1. Every child has one die and stands up. 2. The leader rolls a big die and calls the number. 3. All the children roll. Anyone who matches the leader's number sits down. 4. Go on until one child is left standing, then start again with everyone up. Dice: one each. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 10 min. Ages 5 and up.
Statues by Number 1. Agree on six poses: 1 stand on one leg, 2 hands up high, 3 curl up small, 4 star shape, 5 airplane arms, 6 freeze as you are. 2. Everyone moves around while music plays. 3. When it stops, the leader rolls a big die and calls the number, and everyone makes that pose. 4. Hold it while the leader counts to five. Dice: one. Players: 4 to 30. Time: 10 min. Ages 4 and up.
Table Race to 100 1. Each table is a team with two dice and one sheet of paper. 2. Players take turns to roll both dice and add the sum to the table's running total. 3. Everyone at the table checks the adding. 4. The first table to reach 100 calls out and wins. Dice: two for each table. Players: 6 to 30. Time: 10 min. Ages 7 and up.

How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors on 2026-10-03 for children aged 4 to 12, in our own words; the games, charts and scoring are the editors' own, and player counts, times and starting ages are our estimates. Knock Out is a folk game given as one common way to play. Nothing is played for a stake, and counters only keep score. Dice and counters are small objects, so every game here is written for ages 4 and up: United States rules treat small parts as a choking hazard in toys for children under 3 (Code of Federal Regulations, title 16, part 1501, read on 2026-10-03: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-II/subchapter-C/part-1501). That doubles are 6 of the 36 ways two dice can land was counted by script. Licence: own work