This St. Patrick’s Day dice game needs to be a part of your St. Patrick’s Day activities for preschoolers and kindergarten kids.
Using the St. Patrick’s Day math game, you and the kids can practice a variety of important early math skills. All while having fun! And it’s simple to differentiate, so you can change things up based on the ages and needs of your students.
Plus, it doesn’t take much to get the St. Patrick’s Day number game printable ready to go. It’s pretty much a print-and-play game. So you can have it ready for the children to play tomorrow.
Related: Free Preschool Number Printables
Since the symbols on the math game printable are all geared towards St. Patrick’s Day, I suggest playing it in March. However, you don’t have to! If your kids are loving the game, keep it available until they (or you!) grow tired of it.
St. Patrick’s Day Dice Game
Below, you’ll find supply suggestions, directions for prepping, and some ideas for using the St. Patrick’s Day math game with kids.
Please keep in mind that you can make your own adjustments to pretty much all of that! Don’t stress feeling like you have to use this printable the exact ways we have.
Related: Math Activities for Preschoolers
Oh, and don’t forget to request your copy of the dice game printable. You’ll find a large form near the bottom of this post where you can do just that.
How to Prep the Preschool Math Game
Start off by grabbing the materials you need to prep the St. Patrick’s Day dice game. Here’s what I tend to use (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
You really only need two things – a way to print the game, and a way to protect the game from exuberant little hands. Once you have that taken care of, choose which items you’ll be using to play the St. Paddy’s dice game. Here are some possibilities:
- Regular dice
- Numbered dice
- Large foam dice
- Shamrock manipulatives
- St. Patrick’s Day mini erasers
- Glass stones (green and gold would be perfect)
- Dry erase markers
- St. Patrick’s Day stickers
Honestly, the sky’s the limit when it comes to what you use with the game. Check your supply stash, pick out some items you like, and go for it! Or go and pick up some fun St. Patrick’s Day-themed items.
Related: Christmas Dice Game
Next, print the games. Make as many copies as you need. If your students LOVE dice games, I suggest having a few extra on-hand.
Then decide how you want to use the St. Patrick’s Day dice game with your kids. Can the children use it and then take the papers home? If so, leave them as is! If you want the games to be reusable, be sure to laminate them or slip them into dry erase pockets.
How to Play the St. Patrick’s Day Dice Game
I like to start math games like this one with small groups of children. This lets me teach the game, observe where the kids are in their understanding, and differentiate as needed.
The dice game can be played individually, in pairs, or even with small groups of kids. I prefer individual or paired play, but that’s just my preference.
Here’s the basic way to play the St. Patrick’s Day dice game:
- Give each player manipulatives to act as counters. If one game board has multiple players, ensure that each player has something unique to them.
- Place the printable game on the table, desk, or floor.
- Make sure each player has a die.
- Player 1 rolls the die and covers up the appropriate spot on the game board.
- Players take turns doing the same until all of the images are covered up.
And that’s really about it! If you want the game printable to be consumable, you can use markers, dot markers, crayons, or stickers. Then the children can take the completed games home.
If the games are to be reusable, be sure to laminate them or place them in dry erase pockets. Children can use dry erase markers or a wide variety of manipulatives to cover the images.
Once your students understand how to play the St. Patrick’s Day dice game, consider placing the game in your math center. This way, your students can get some independent practice with the concepts, either by playing alone or with peers.
Other Ways to Use the St. Patrick’s Day Number Printable
If you’re looking for a few more ways to use the math game printable, I’ve got you covered! You can, of course, come up with other ways to play the game with your students.
Here are a few possibilities to consider:
- Pair the game with numbered dice instead of dot dice. Then play the game as shared above.
- In the same vein as above, put a sticker on top of the dice images on the printable. Write the numbers 1 through 6. Play the game as usual, with that one change.
- Place stickers on top of the dice images on the printable. But this time write numbers 7 through 12. Give the children 2 dice to play the game with. You can even make a jumbo gameboard so kids are working with numbers 1 through 12 for a game!
- Sometimes, all of the images under a number are covered before the game is over. Instead of just skipping a turn, have the kids stack additional manipulatives on top of the images. Once the game is done, challenge the children to observe which numbers were rolled most during that game.
- For a faster, shorter game, have the children just cover up 2 or 3 images underneath each die on the printable.
How will you use the St. Patrick’s Day dice game with your students? If you find any new ways to play, be sure to let me know in the comments below.
What Skills are Practiced as the Kids Play?
With this fun and engaging game, children are practicing a variety of early skills. Here are some:
- Subitizing
- Taking turns
- Counting
- One-to-one correspondence
- Fine motor
- Visual discrimination
- Number identification
- Early addition
Depending on how you play the game, your students might be exploring even more concepts than I’ve listed above! Don’t forget to request your copy of the St. Patrick’s Day dice game at the bottom of this post.
More St. Patrick’s Day Activities for Kids
Here are a few more activities and printables for your St. Patrick’s Day plans:
- Pot of Gold Number Cards
- St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Play
- Beaded Shamrock Craft
- St. Patrick’s Day Color By Code
- St. Patrick’s Day Beginning Sounds
- Popsicle Stick St. Patrick’s Day Puppets
- St. Patrick’s Day Calendar Numbers
I think they pair very well with the St. Patrick’s Day dice game, what about you?
St. Patrick’s Day Lesson Plans
Let Preschool Teacher 101 save you a lot of planning time with our done-for-you early childhood resources. We have hundreds of lesson plans, dramatic play packs, math games, literacy activities, classroom management guides, and more.
Click on the image below to get our St. Patrick’s Day lesson plans:
Here are a few more products we have for March:
Be sure to check out The Pack, our membership for preschool and kindergarten teachers. We’ve helped thousands of teachers take back their free time and have the ability to focus in on what really matters, connecting with and teaching their students.
Get the Free Printable St. Patrick’s Day Dice Game
This free printable is available to members of Fun-A-Day’s free email community. If you’re a member, fill out the form below and the download links will be sent to your inbox. If you’re not a member, you can join us by entering your information in the form. Then you’ll receive the St. Patrick’s Day dice game printable as a welcome gift!
Be sure to check out my printing FAQ page if you run into any issues.
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