Players roll a die and QUICKLY take that number of “cookies” from the dish until the cookies are gone.
A child rolls the die and QUICKLY says the number.
Then she or he takes that number of “cookies” from the bowl.
Materials
- Die (see Speedy Dice activity from Lesson 2)
- 30 to 50 “cookies” (large bottle caps, checkers, or other “cookie-like” objects)
- A bowl for the cookies
Preparation
- Gather the materials.
- Place the “cookies” in a bowl and place the bowl on the table.
Directions
- Tell the children that the object of the game is to be the person who gets the last cookie from the bowl.
- With you as the die roller, demonstrate how to play with one of the children. Roll the die and show it for two seconds only, then hide the die behind your back. The child you are playing with should say the number rolled and take that number of cookies out of the bowl. Children can count the cookies one-by-one or scoop some out, count them, and put back the extras.
- Then, let the children take turns being the die roller and player.
- When a player scoops up the last cookie from the bowl, all the players say, “NO MORE COOKIES!” and the game is over. Note that a player does not have to roll the exact number of cookies in the bowl to scoop up the last cookies. For example, a child could roll a “4” when only two cookies remain in the bowl. The child would then take those two cookies to end the game. This is a great opportunity to ask the child how many more cookies he or she needs in the bowl to reach the number rolled.
- Replace all of the cookies in the bowl and have the children play another round of the game.
- Play a more challenging variation: A player must roll the exact number to pick up the final cookie(s). For example, if there are two cookies left in the bowl and a player rolls a “3,” no action is taken. Players continue to take turns rolling the die until a player rolls a “2” and takes the final two cookies.
Note: Some children may need to count the dots on the die before it is picked up. Test their subitizing skills by having them pick up the die more quickly. If they cannot subitize, allow them to count the dots on the die to build their number recognition skills until they can instantly recognize the numbers without counting.