Roll the Dice on this Toddler Activity!
Download my free templates to create these adorable Toddler Dice Games! Links below.
DIY Jumbo Dice for the Little Ones
As a current toddler teacher, former pre-school teacher, and mom of four children, I know first hand how difficult it can be to capture the attention of a rowdy three year old or a less-than-focused toddler. During structured school activities like circle time, teachers can find this even more challenging. Many little ones are experiencing their first organized activity and this can be especially hard for those children who are more interested in gross motor play or physical activities (like rolling around on the floor or careening from one end of the room to the other, as the case may be). Coming up with engaging and do-able activities for toddlers can be a real challenge. The skill set of this age groups varies from child to child and the attention span can be limited, to say the least.
Ever struggle with how to engage little ones during structured activities as a teacher, or as a parent at home when you are hoping to transition from one activity to another, reinforce concepts like counting or color recognition, or cajole a child into her clothes, entice her to eat dinner or convince him to pick up his toys?
You will love this simple DIY project that is super easy and so open-ended it can be used for anything from a silly playtime game, to a valuable teaching tool, to a creative way to encourage children to participate in an otherwise challenging task or routine! Click the link below for Amazon’s set of six dice that comes with its own handy carrying bag. You will need these to create this DIY. The free templates include a farm animal set, a jungle animal set, a color set, a food set, a body part set, and a nature set. Each set has six cut-outs, one for each side of the die. The templates are sized to fit the dice perfectly.
You can find this set of dice on Amazon- click here for link.
Use the templates below to make your own sets of dice and get creative! Come back and share your learning games and ideas for others to try!
All the templates are free to download - all you need is an inkjet printer and card stock paper.
Supplies:
Jumbo Dice (I love this set, especially because it comes with a bag to store them)
Glue Stick
Scissors
Card Stock (I like this brand )
Ink jet printer
Directions:
Using card stock, print then cut out each set of dice templates included below.
Using a glue stick, glue each cut-out from a set to one side of the dice, so all six sides are covered.
How to Play:
Parents and teachers can use the dice for any number of situations or games! Here are a few tried-and-true suggestions, but you can easily create your own games and uses for this versatile teaching tool!
THE ANIMAL SETS
THE FARM ANIMAL DIE AND THE JUNGLE ANIMAL DIE CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE
I had to make two of these cause they are probably the favorite theme amongst toddles and preschoolers.
For transition times: Whether you are teacher or a parent/caregiver, animals are always a fun topic! Roll the animal die to help transition from one activity to another. If you are trying to rally the group from the lunch table to their mats for example, roll the die and let them stomp like an elephant or hop like a frog to the desired location. At home this could help little ones get to the dinner table or up to bed.
Animal Sounds Game: Use the animal die to let kids take turns making animal noises. This can be a great activity for toddler and preschool themes like jungle week or farm day.
Learn an animal’s habitat by combining the Farm Animal and Jungle Animal sets to learn where an animal lives. Roll both dice together and discuss which animal comes from the jungle and which lives on a farm.
THE COLOR SET
To learn colors, simply roll the die and ask your toddler what color she sees. Make a game out of it by asking your child to find something in the room that is green (or whatever color she rolls). This could be a toddler activity in a school setting (which friend has green on their clothing?), or simply a fun way for a parent to reinforce color recognition.
To make clean up time more enticing, roll the die and have your child hurry to find all the toys that are that color and put them in their proper place. Add a timed element for older kids to make this even more fun.
To encourage trying new foods, roll the die and have your picky eater try one item on their dinner plate of that color. If that color isn’t on the plate, they can choose what to eat on that turn. This same concept can be used for choosing clothes and getting dressed.
Reinforce counting skills by rolling the die and counting how many items of that color are in the room, backyard or wherever you happen to be playing.
THE FRUITS & VEGGIE SET
In its simplest form, this die can be used for word recognition in the youngest toddler age group
Older toddlers and preschoolers can use this as a way to try new foods, a way to learn healthy food choices, or a way to discuss where our food comes. Combining this die with play food could lead to some fun activities!
THE BODY PART SET
Again, this one is great for word recognition for young toddlers.
It also makes for a fun way to learn where our body parts are located. Roll the die and have the children touch, tap, shake or wiggle that part. This makes an engaging game at circle time. It also provides a great distraction when parents are stuck waiting for extended periods and need a way to entertain kids without handing over that phone!
THE NATURE SET
This die is perfect for a scavenger hunt game for your pre-schoolers (and beyond)! Have kids roll the die and find the item pictured while on the playground or in the back yard.
Take it a step further and create art or fill a sensory bin with the leaves, stones and sticks they discover!
BONUS BLANK SET
Get creative with the bonus blank set! Some ideas: Cut out pictures of family members or classmates for a fun way to take turns, remember names or decide who chooses the movie that night. Or, let your child draw on the template and come up with a game together! What will you create? Share your ideas in the comment section! CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE BLANK TEMPLATE.
Ok…. now make this dice and get rolling!