Submitted by: Sonia Sheehan, HPEC Vice President Communications
Are you looking for ways to engage your students using
limited or small equipment during physical education class? Look no further
than physically active dice games. There are many types of dice available to
utilize in physically active dice games, such as: standard 6 sided dice, 10
sided dice, multi-coloured dice, dice with pictures of popular pop culture
figures and larger type dice that can accommodate teacher created inserts.
Different types of dice can be found in PE equipment websites, amazon, board game
stores or specialty card/dice stores. The use of dice with numbers can also
promote numeracy skills and enhance cross-curricular teaching during physical
education class. Once you have a variety of dice as a small equipment choice in
your equipment room, you can try out some dice games below or use your
creativity and develop brand new dice games of your own. Students can be given
the opportunity to create their own physically active dice game.
1. Where to Roll the Dice during dice games: It is strongly recommended to use inexpensive plastic bowls or buckets as a place to always roll the dice. Using a contained space, like a bowl or a bucket, as a rolling location will help the dice stay in one place, maintain a safe space free of flying dice and lengthen the lifespan of the dice. Teaching students to roll the dice in a bowl or bucket is the first step of building a successful and safe dice game.
2. Fitness Dice: 6 sided dice and 10 sided dice: Create a template for 6 Sided Fitness Dice and 10 Sided Fitness Dice. These templates will include either 6 or 10 different exercises or movements students perform depending on the roll of the dice. The number of repetitions to complete can be pre-determined or based on the number of the roll. Here are a few template examples:
a.
1 – Burpee, 2 – Push up, 3 – Jumping Jack, 4 –
Squat, 5 – Lunge, 6 – Air Punch - In this example students complete the number
of repetitions of the exercise on the side of the dice. Roll a 1 and complete 1
Burpee, roll a 2 and complete 2 Push Ups, roll a 3 and complete 3 Jumping
Jacks, roll a 4 and complete 4 Squats, roll a 5 and complete 5 Lunges, roll a 6
and complete 6 Air Punches.
b.
1 – Walk, 2 – Run, 3 – Jump, 4 – Skip, 5 –
Gallop, 6 – Side Slide, 7 – Leap, 8 – Hop, 9 – Dance, 0 – Backwards – In this
example students move in a designated route, such as across the gymnasium,
using the locomotor pattern rolled on the dice. If a 1 is rolled, the students
walk, if a 2 is rolled the students run, if a 3 is rolled the students jump,
etc…
c. Provide each small group of students a blank template and have the students fill in each number with a different exercise or movement. Once the template is created, the students can play their very own Fitness Dice Game.
3. Pokemon Battle Dice Game: Multi-coloured dice are needed for this game. Red dice will represent fire Pokemon, blue dice will represent water Pokemon, yellow dice will represent electric Pokemon and green dice will represent grass Pokemon. Distribute the different colour dice equally to ensure each student has their own coloured dice. Play the first round of Pokemon Battle Dice Game as individual Pokemons. Students move around the activity area and find a student with a different coloured dice, representing a different type of Pokemon, and challenge them to a battle. The battle consists of the two students rolling their dice into a contained area (a plastic bucket or bowl) and the dice with the highest number wins the battle. The winner can pick up a small token to represent the win and then continues to battle a different student. The student who does not win will look for another student to battle. If during a battle the students roll the same number, students switch dice and become a Pokemon representing a new element. At the end of the game, students can count their small tokens to see how many battles they won and the Ultimate Pokemon Champion can be announced. A second version of the Pokemon Battle Dice Game can be played in teams. Each type of Pokemon, Red/Fire, Blue/Water, Green/Grass, Yellow/Electric has a home base location in the activity area. The team of Pokemons tries to win as many Pokemon battles as possible. Students must battle a Pokemon of a different colour and when a student wins a battle, they pick up a small token and add it to their team home base location. At the end of the game, each team will count up all the small tokens earned and the Winning Pokemon Team can be announced. It is recommended to have many plastic bowls or containers set up throughout the playing area to ensure safe and contained dice rolling during the Pokemon Battle Dice Game.
4. Rock, Paper, Scissors Dice Game: Dice with the pictures of Rock, Paper and Scissors are needed for this game. Students play similarly to regular Rock, Paper, Scissors, but instead of using their hand to represent their choice of Rock, Paper or Scissors they will roll their dice to find out their choice. If a student wins, they pick up a small token to represent the win and challenge someone new. If a student does not win, they must complete a designated movement before challenging someone new. If a student ties, they get to re-roll against the same student until a winner is determined. At the end of the game count up your small tokens to find out how many rounds of Rock Paper Scissors you won. Use of plastic bowls or containers set up throughout the playing area will help ensure safe and contained dice rolling.
5. Marvel Villians Dice Game: Dice with the pictures of the Marvel Villians are needed for this game. Students are set up in small groups with 1 Marvel Villian Dice, a sheet of paper with all the Marvel Villians and a pencil. Pictures of the 6 Marvel Villians found on the Dice are posted around the playing area. Groups roll their dice and and the roll will reveal one Marvel Villian. The group must find the picture of the Marvel Villian that was rolled and completed the exercises/movements listed by the Villian’s picture to defeat the Villian. Once the Villian is defeated, the group can cross out the Villian on their paper. The group continues until they have defeated all 6 Marvel Villians. Use plastic bowls or containers to ensure safe and contained dice rolling.
6. Marvel Heros Dice Game: Dice with pictures of the Marvel Heros are needed for this game. This is the same game as the Marvel Villians, but pictures of the Marvel Heros are posted around the playing area and the groups are trying to complete the training of the Marvel Heros. Exercises/movements listed at each Marvel Hero would mimic the type of training that particular Marvel Hero would do. Each group continues until they have completed all the training of the 6 Marvel Heros.
7. Quick Addition Dice Game: Dice with numbers are needed for this game. Each student carries one 6 sided dice with them. When the music is playing during this game, students move safely throughout the activity space. When the music stops, students find a bowl/bucket and wait for another student to join them. Once two students are at the bowl/bucket, they roll their dice into the bowl/bucket and try to be the first person to correctly say the total of the numbers from the 2 dice rolled. Continue to roll the dice into the bucket and quickly say the sum of the numbers on the two dice. When the music starts, students pick up their dice and move around the activity area. When the music stops, students find a new bowl/bucket and repeat the adding activity with a new partner until the music starts again. For a bonus round, three students can be at each bowl/bucket and the sum of all three numbers needs to be correctly announced before the next roll. This game can also use subtraction or multiplication as well as 10 sided dice for a more challenging game.
8. Roll the Dice Object Manipulation Game: Dice with numbers (6 sided or 10 sided) and a variety of items to safely throw and catch are needed for this game. The set up includes students in groups of 2 or 3 with 1 dice per student and a variety of items that can be safely thrown and caught around the perimeter of the activity area. These items could include: gator balls, fluff balls, juggling clubs, pool noodles, table tennis balls, tennis balls, bean bags, etc. All students in the group roll their dice into a bowl or bucket. The group adds up all the numbers on the 2 or 3 dice, depending on the number of students in the group. The total of the dice is the number of throws and catches the group must complete with one of the tossable items. One student goes to the variety of items and brings one item back for the group to use. Once the group completes the designated number of throws and catches, the group members roll their dice again. The sum of all the dice is determined by the group and a new student returns the tossable item used from the previous roll and brings a new item back for the group to use. Play continues with students rolling the dice, adding the numbers of the dice, and taking turns to pick an item to throw and catch.
9. 6 Sided Colour Dice Tag Game: A larger Dice with 6 different colour sides (Move Cubes come with 6 different coloured sides) and tagging implements such as pool noodles is needed for this game. Students are equally divided between the 6 colours on the dice (Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Purple, Orange) and each colour has a home base area. The tagging pool noodles are placed in the centre of the activity space and safe pool noodle tagging is taught or reviewed to ensure a safe game. The 6 Sided Colour Dice is rolled in the middle of the activity area. The students of the colour rolled are “it” and retrieve a tagging pool noodle. Students who are not “it” can move into open space to avoid being tagged. Once a student is tagged, they return to their home base area and wait for the next round to begin. The round is over when most or all of the students are tagged. All students, including the taggers, return to their home base area and wait for the next roll of the 6 Sided Colour Dice to reveal the next colour of “its”. https://www.schoolspecialty.ca/sportime-movecubes-with-bodymoves-6-12-inches-assorted-colors-set-of-3-009887
10. Life Size Board Game: One Dice per 3 student, one small item to use as a game board marker per 3 students, as many multi-colour poly spots as possible laid out on the activity floor side by side in a type of long line or large circle or square to fill the length and/or perimeter of the activity space and a template sheet with the poly spot colours with a movement associated with each colour (red – run 1 lap, blue – 5 squats, green – 10 jumping jacks, yellow – 3 push ups, purple – plank for 10 seconds, orange – water break). All groups place their game board marker on the starting poly spot. Students take turns rolling the dice for their group and moving their group’s game board marker the designated number of spots based on the roll of the dice. The group must perform the activity associated with the colour of poly spot their game board marker lands on before the next roll of the dice. For example, if a group’s game board marker lands on a blue poly spot and blue is 5 squats, the group performs 5 squats before rolling their dice again. Challenge the groups to see if they can complete the entire route of the poly spots or multiple times across or around the poly spot line/circle/square. To ensure safe and contained rolling use bowls/buckets to roll the dice. Each group can carry their own bowl/bucket or place bowls/buckets around the activity area for dice rolling to take place.
11. Student Created Dice Game: Allow small groups of students the opportunity to create their own dice game. Provide clear criteria to ensure the games created are safe and active. Students can play their own game and groups can share their game with other groups.
12.
Dice Storage: Be sure to think about dice
storage. Small containers with lids will help keep different types of dice
separated and prevent dice from falling out of the container if dropped. Keep a
collection of inexpensive plastic bowls/buckets handy to help students roll in
a safe and contained manner during your Physically Active Dice Games.
Stay Active and Happy Rolling!
