How to Play the Mouse Dice Game for Kids

Here's an entertaining, inexpensive and educational activity to share with your kids--a simple dice game called Mouse. Whether you play at home or on the go, it teaches younger children how much fun counting, drawing and taking turns can be. Read on to learn how to play the Mouse dice game for kids.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Two or more players
• Dice
• Pencils or crayons
• Paper
• Flat playing surface

1. Explain the rules. Players must draw a mouse by rolling one through six on a die. Each number corresponds with one part--roll a six to draw the body, five the nose, four the whiskers, three the eyes, two the ears and one the tail.
2. Determine who goes first. Roll the dice to see who gets the highest number or go youngest to oldest.
3. Roll a die when it's your turn. You must get a six to start since the other parts attach to the mouse's body. If you roll a six, draw the body and play proceeds to the next player. If you don't, the next player goes and you'll try again on your next turn.
4. Continue taking turns. Once you've drawn the body, you can roll the remaining numbers in any order. Forfeit your turn if your roll corresponds with a part you've already drawn.
5. Win the game when you're the first player to complete the drawing.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the game to teach simple addition once kids are comfortable with counting and number recognition. Give players a pair of dice. After each roll, add the two to determine the total. For this version, players must roll a 12 to draw the body, 10 for the nose, eight for whiskers, six for eyes, four for ears and two for the tail. (This also makes the game longer.)
• Assist younger children by lightly drawing a mouse pattern they can trace.
• Reinforce social skills like taking turns and good sportsmanship by encouraging kids to wait patiently and congratulate the winner.
• Be sure your kids are old enough to play with dice safely and won't put the small objects in their mouths. If necessary, buy larger dice at a teacher supply store--some feature numbers instead of dots to promote number recognition, too.