Working with dice enhances number sense in young children by training them to look at a group of objects (the dots on the dice) and recognize how many are there without counting. As children grow familiar with these common arrangements, they increase their awareness of how numbers are composed — two columns of three makes six, for example.
Even toddlers can grasp simple dice games, and they love the feel of the dice and the sounds they make. For added sensory fun, shake them up in a cup or can before you roll. And for your own entertainment, please teach your toddler to say “Snake eyes!” when he rolls double ones. You won’t regret it.
When they’re comfortable with dice, break out the twelve-dot dominoes.
Snake Eyes!