What could be cheaper and easier for building great family relationships than a regular time playing games? Whether it's fortnightly, weekly or more frequently, sitting around a desk and playing games together is a sure fire solution to promote healthy and strong bonds between family members. If only games didn't cost so much!
It's amazing exactly how many family-friendly games you can enjoy with only a number of dice. Listed here is my set of the utmost effective five family dice games that won't cost you a cent! (If you don't ask them to already, you can buy packs of five dice for only a few dollars.)
Fifty is a straightforward game for young kids that could also help them learn how to count. Players take turns to throw two dice. If you throw a double one, double two, double four or double five, you score five points. Throwing a double six scores 25 points, but a double three sets your score back again to zero. Any other throw does not count. The initial player to attain fifty points, or maybe more, wins the game bone dice.
Knock Out is another simple game for children. Each player chooses a knock-out number - either 6, 7, 8, or 9. Then they take turns to throw two dice and add the numbers. If the total equals their knock-out number, they are from the game for the remaining portion of the round. Play continues until only 1 player (the winner) is left. Everyone will then play another round, selecting a different knock-out number if they wish.
Go Figure is really a mathematical dice game using three dice. A new player chooses several between one and fifteen for the player on the left to work out out mathematically using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with the three numbers to attempt to make their chosen number. Like, if they chose the number "8" and their dice throw was 2, 4 and 6, they may have 4 + 6 - 2 = 8. If the throw was 1, 3 and 5 they may have 1 x 3 + 5 = 8. A new player who succeeds scores one point. That player then chooses several (1-15) for the player on the left to 'go figure' ;.After a number of rounds the player with the greatest score could be the winner.
Centennial is a race game for 2 to 8 players using three dice, a board and a counter for every player. The board consists of thirteen squares in a row, labelled Start, 1, 2, 3,..., 10, 11, 12. It could be made from cardboard and decorated nicely or perhaps scribbled on a page of paper. Counters could be coins, matchsticks, etc. as long as each player can identify their counter. All of the counters are put on the Start square. The initial player throws the three dice. If one of them is really a "1" they place their counter on square 1. If there clearly was a "2" (or two "1s", since 1 + 1 = 2) they may also go on to square 2, and so on. Throwing a "1", "2" and "3" would imply that the player could move around square 6 (1, 2, 3 obviously; but 1 + 3 = 4, 2 + 3 = 5 and 1 + 2 + 3 = 6). Once a player reaches 12, they then move back the board. The initial player to return to square 1 shouts "Centennial!" and wins the game.
Four Twenty One is a strategy game that uses three dice and is popular in Europe. There are ten rounds; the player with the greatest score by the end of the tenth round wins the game. The initial player throws all three dice, trying to reach the greatest rank. The order of the ranks is:
Four Twenty One - 421
Triples - 666 (highest), 555, 444, 333, 222, down to 111(lowest)
Pairs - 665 (highest), 664, 663, 662, 661, 556, 554, 553, 552, 551, 446, 445, 443, 442, 441, 336, 335, 334, 332, 331, 226, 225, 224, 223, 221, 116, 115, 114, 113, 112 (lowest)
Chance - 654 (highest), 653, 652, 651, 643, 642, 641, 632, 631, 621, 543, 542, 541, 532, 531, 521, 432, 431, 321 (lowest)
[You may like to write out all the possible combinations in order from highest (421) to lowest (321) for reference when you play.] The initial player has around three throws to reach their highest rank. They are able to choose to help keep any dice any throw any dice. Like, with a throw of 5 5 6, they may keep the pair of 5s and throw the 6 in the hope of getting a triple 5. Other players then attempt to beat each others rank for that round. The player with the greatest rank scores one point for the round. After ten rounds, the player with the greatest total score wins the game.
There you go! Five family-friendly games for younger kids and adults using only three dice or less. I haven't even mentioned my family's favourite dice game, Pig. If you prefer additional information on these and other dice games and other family-friendly games, have a look at our website.