Push Your Luck Dice Race

What you need

• Paper, 1 sheet
• Die, 1
• Pencil, 1

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Find one die, a sheet of paper and a pencil. Keep the die away from little ones, since it is small and can be a choking hazard.

1. Write each player's name at the top of a score column.
2. Learn the rules: roll as many times as you dare.
3. If you roll a 1, your turn ends and you lose that turn's points.
4. Stop by choice to bank your turn's total on the paper.
5. Play a first game, racing to 100 points.
   Ask: Before we start, when do you think is the best moment to stop rolling?
6. Play again with a new rule: always stop once you reach 20.
7. Try one more game, this time always stopping at 10.
   Ask: Do you think stopping at 10 will win more often than stopping at 20?
8. Compare your games and decide which rule worked best.
   Ask: Which stopping rule won more often, and why do you think that happened?
9. Now challenge a friend, or invent your own stopping rule! What number will you pick next?

Play it again

• Speed round: each turn lasts only 10 seconds of rolling, then you must bank.
• Secret number: each player secretly picks a stopping number before the game, then reveal and see whose worked best.
• Team up: play in pairs and talk it over before deciding to roll again.