Ask Ollie
Wild Animal Dice Dash
Here's one to try together!
Roll the animal cube, then hop, crawl and slither like a wild creature. Who will you become next?
Reviewed by our team.
Safety first
- falls or collisions during active movement; clear open floor space
- balance poses like flamingo stand may cause tipping over
- pen or marker use by young children
What you need
- Paper, 1 sheet (folded into a cube or used for a list)
- Crayons or markers, 1 marker or pen
- Die, 1 (optional)
How to do it
Grown-up prep: Clear an open patch of floor, away from furniture corners. Fold a paper cube, or just write a numbered list of six animal moves on a sheet of paper and grab a die. If little ones want to help decorate, stay close while they use the marker.
- Fold the paper into a cube, or write 1 to 6 down a sheet.
- Write an animal move beside each number and draw a tiny picture. Ask: Which animal do you think will be the trickiest to copy?
- Clear a big open space so nobody bumps into anything.
- Try each animal move once, just for practice.
- Take turns rolling the cube or die. Shout out the animal that comes up. Ask: What do you hope you'll roll this time?
- Everyone does the rolled move together, counting out loud to ten.
- Pass the cube or die to the next player and keep rolling.
- Now show your friends, or add new animals! Which creature will you invent next? Ask: What new animal move could you add to your game?
Play it again
- Animal mix: roll twice and combine the two animals, like a frog-crab or a kangaroo-snake.
- Count to twenty: do each move for twenty counts instead of ten.
- New zoo: swap in your own animals, like elephant stomp or otter wiggle.
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