The Secret To Dice - Bedtime Math

Skip to contentThe Secret to Dice

Dice are a fun toy we can use in a lot of different games. A die is just a cube, a shape that has 6 flat square sides or “faces” with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 dots on each face. The die can land with any of those faces pointing up, and the dots tell you how many spaces to move in a board game. And here’s a cool fact: on most dice, the two sides opposite each other always add up to 7. Find a die or two and check it out!

Wee ones: Find a box in your room that has 6 faces (flat sides). See if you can count them all.

Little kids: One side of a die has 2 rows of 3 dots in each. They’re sometimes called “railroad tracks.” How many dots are there in total? Bonus: Opposite sides on a die add up to 7. If you’re looking at the side with 5 dots on it, how many dots are on the opposite side?

Big kids: If you roll 4 dice, what’s the biggest number of dots you can roll in total? Bonus: If you roll a 3, 4, 5 and 6, which die would have to change to a 2 for your total to be 14?

Answers: Wee ones: Count the 6 faces…remember to count the back side and the bottom!

Little kids: 6 dots. Bonus: 2 dots.

Big kids: 24. Bonus: You rolled 18, so to get 14 you need to lower the total by 4. So you change the 6 to a 2.

Search

Recent Posts

Even Better Than a Purple Bear

Because Robots Love Toys, Too

Traffic Cops for Planes

Do All Snowflakes Have 6 Sides?

Stocking It to You

Music That’s Off the Wall

Pick a Math Skill

4-5 Years

Compare Single Digits

Add 1 or 2 to a Single Digit

Count Up By 1s

Continue a Simple Pattern

Count Objects

Find a Number of Objects

Compare Objects By Size

Explore Shapes

5-6 Years

Count Up or Down By 1s

Add Single Digits

Find Pairs That Add To 10

Add Within 20

Subtract Single Digits

Compare Numbers Less Than 20

Continue An Alternating Pattern

Create Equal Shares

Work With Weekdays

Identify Shapes

6-8 Years

Add to a 2-Digit Number

Add Single Digits > 5

Subtract Within 20

Compare Numbers < 100

Continue a Pattern

Count By Multiples

Share Equally

Multiply a Single Digit x 2

Factor a Number

Order Numbers By Size

Solve a Multi-Step Problem

Work with Multiples of 10

Add and Subtract Hours

Work with Days and Weeks

8-9 Years

Add Multiple 2-Digit Numbers

Add to a 3-Digit Number or More

Divide Into a 2-Digit Number

Multiply Single Digits

Multiply By a 2-Digit Number

Solve a Multi-Step Problem Involving Multiplication

Subtract 2-Digit Numbers

Subtract 3-Digit Numbers or More

Work with Multiples of 100

Calculate Items in a Pattern

Work with Perimeter

Work with Simple Fractions Like 1/2

Work with Hours, Minutes and Seconds

Work with Months, Weeks and Days

Say a Multi-Digit Number in Words

9+ Years

Compare Numbers Over 1,000

Divide a 3-Digit Number or More

Divide to Find a Remainder

Estimate

Explore Simple Combinatorials

Work With Area and Perimeter

Multiply Larger Multiples of 10

Work With Patterns Above 100

Work With Fractions

Solve a Multi-Step Problem Involving Time

Solve a Multi-Step Problem Involving Calendar Units

Solve a Multi-Step Problem Involving Division

Pick a Topic

Animals

Daily Routine

Entertainment

Food

History

Science and Nature

Sports

Vehicles and Transportation