An Odd (and Even) Little Race

This is a mathematical racing game. It is designed to give  children plenty of (social) opportunites to reinforce their ability to recognise odd and even numbers.

You will need the downloadable board*, 1 dice, 2 counters and 2 children. The game works well for children of equal ability. However, sine there is a strong element of luck and anyone can win, it can be equally appropriate for children working with more (or less) able partners.

The game is a circular race, with the winner being the player who catches up with (or overtakes) their partner.

At the start of the game, one player chooses to play only odd numbers and places his or her counter on the Odd starting space. The other player puts his or her counter on the Even space.
Players now take turns to roll the dice. But they do not take it in turns to move - the dice decides that!
If the number on the dice is odd the Odd player moves around the board that number of squares. If the number is even the Even player moves.

This one worked well for me with Y1 children - see how it works for you. Once again, the best learning (and teaching) happens within the conversation the children have while they are playing; encourage them to use appropriate vocabulary and to share the strategies they have for recognising odd-ness and even-ness.

* Login/register first to access the downloadable files.

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