Math Game Monday: Dinosaur Race

This game helps preschool children develop counting and number sense.

Many parents remember struggling to learn math. We hope to provide a better experience for our children. And one of the best ways for children to enjoy learning is through hands-on play.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s play some math!

Dinosaur Race

Math Concepts: number symbols, counting beyond ten, number line.

Players: any number.

Equipment: subitizing cards, number line racetrack, small plastic dinosaur or other toy for each player.

Set-Up

Draw a straight path on paper or a manila file folder, either horizontal or slanted uphill (so the larger numbers will be higher). Divide the racetrack into twelve to twenty spaces large enough for small toys to rest in. Or glue squares of colored construction paper in a long line on poster board. Number the spaces in order, beginning with one.

Create subitizing cards by drawing 1, 2, or 3 dots on several index cards or cut-up squares of cardboard. Better yet, let your kids make them with dot markers (but make sure the dots don’t show through the back).

Turn the subitizing cards face down and spread them out to form a fishing pond. Do not use dice or regular playing cards. The number of squares moved each turn must be low enough to recognize at a glance, or else counting will distract the player from saying the track numbers in order.

How to Play

Each player should choose a small dinosaur or other toy and place it near the beginning of the racetrack. On your turn, draw a card and move your dinosaur that many spaces, saying each number as you land on it. Cards should be mixed back into the pond after each turn.

This is the most important rule: when moving their toys, players must say the number in each space. Repeating the numbers in order focuses the child’s attention and helps build number sense, a gut feeling for how numbers work, which is important to future learning.

The first player to reach the end of the path wins the race.

Variations

After children have played the game normally many times, try starting at the end of the path and counting down the number line.

Or use the game board for counting practice. Count pennies or dried beans onto the racetrack spaces, or write numbers on small plastic lids so children can match them to the board.

Whole-Body Counting: Draw a Dinosaur Race path outdoors with sidewalk chalk, or use colored painter’s tape along a hallway floor. Children can walk or jump along the line, saying the numbers as they go.

History

Counting up and down a number line forms a strong foundation for children’s understanding of arithmetic. Dinosaur Race is based on the research of Robert S. Siegler and Geetha B. Ramani, who studied how preschool children responded to a variety of games. Playing a number line game like Dinosaur Race for as little as an hour (in fifteen-minute segments spread out over a couple of weeks) made a dramatic difference in the children’s ability to learn and retain arithmetic facts, while similar games played on a round track or on a linear track without numbers produced no measurable change.