Dice activities! Why I can’t live without them.

I am constantly seeing posts in my social media groups about what is one thing in your classroom you can’t live without. For years, I have pondered this question and answered it a million different ways. There has never been one thing I LOVE so much I can’t teach without…until now. I have discovered dice and so many ways to use dice activities to get students signing and using the language. I can go on and on about my love of dice activities but let me get right down to why you will love them too.  

Top 5 reasons to use dice activities in your World Language classroom:

1. 1. Student engagement
   2. Getting students talking
   3. A fun environment
   4. Detour from the mundane
   5. Giving options and variety

ICEBREAKER

For great warm-ups, give each group member a die and have them roll. Based on what number they roll, students will tell something about themselves.

1	Something about your family
2	A silly human trick
3	an embarrassing story
4	What you love to do when you have time
5	What you will do this weekend
6	Pets you have or have had

 

 

 

 

You can use other warm-ups to enhance your class, too. You don’t have to limit yourself to just dice games.

KABOOM!

This dice activity is based on the game Kaboom and was shown to me by my dear friends Jennifer and Shea. Place students in groups of four. Students take turns signing pre-created sentences or questions. After the sentence or question is signed, they ask the group if it is correct. If the other players agree the construction of the sentence was accurate, a player will roll the dice and earn the points shown on the die, EXCEPT if they roll the Kaboom number.

The Kaboom number changes each round. For example, in the first round, if you roll a 1, you lose all your points, and then in round 2, if you roll a 2, you lose all your points. If the student signs the sentence incorrectly, they lose their turn and give the die to the next student in their group. Rounds can be played for any duration of time you want. I play for about 5 – 7 minutes. Example of a game

VOCABULARY REVIEW

Creating a grid with images of vocabulary you want students to know is a great way to incorporate repetition and FUN into a class period. In this dice activity, students would need 2 dice and a partner or group. Students roll one die to represent the number on the vertical row and roll the second die to determine the number on the horizontal row. Students will sign the word in the box on the grid. Create your own or use these pre-made dice activity reviews. No time to create your own? Check out these topics to review like animals, clothes, states,  Olympics activities, sports and recreation, weather, and other dice activities. 

Extension activity: Students can use the word to create a sentence and reverse the numbers to use a different word to ask a question to the group. This all depends on the vocabulary being used. Visit my TpT store to see examples of this idea and many other activities.  

LET’S TALK

This dice activity has endless possibilities. It is similar to the above activity, where students will need two dice and a partner or small group. Topics can be given on numerous subjects like weather, clothing, travel, your bucket list, or daily routines.

OPTIONS

Give students a list of in-class assignments or homework options. Have students roll the dice to determine which activity they will complete. This will pique students’ interest in the assignment and hopefully add intrigue and allure to the process. Students can complete all assignments, or you can assign a specific number, like 3 out of six, determined by the dice numbers.  

1	Watch a video
2	Create a dialogue with a partner
3	Write a synopsis
4	Compare the differences and similarities
5	Debate the topic
6	Narrate the event

 

Dry Erase Cubes

You can even use dry-erase foam cubes as dice. Write vocabulary words on the dice to have students practice signs or create sentences. Vocabulary words can also work as conversation starters by having the student who rolled the dice ask a question to their partner or group. The partner(s) would have to answer the question. Try these FREE conversation starters to get you going. 

Dry-erase cubes can also be used with simple images. Say you are learning animals. You can draw pictures of animals on some of the cubes and vocabulary words on the other cubes. Students would have to create a sentence using those images and words.

Classroom As a Board Game

If you’re looking for a way to bring dice rolling to life in your classroom, the Turn Your Classroom Into a Board Game is the game for you. Add large dice, and you take game play to the next level—literally. Create categories, lay them out around your classroom, and let students play. You can read more about this fun dice game here. 

Resources

If you have money to spend from school or a few bucks of your own, you can order 50 dice with a storage container for about $8. I shared the link with parents and asked for dice donations, and I ended up with several cases. It is a cheap and easy way for parents to help out. Many families have extras around their homes. If you can’t get any in your classroom, have students make some of their own. Learn how here.  

You may like to use these games in your classroom and read about how to use them.

Want More Game Ideas?

Looking for fresh ideas to keep your language classroom active and engaged? The Big Book of Activities for the ASL & World Language Classroom is a collection of simple, flexible activities you can use again and again throughout the school year.

This book is designed to help teachers add variety, movement, and interaction to their lessons without spending hours planning. With 300+ pages and over 100 activity ideas, you will always have something ready to go when you need a new classroom activity.

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