Easy Pot of Gold Board Game

 Pot of Gold Board Game


I was looking for some fun learning type activities that were St. Patty's Day themed.
Found several on Pinterest, but none that seemed just right.

Then, I remembered making this game for my first graders back in the day. Fond memory.
I knew it would be a hit with Annette for several reasons. It has simple instructions. It's fast paced. And it requires me to spend one-on-one time with her : )


   A few of the skills she is practicing while we play:


       - taking turns
       - counting sets (dots on dice) 
       - one to one correspondence (coloring the correct number of spaces)
       - value of numbers (rolling a 6 is greater than rolling a 2)

  All of which will be important for school days.

Since I couldn't find the original one I made several years ago, I created this rainbow game board using Microsoft Word of all things. Print it off if you'd like! It is not fancy, I have no reason to brag. However, I am still proud of myself for making it myself after having no luck finding one off the internet. AND I just googled how to link to a Word document to my blog using this gal's tutorial. Super easy.

I made a bunch of copies to hand out to my Bible study girls, and had lots left over for us to play with at home.

I cannot count the number of times we have played this game this week. I'll have to come up with a new version asap before we both get a bit tired of the same 'ole same 'ole.

The directions are so simple, I doubt you even need them. But here they are:

Print out the rainbow board game. (One per player)
Find a dice. (or make one using a block and a permanent marker)
The youngest player rolls the dice first.
They color/fill in the corresponding number of spaces. You could use a different color per space, or per turn.
Player number two follows the same steps.
Continue to take turns until someone reaches the pot of gold.
First one to do so is the winner!

This game is over pretty quickly, so you might print off several copies : )

Charlie, of course, isn't quite ready to play the game the way it is meant to be played, but he learns so much from watching us. I try to throw in some letter, shape, and number ID practice while Annette colors her spaces ; )

Here he is 'counting' the dots on the dice. SOOO stinkin' cute.

While tutoring this week, I modified the game a bit to help a kindergarten student with their sight words. Instead of choosing random sight words, I chose some that he already knows (to keep it fun and not too frustrating) and some of the newer ones we have been working on in his books. He rolled the dice, and had to call out the words as he colored them. Perfect balance of fun and work combined. It sure is nice to stray from the boring flash card method every once in a while!

  

Hope everyone has a happy St. Patrick's Day!!