play-plan

Play Plan : Snakes & Ladders

Prerequisites: Counting, number recognition, simple addition, familiarity with braille numbers
Play arena:
Number of players: 2, 3, 4

The objective of the game is to be the first to reach 100.

Each player places their counter at the ‘start’ position. Take turns to roll the dice.
One will start moving forward only when the dice shows the number 6. The player would roll the dice again and move the counter forward to the number of spaces shown on the dice.
If the counter lands at the bottom of a ladder, the player can move up to the top of the ladder.
If the counter lands on the head of a snake, the player must slide down to the bottom of the snake.
The first player to get to the number 100 is the winner.

Introduce the board to children. Let them explore the board. Ask them what are they able to find on the board.
Tell them to feel the direction in which the numbers are progressing to 100. If a child is not aware of braille numbers, then they can start identifying the numbers as they count the spaces and proceed in the game.
Talk about the snakes and ladders and their purpose. Ask them to find the longest and the smallest of them on the board.
Ask in turns if they can identify the numbers which are at the top and bottom of all the ladders and snakes.
Inform that the two dots in each box/space are the places where they would keep their counter.
Introduce the counters and the dice. Let them explore each number on the dice.
Demonstrate how to roll the dice and read the number on it.
Show them the start position and the final destination or the end position.
Start playing a practice game.

Before starting the game, revise all the rules of the game. Ensure that children are learning and identifying the braille numbers on the board. Continue to help them learn if they are not familiar with any numbers.
The first player rolls the dice and checks if the number shows 6. If no, then hand over the dice to the player sitting on the right.
If yes, then roll the dice again and start moving forward by counting the spaces as shown on the dice. Ask children to count aloud as they move forward.
Ask them to feel for any ladder on the space they reach. If yes, tell them that they have an option to climb up the ladder to the space where it ends.
On the other hand, if they feel the head of the snake, then they would slide down to the space where the tail of the snake ends.
Children would recite the number they are in and tell whether it is an odd or even number.
Ask children to notice which number is before and which is after the number in the space they are in.
Continue until all the players reach 100. The winner is the one who reaches first.

Start the game as usual after ensuring everyone remembers the rules of the game.
Ensure children are able to identify the braille numbers on the board.
This time, tell children that they are going to calculate which number they would need on the dice so that they can reach the tail of any ladder ahead of them.
Similarly, they would identify the numbers that would save them from getting caught by the snake which is ahead of them. The number would be one less or one more.
Every time a player moves a piece, he/she would recite the numbers in form of an addition formula. Example, when one player is in number 14 and he/she gets 4 on the dice, the player says 14 + 4 = 18 and then move the counter.
Continue playing until everyone reaches 100. The winner is the one who reaches first.

Inform that this session is about starting the game from 100 and coming down to the number 1. The board would be positioned in the same manner as in the regular game.
Explain the rules for this game. Here, the snakes and the ladders would function the same as in the regular game.
If a player lands on the mouth of a snake, he/she would slide down to the tail of the snake and that would help the player reach his/her destination faster.
On the other hand, a player will have to remember to use the ladder only when he/she is at the bottom of the ladder. In such case, he/she would climb up the ladder and that would take the player away from the final destination.
Encourage players to count the numbers aloud as they move their tokens on the board. That would help them count backwards.
Continue playing the game until all the players reach the final destination (number 1) on the board. The first one to reach there first is the winner of the game.