• Prerequisites: Counting
• Number of players: 2
• Materials: Noughts and Crosses board

A simple game played by two people. The objective of Noughts and Crosses is to get a winning line of three Noughts or three Crosses in either a horizontal, vertical or diagonal row. The Noughts and Crosses board is a square grid containing nine squares arranged in threes. The game is played by two people who either play as Noughts (Os) or Crosses ( Xs). They can either be drawn or objects resembling these two options can be used. In giant Noughts and crosses for example, the two objects are the Noughts and crosses themselves.

SESSION 1:

• Introduce the Noughts and Crosses board to the children and let them explore it.
• Once they are familiar with the board and the number of square boxes in it. Explain them the rules or instructions to play the game.
• Ask the children to decide who is going to move Xs and Os with them and let them collect and keep it with them.
• The player with the Xs starts the game by positioning his X in a square. The player with the Os follows and both players take turns to move and occupy the squares of the grid trying to make a row of three and pay attention to the board and if you have two pieces in a line, play the third to complete the row. Block if your opponent has two pieces in a row , play your piece to block them from completing the row.

SESSION 2:

• Ask the children to play the game. Now, Start with the player having Os then Xs.
• Let them play for 4 times or even number of times and see who won maximum number of times and how.
• Also, ask them to explain strategies they found or observed so far.

Board: the standard pallanguli board
Prerequisites: Counting
Number of players: 2

Pallankuli is played using an elliptical wooden board with two rows, each having seven hollows to be filled with five shells/seeds. The Pallankuzhi board has 14 holes, each player controlling one row of seven. Initially six seeds, shells or small stones are put in each hole. In some regions just four or five seeds are used.

On his turn a player lifts the seeds from any of his holes and, going counter-clockwise, distributes one seed into the following holes. After a player has dropped his last seed, he takes the seeds from the next hole and distributes them. If the last seed falls into a hole with an empty hole beyond, the seeds in the hole following the empty hole are captured by the player and placed into his store.

Play is continued if the next hole contains seeds. If the last seed falls into a cup, which is followed by two empty holes, nothing is captured and the turn is over. If, after having a seed dropped into it, a hole contains four seeds, those are captured by the player who dropped the seed. If a player has no seeds left to make a move, the round is over and his opponent captures the remaining seeds.

After the first round players take the seeds from their stores and fill as many of their holes as possible with them. The winner will have a surplus which is kept in his store. The loser of the first round will be unable to fill all of his holes. These unfilled holes are marked as “rubbish holes.” In the next round the player who went first in the previous round is going second. If, after a round, a player has enough counters to fill any of his rubbish holes back up their status is removed and they are again used during play.

The game is over when a player is unable to fill any cups with six counters at the end of a round.

SESSION 1:

• Before the session: Remove all the 10s from the card packs and make sure the play arena is kept at hand. Now you are ready for the session.
• In this session, it is advisable to race only up to a smaller number like 10 since it is the children’s first time playing the game.
• Explain the game to the children. Tell them that they are going to add up the numbers on the cards they get until someone reaches 10. Whoever reaches 10 without crossing over wins the game.
• Now, hand the pack to one of the children and ask him/her to deal 2 cards each to all participants.
• Gently guide the children through adding up their cards to see what numbers they have.
• Some children might be comfortable adding up the cards on their own, while some others may need help to add. Help those who do not know how to add correctly. Show them different strategies such as counting on the fingers, adding verbally, etc. Let the child choose the strategy he/she is most comfortable with.
• Since you are only racing to 10 today, some of the children might have already reached there.
• If there are children who have gone over 10, explain that those who go above the number are out of the game.
• If nobody has exactly the number 10 without going over, encourage those who are still in the game to pick a card from the middle.
• Ask them to add the number they got to the total of the 2 cards they already have. Again, assist those who need some help in adding.
• If time permits, play 2-3 more rounds of the game.

SESSION 2:

• Ask the children if they remember the game.
• If there are any students who were absent from the previous session, ask the children to explain to him/her what the game is all about.
• When you think the children are clear about the rules, start playing. This time sit back and only help where absolutely necessary. Let the children figure out on their own.
• After 2 rounds of play, tell them that they will now be racing to 20. That is, the person who reaches 20 first, without spilling over, wins the game.
• Make sure the children are able to add up their cards properly. Help those who are not being able to do so, but make sure that you are not adding up their cards for them.
• Play some more rounds of the game, while ensuring that you are more of an observer than a teacher.

SESSION 3:

• Today, play the same game but set 27 as the number to race towards.
• This time, do not help children with their addition. Encourage them to use the strategies mentioned previously, to add up their cards.

SESSION 4:

• Play 2-3 rounds of the game as before.
• Now, introduce a small change in the way the game is played. After dealing 2 cards each, instead of all the children picking up 1 card each from the draw pile, the children can be given an option of whether or not to pick up another card. After every child has decided and picked cards (some children will also pick up cards, go over 27 and be out of the game), the child whose cards are closest to 27 wins the game.

• Prerequisites: Counting
• Play arena:
• Number of players: 2, 4

Ludo is a classic board game for two to four players. The objective of the game is to bring all the 4 tokens into the home triangle. While playing ludo, children develop creative ways of solving problems, forming strategies and calculate probability. It teaches good sportsmanship, teamwork, the importance of taking turns, decision making, and furthermore instills in children the spirit of competitiveness in a proper way. It is an effective tool which develops a child’s numeracy skills as well as their positional language.

It is a modified and simpler version of an Indian game called ‘pachisi’. Each player is assigned a set of 4 tokens with different textures. The first player to bring all the tokens to the finish block wins the game.

SESSION 1: INTRODUCTION AND PRACTICE GAME USING SINGLE TOKEN

• Introduce the board to children. Allow them to explore the board.
• Explain the seating position of the players. If there are 2 players, they would sit opposite each other.
• Explain the position where each player would place their 4 tokens before starting the game.
• By holding their finger, make children explore the path in which they would have to navigate the board before reaching their home triangle.
• Demonstrate how to roll the dice and read the number on top of the dice.
• Explain the rules of the game. The facilitator can choose to introduce Rule no. 1, 2, 4 & 5 only and start the practice game (mentioned below) and then continue to introduce rule no. 3 as and when the game is progressing.
  1. Players take turns to throw the dice in a clockwise order. A player must throw a 6 or 1 on the dice to move a token from the starting position onto the first square on the track. The token is now said to be in ‘play’ and can start moving on the board.
  2. The player rolls the dice again and starts moving the token in the direction as shown earlier. Then the dice is passed on to the next player.
  3. When the player throws a 6, they are allowed another turn to throw the dice. If a player does not throw a 6 in their turn and has no piece in ‘play’ on the board, then the player forfeits their turn and the next player takes their turn. If a 6 is rolled three times in a row, the player loses his turn.
  4. When a token has circumnavigated the board, it proceeds towards the home triangle. A token can only be moved onto the home triangle by an exact throw.
  5. The first person to move all 4 tokens into the home triangle wins the game.
• Practice Game: Inform players that for this game, they will be using a single token instead of 4 tokens. Now, place the token at the start position and begin playing as explained.
• Facilitator would observe whether children are using any strategies of their own while playing the game.

SESSION 2: PLAYING THE GAME WITH 2 PLAYERS (4TOKENS)

• Ensure that children have understood the rules well and they are comfortable with the board. Inform that today they would play with all the 4 tokens instead of 1 token.
  • The first player rolls the dice and checks if the number shows six. If no, then hand over the dice to the player sitting on the right.
  • If yes, then pick one token and place it on the starting position. Roll the dice again and start moving forward by counting the number of spaces as shown on the dice. Ask children to recite as they move forward.
  • They continue to play the game and the first player to place all the 4 tokens into the home triangle wins the game.

SESSION 3: PLAYING THE GAME WITH 2 PLAYERS WITH MORE RULES

• Once children are comfortable playing with all the 4 tokens on the board, introduce the following 3 rules here:
  • If a token lands on a square occupied by an opponent’s token, the opponent token is returned to its starting position. The returned token may only be reentered into play when the owner rolls a 6 or 1 on the dice again.
  • If a player’s token lands on another of their own pieces, they are doubled and form a “block” which cannot be passed by any opponent’s pieces.
  • Doubled tokens may move half the number if an even number is thrown e.g. move 2 spaces if a 4 is thrown.
• Continue to play the game keeping in mind the new rules.
• At this point, the facilitator can teach some of the strategies of the game while leaving the decision making to the players themselves:
  • For example, after starting the game with one token, if they get another 6, it is up to them to either take out another token to the start position or they can continue running the token which is already out.
  • It is advisable to open all the tokens, as soon as one gets the chance.
    Analyse what number can lead one to the best place and what number will let you send the opponent home.
  • Keep the token which is nearer to the victory at some safe place and move it with bigger numbers. Invest smaller numbers on pieces that are just beginning to run out of house.
  • If you have a number that is no good in any of your pieces, move the piece that is nearest to the starting point.
  • Be confident about yourself, take time to think the best move possible, think, rethink and then play.
• Continue playing until all the 4 tokens and by following all the rules and strategies.

SESSION 4: PLAYING WITH 4 INDEPENDENT PLAYERS

• Start the game as usual after ensuring everyone is thorough with the rules of the game and has played with one opponent several times.
• Let children decide who will and start how they want to proceed.
• Ask children if they remember the strategies shared already or they can come up with new strategies if they want to while playing the game.
• Continue until all the players reach the end point. The first player to move all the tokens to the home triangle wins the game.

SESSION 5: PLAYING WITH 4 PLAYERS, TEAMWORK

• Inform children that this time they are forming teams of two players and playing the game.
  Rules for team playing are:
  • Players from the same team do not “cut” each other’s tokens.
  • One player can remind his/her team mate to kill any opponent which is closer to
• The facilitator would make note of the strategies used by the children while playing the game or they should be allowed to share their strategies after they finish playing the game.

Prerequisites: letter recognition.
Play arena: Standard
Number of players: 4

The objective of the game is to make the maximum number of words (maximum score). The game starts with the player all being drawn 7 letters (scrabbles) each. Players then take turns to form a word on the game board from their scrabbles. As words are placed on the board, points are collected (each letter with one point). The player with maximum score/points wins the game.

SESSION 1:

• Before the session: place all letters in the pouch and mix them up. For the first session, remove all the blank tiles. Now you are ready for the session.
• Place the scrabble board on the floor and ask children to sit once facing each of the four sides of the board.
• In this session, it is advisable to use 24 letters. Ask the children to draw 6 letters from the pouch.
• Explain the game to the children. Tell them that they are going to form different words from their scrabbles. Whoever makes maximum words (maximum score) wins the game.
• Explain to them that the first player combines two or more of his letters to form a word and places it on the board to read across or down with one letter on the centre square.
• The player that has the letter that is closest to “A” will begin the game.
• Ask them to complete their turn by counting and announcing their score for that turn. Play passes to the left. The second player, and then each in turn, adds one or more letters to those already played to form new words.
• Gently guide the children through placing their scrabble (across or down) on the scrabble board. New words may be formed by adding one or more letters to a word or letters already on the board.
• The score for each turn is the sum of the letter values in each word(s) formed or modified on that turn. Each letter will have a value of 2.
• If there are unplayed letters when the game ends, each player’s score is reduced by the sum of his/her unplayed letters.
• The player with the highest final score wins the game.
• If time permits, play 2-3 more rounds of the game.

SESSION 2:

• Ask the children if they remember the game.
• If there are any students who were absent from the previous session, ask the children to explain to him/her what the game is all about.
• When you think the children are clear about the rules, start playing. This time sit back and only help where absolutely necessary. Let the children figure out on their own.
• After 2 rounds of play, tell them that there are two blank tiles that can be used as wild tiles to take the place of any letter. When a blank is played, it will remain in the game as the letter it substituted for.
• Also, the players can exchange tiles for new tiles or they can choose to pass. When a player chooses to exchange tiles, they can choose to exchange one or all of the tiles they currently hold. After tiles are exchanged, the turn is over and players will have to wait until their next turn to place a word on the board.
• Make sure the children are able to form words correctly. Help those who are not being able to do so, but make sure that you are not forming their words.
• Play some more rounds of the game, while ensuring that you are more of an observer than a teacher.

SESSION 3:

• Play 2-3 rounds of the game as before.
• Now, introduce a small change in the way the game is played. Players can use all the tiles from the box and in each turn they will draw 7 tiles. The game gets over when the scrabble board is completely full with letters. The player who scored highest wins the game.

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.

1. Each player places their counter at the ‘start’ position. Take turns to roll the dice.
2. 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.
3. If the counter lands at the bottom of a ladder, the player can move up to the top of the ladder.
4. If the counter lands on the head of a snake, the player must slide down to the bottom of the snake.
5. The first player to get to the number 100 is the winner.

SESSION 1: INTRODUCTION – NUMBER IDENTIFICATION

• 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.

SESSION 2: COUNTING, IDENTIFYING BRAILLE NUMBERS, ODD-EVEN, BEFORE-AFTER

• 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.

SESSION 3: COUNTING, ADDITION

• 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.

SESSION 4: PLAYING REVERSE

• 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.