Playing with a single die can be very fun and educational at the same time. Adults love games with dice and we suspect there’s a tad of nostalgia to grown up games, as many children’s games involve a die too. Here’s a game we’ve made with a die. The ideas is your child rolls the die, counts the numbers he or she sees, then covers those numbers on this free downloadable snow globe worksheet. This activity was originally created to go with the book Santa in a Snow Globe but can be used anytime you’re looking for a fun, winter, activity for preschoolers.
Ask your child review the image above and explain the activity to you. Follow their lead.
You’ll need to help by printing this worksheet, providing a die (if you don’t have one, you may print our free die template then cut and tape a paper die together), and finding cotton balls or white pom poms or cutting white paper circles for the child to use to cover the circles with the matching numbers. For added fun, provide some glue to round out the game with a festive three dimensional memento.
Here are the four steps illustrated above:
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Place the snow globe worksheet, your cotton balls (pom poms or paper circles) and die in front of you at a table
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Roll the die
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Count how many dots are on the face of the die you just rolled. Use your cotton balls to cover that number everywhere you see it on the worksheet.
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Repeat this step until you’ve successfully covered all the numbers! If you used glue, once dry, lift up to place your artwork somewhere visible and fun. If you did not stick the cotton balls, lift when you’re ready to play again.
Here are some book-based talking points:
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What was your favorite part of the book? Why?
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Why was Santa inside a snow globe?
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How could being inside and apart from others be helpful to keep Santa safe?
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Have you had to wear a mask? What does it feel like? Do you feel safer with a mask on?
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Santa didn’t seem to think the planet needed presents. What did Santa think the planet really needed?
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Santa says it’s important to smile when things are tough. What does that mean?
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Can you think of a time you didn’t feel very happy but you managed to make a little smile with your lips? Can you tell me about it? What was upsetting? What did you think about or do to make yourself smile a little? Did smiling help lift your spirits?
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How is this holiday season different from last year? What do you hope next year will be like?
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Is there anything in this book that you’d like to talk about?
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Is there anything in this book that you didn’t understand?
