The frogs also race towards the end. Which frog will reach the pond first?
This game helps kids to visualise the numbers and what it means when you add two numbers together. They can see this happening as they move their frog from lily pad to lily pad one by one, until they reach their ‘total’. They can also count the spots on the dice to reach the right number.
Summary:
Time: 15 minutes
Age: Big kids
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Skill: Numbers and addition
You will need:
- Green card (you can also use foam or felt)
- Blue card (you can also use foam or felt)
- Plastic frogs
- Dice
- Scissors
- Black Sharpie
Step 1: Draw a lily pad template
Take a sheet of green card. Place a frog down and use it as a guide to draw a lily pad shape the right size for your frog to land on.
Step 2: Cut out your lily pads
Use your template to draw round and cut out your lily pads. We made a short game with 12 lily pads.
You might want to go up to 20 for a longer game. Cut out an additional lily pad for the starting point.
Step 3: Write on the numbers
Using a black Sharpie write a number on each lily pad. Then write the word ‘start’ on the extra lily pad.
Finally cut a pond shape out of blue card.
Now you have all the game pieces. They just need some frogs to leap along them.
Step 4: Set up your leaping lily pad game
Set out your game pieces on a table top or on the floor.
Place the ‘start’ lily pad at the beginning and then make a line with all the numbered lily pads, counting up from 1-12.
Place the blue pond at the end of the line as the final piece. You’re all ready to play.
How to play:
Each player chooses a frog and places it on the ‘start’ lily pad. The first player throws the dice. They must then move their frog along the correct number by adding up the 2 numbers on the dice.
If your child rolls a 1 and a 2, they can move their frog along 1 space first and then move it on 2 further spaces to end up on the number 3. You can help them understand that they have added up the numbers by saying ‘1 plus 2 is 3’.
Leaping along the lily pads
Take turns to shake the dice and moving your frogs along the lily pads. Here someone has rolled a 4 and a 3.
Help your child break down each addition sum by moving along the number of spaces on the first dice (4) and then the number of spaces on the second (3). You can also help them work out the total by showing them how to count up the dots on the two dice to find out how many total spaces their frog needs to leap.
On their second go they can then add the number of the lily pad that they are on, to the two numbers on the dice. So if they’re on number 3, and they roll 4 and 2, they can add up 3 + 4 + 2. Help them work out how to do this.
Race to the end
The first frog to leap into the pond is the winner. You can then play the game all over again.
Have lots of fun playing this leaping frog game and practising those first number bonds at the same time
