Round the Clock

Round the Clock is an easy game for young children as soon as they can recognise the number of spots on dice and can count to twelve. It is a useful game to help children as they learn these skills.

Age: All ages

No. of players: 2 to 4

Equipment: Two dice

Time: 5 minutes+

Aim: To be the first player to throw all the numbers from 1 to 12 in order.

1. Players throw the dice, the player with the lowest total going first.

2. Player One throws both dice, hoping to throw a '1'. Players take it in turns (in a clockwise direction) looking to throw a '1'.

3. On the next round, any player who did not throw a '1' in the first round will try again this round, while those players who did throw a '1' will try to throw a '2'. They can either throw a '2' or they could throw two '1s'.

4. Play continues round by round with players trying to throw all the numbers from 1 to 12 in sequence. They can count the spots on just one die or on both dice added together. For example, throwing a '2' and a '5' could be counted as '2', '5' or '7'.

5. The first player to go Round the Clock (throw all the numbers from 1 to 12 in order) wins the game.

Variation: A player can keep throwing the dice during their turn until they fail to get the number they are trying for.