Playing Snakes and Ladders with kids

Snakes and Ladders is often the very first board game a child plays. It needs no reading and no strategy, and a four-year-old can play on equal terms with a grandparent. But it is more than a way to pass the time. Played well, it is a gentle way to practise numbers, patience and good manners. Here is how to get the most out of it.

Why it suits young children

Every result in Snakes and Ladders comes from the dice. Nobody can plan ahead, so nobody wins because they are older or cleverer. Children love this, because they can beat adults fairly. It also means a loss is never anyone's fault, which makes it a good first lesson in losing well.

The rules are short enough for a small child to remember: roll, count, move, climb the ladders and slide down the snakes. Most children understand them after one game.

Learning to count

Each move is a small counting exercise. A child rolls the die, counts the dots, then counts the squares as the token moves. Encourage them to say the numbers out loud: "five, six, seven". This links the number on the die with the act of counting, and with the numbers printed on the board.

As they grow more confident, add small challenges:

• Read the square. Before moving, ask which number they will land on. Then check together.
• Count on. Instead of counting from 1 each time, start from the square they are on. This is an early step towards adding.
• Read big numbers. The top rows have numbers in the seventies, eighties and nineties. Reading "eighty-seven" is good practice for many children.

Understanding the zig-zag

The board's numbers run left to right on the first row, then right to left on the next, all the way to 100. Young children sometimes move the wrong way at the end of a row. Point out the pattern once, and let them trace the path with a finger. Following the zig-zag is a useful lesson in itself.

Taking turns and handling snakes

Waiting for your turn is hard for small children. Snakes and Ladders gives them lots of practice in a setting where turns are short. Praise them for waiting, and for watching other players' moves.

Snakes are the emotional part of the game. A long slide near the top can upset a young player. It helps to treat snakes as part of the fun: groan together, laugh about it, and point out that anyone can land on a ladder next turn. Children learn a lot about resilience from watching adults lose cheerfully.

If a child is getting very upset, play the gentle version: start with "Any roll" instead of needing a 6, so the game moves quickly, and keep games short.

House rules that make it friendlier

Families change the rules all the time, and that's part of the charm. A few ideas:

• Start without a 6. Waiting for a 6 can feel endless to a young child. On Gamesupa, choose "Any roll" on the start screen.
• Play to the finish. Instead of stopping when the first player reaches 100, keep playing until everyone has finished, so nobody is left out.
• Team up. A small child and an adult can share one token, taking turns to roll and count.

Screen time that counts

Playing on a phone or tablet is handy on a journey or in a waiting room. To keep it social, sit together and play on one device, passing it between players. On Gamesupa you can set each colour to a person, so up to four family members can share one phone. The game saves after every move, so you can stop and carry on later.

Ready to roll?

Read Snakes and Ladders rules explained for the full rules, or play Snakes & Ladders now.