Here are some of the reasons why you should play Snakes ‘n’ Ladders with your child!

1. Counting – An obvious one, but very important nonetheless! Children need to learn to count for real purposes. Playing games is a fun and motivating way to practice counting.
2. One-to-one correspondence – For children, this basically means accurately counting objects, matching their finger as they say the number aloud. In this game, being able to count and simultaneously move a playing piece from square to square demonstrates one-to-one correspondence. This skill develops in the pre-school years and is essential, not just for mathematics, but also for reading. When children point to the words in their beginner-reader books, they are demonstrating one-to-one correspondence. If children have not yet developed this skill, they are not ready to read.
3. Numeral Recognition – This game has a number written on every space, from 0 to 100, which makes it ideal for learning to recognise numbers. Children need to understand that zero is a number so start off the board at zero.
4. Sequential Numbers—Knowing the order of written numbers, such as 15-16-17 is a must in this game. The squares go from left to right in the bottom row, but right to left in the second row, and so on. This means children need to pay attention to the numerals on each square, so they know which way to move their playing piece, or they might move backwards!
5. Subitizing – Subitizing is the ability to see a small amount of objects and know how many there are without counting. This is another important skill and it will develop by using a die (dice). At the start, children may need to count the dots on the die every time they take a turn. But after some practice, they will come to recognise the number without counting at all.
6. Maths Language – There are many maths words/ concepts that children need to understand. This game enables children to use and understand these terms: forward, backward, before, after, next, which way.

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