Playing mathematical dominoes

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Introduction

A standard set of dominoes has 28 tiles, though in mathematical games this can be considerably less. A simple set of rules has 2-4 players starting with 5 tiles each, and laying a domino with the same number of spots at one end of the first tile. If a person cannot ‘go’, they have to pick up another domino. The winner is the first person to get rid of all of their tiles. Rules for blocking and using the doubles tiles can also be introduced to increase the level of difficulty. Good games using standard sets of dominoes, and different sets of rules (for example, scoring rules that increase the level of mathematical challenge) can be found on the internet.

Mathematical dominoes

In maths games, dominoes can be used in a variety of ways. For example, sometimes they can be used by one or two players to ‘form a loop’. In this style of play, the players start with a random tile placed on the desk, then cooperate to work out and find the answer to the problem at one end of the tile, placing the answer next to the problem. Once all the tiles are placed, they rearrange them to form a loop. Students can also be directed to start with the answer on the tile, and work out which question has that answer. Different groups of students can race each other or be timed. In another style of play the students compete in a manner similar to that outlined in the introduction.

Note that if the dominoes are unique, they can be used for loopy games as well.

The following 'dominoes' sheets, originally created by Mary Hill, can be downloaded and printed in either PDF or Word format.

Fractions, Tenths Dominoes  PDF (73KB)  Word (38KB)
Fractions, Percentages and Decimals Dominoes  PDF (25KB)  Word (79KB)
Stage 7 Multiplication Dominoes   PDF (16KB)  Word (36KB)
Stage 7 Multiplication Dominoes 2  PDF (16KB)  Word (37KB)
Length and Weight Dominoes  PDF (11KB)  Word (36KB)
Ratio and Proportion Dominoes  PDF (16KB)  Word (39KB)
Equivalent Fractions Dominoes  PDF (23KB)  Word (94KB)
Equivalent Fractions Dominoes 2  PDF (20KB)  Word (97KB)
BEDMAS Dominoes  PDF (19KB)  Word (36KB)
Advanced Multiplicative Word Problem Dominoes  PDF (22KB)  Word (35KB)
Advanced Additive Word Problem Dominoes  PDF (22KB)  Word (35KB)
Integer Addition and Subtraction Dominoes  PDF (11KB)  Word (36KB)
Integer Addition and Subtraction Dominoes  PDF (27KB)  Word (93KB)
Integer Addition and Subtraction Dominoes  PDF (27KB)  Word (85KB)