Dominoes maker

How to play

1. Shuffle the tiles face down and give each player a hand. Set aside any tiles that are left over.
2. Classic: the first player places a tile. Each player in turn matches one end of the line with the same number of dots.
3. Word loop: each player places a tile so that the question on one tile sits next to its answer on another.
4. A player who cannot match a tile draws from the pile, or passes if the pile is empty.
5. The first player out of tiles wins a classic game. In a word loop, play on until the whole loop is closed and check it against the answer key.

Tips

• Use the double-six set for everyday play with two to four players. The double-nine set, with 55 tiles, suits larger groups.
• Print word-loop tiles on card stock. Write your own opposites, sums or vocabulary pairs, one per line, to match your lesson.
• Use the answer key to check a finished loop, or keep it face down until the group is stuck.
• Keep the halves of each tile lined up when you cut so the tiles look like real dominoes.

Where it comes from

Dominoes appear in Chinese records by around the 12th century. European dominoes appeared in Italy in the 18th century and spread across Europe and the Americas. Today they are especially popular in Latin America and the Caribbean and across the Arab world. A double-six set has 28 tiles; a double-nine set has 55 and suits larger groups. Word-loop dominoes are a classroom activity where every tile's answer matches another tile's question.

Played in: East Asia · Europe · Latin America · Arab world & Middle East

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