Description
How it works
Players roll a die and keep a running total, writing each roll down. The catch is that 20 must be hit exactly: once a roll would take you past it, you have to subtract that number instead. Sitting on 18 and rolling a 5 drops you to 13. First to land precisely on 20 wins. The exactness is what creates the thinking — children start watching how far they are from 20 and which rolls would help or hurt.
What you’ll need
- One die
- The printable First to 20 recording sheet
Skills practiced
Addition and subtraction within 20, keeping a running total, and reasoning about how far a number is from a target.
Grade level
1st through 4th grade. Count down from 20 to 0 instead, change the target to 30, or use two dice and play First to 100.
Instant PDF download. Game instructions and recording sheet adapted from the ideas in Math Fact Fluency by Jennifer Bay-Williams and Gina Kling (ASCD / NCTM, 2019).
