This simple Dalmatian Addition Game is a great way to practice early years numeracy skills, and kids will have a blast using their stampers to ‘colour’ in the Dalmatian spots as they play!
This easy project can be cut out quickly on a Cricut machine and can be re-cut to play as many times as you’d like.
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You Will Need
- SVG Design # 1
- 305 x 305 mm (12″ x 12″) white 180gsm(120lb) cardstock (as many sheets as there are players)
- 2 x A4 (8.3″ x 11.7″) sheets of 180gsm (120lb) cardstock in different colours for dice cutouts (or alternatively use two ordinary dice)
- Sheet of craft foam (any colour)
- Black ink pad
- Black Cricut Pen
- Brayer tool
- Green StandardGrip Cricut mat
- Scoring stylus or Scoring wheel
- Cricut or other cutting machine
- Fine cut Cricut blade
- Deep point Cricut blade
- Masking tape
- Tacky glue
- Hot glue gun
- Hot glue gun glue sticks
- Wooden bead for back of stamper
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How To Make Your Dalmatian Addition Game
Upload SVG Design #1 to Cricut Design Space and add to canvas.
Click on the image and ‘Ungroup’ in the Layers Panel.
Select the Dalmatian in the Layers Panel and expand using the arrow. Select the group of spots and change to ‘Pen’ tool in the Operations Panel.
Select the Dalmatian body and spots and click ‘Attach’.
If not making the dice, select the pink dice piece in the Layers Panel and delete. Repeat for the blue dice piece.
If making the dice, select the pink dice piece in the Layers Panel and expand using the arrow. Select the green score lines and change to ‘Score’ in the Operations Panel.
Select both the pink dice piece and its score lines and click ‘Attach’.
Select the blue dice piece in the Layers Panel. Expand using the arrow and select the green score lines. Change to ‘Score’ in the Operations Panel.
Select the blue dice piece and score lines and click ‘Attach’.
Select each dice piece and copy using the Ctrl and C keys, then the Ctrl and V keys. You should now have 2 blue dice pieces and 2 pink dice pieces on your canvas.
Click ‘Make’, ‘On Mat’ and ‘Confirm.’
On the Prepare page, adjust the material sizes if necessary.
NOTE – For all of your mats, affix your material using a brayer to ensure that it is firmly adhered to the mat. Load the mat into the machine using the flashing arrow button. Once loaded, press the flashing go button. After the first pass, before unloading the mat, gently peel back a section of your material to ensure that it has cut through cleanly and fully. If not, press the go button again for a second pass. Repeat until you are happy with the cut.
For the Dalmatian and squares I selected ‘Medium Cardstock’ for my Base Material, used ‘More’ pressure and inserted a black Cricut pen into Clamp B and a fine point blade into Clamp A.
NOTE – After cutting your first Dalmatian and removing from the mat, reload your mat with more white cardstock and click back onto your Dalmatian mat in the Panel to the left of your screen, to cut a second Dalmatian. Repeat for as many people are playing the game.
For the small black spots, insert a deep point blade to Clamp A and change Base Material to ‘Craft Foam’, and ‘More’ pressure. Apply masking tape along the outer edges of your foam to ensure that it remains firmly in place on your mat.
For the dice, I used ‘Medium Cardstock’ as my Base Material, ‘Default’ pressure and inserted a scoring stylus into Clamp B and a fine point blade into Clamp A.
When all of your pieces have been cut, you can now assemble your stamp. Glue the three small square cardstock cut outs together using tacky glue, and then attach the three foam dots with a hot glue gun, layering the pieces directly on top of one another to create your stamp. Attach a large bead to the back side of the square using hot glue, to make the stamp easier to hold.
To assemble your dice, fold all dice pieces along the score lines, ensuring all folds are in the same direction. Use a scraper tool or ruler to ensure the folds are crisp.
Apply a thin layer of tacky glue to the insides of the pieces with holes (the side with the scores folded away from you) , and affix the pieces without holes on top, ensuring the fold lines fit together neatly and are all folded in the same direction. Allow the glue to dry.
Once the glue has dried, add a layer of glue along each tab (with the score lines folded away from you)
Fold into a cube shape, with the tabs attached on the inside of the cube to their opposing edges. Hold firmly together until the glue drys.
Gather your stamp, dice, Dalmatians and ink pad and get ready to play!
How to Play Your Dalmatian Addition Game
The purpose of this game is to practice your child’s ability to add small numbers mentally.
Give each player a Dalmatian and leave the stamp, ink pad and die accessible to all of the players.
Take it in turns to roll the die and add their numbers together. For example, if the player rolls the numbers 5 and 6, their total would be 11. The player then adds this number of dots to their Dalmatian, trying their best to line up the stamp marks with the spots already drawn onto the Dalmatian.
The winner of the game is the player who manages to fill all of their blank spots first. Cut multiple Dalmatians to repeat the game as many times as desired!
When the game is over, you can keep the fun going by using your Dalmatians to decorate cards, collages or even create an adorable gift tag by punching a hole, threading through some string and adding a special message to the back!
To find more games, projects and activities, search the website using the search bar or look for specific categories, skills or themes in the menu. There are lots of free projects to choose from, with some files available to buy via the Designed 2 Play Etsy shop, so go have a peek and see if there is anything you fancy. Happy browsing!