How To Raise A Happy Genius

Shut The Box! is a simple dice-based numbers game. It consists of a wooden box with a series of numbered tabs that can be flipped up or down. The aim of the game is to roll the dice and flip down the tabs based on the numbers you roll. Once all the tabs are down, you can shut the box and end the game. There are two ways to play it. The first involves trying to shut the box in the fewest number of dice rolls, while the second involves taking turns to roll the dice, with the winner being the person who flips down the last tab, and so is able to shut the box.

How Long Does It Take To Play? The exact length of each game will depend on the numbers rolled, but typically it will take between three and five minutes to complete each time. However, your child may want to play it several times in a row.

Ages: Six and older, if playing on their own, but younger if you are playing with them and helping them work out the numbers.

Core Life Skills It Will Help Develop: Academic Skill – Numeracy skills, simple addition, basic mathematics (see variations); Physical Skills – Hand-eye coordination.

What Do You Need To Play It? In order to be able to play this game, you need to have a Shut The Box! game set and a pair of dice (usually included in the set). These game sets are reasonably inexpensive. UK-based parents can purchase one from here, while USA-based parents can purchase one from here. Travel versions can be purchase from here (for UK parents) or here (for USA parents).

Preparation: Once you have a Shut The Box! game set, no other preparations are required.

How Do You Play It? The versions of Shut The Box! outlined here have been simplified slightly for younger children. The full standard rules of play can be found in the variations section towards the end of this post. In this simplified version, start by opening your Shut The Box! game set and removing the dice (and any instructions). Next flip up all the tabs. You are now ready to begin. If playing the variation where you aim to shut the box in the fewest dice rolls, start by rolling the dice and examine the numbers rolled. You can choose to either use the numbers on each dice separately to allow you to flip down two tabs, or you can combine the numbers to flip down a single tab of a higher number. This is then repeated until all the tabs have been flipped down and the box can be closed. However, make sure you keep a note of the number of dice rolls you needed to close it. This can either be used as the target for the next time you play it, or for someone else you are playing with to try to beat.

In the second variation, you can play with other people and take turns to roll the dice. In this variation, the person who rolls the numbers that allow them to flip down the final tab wins. After the first person has rolled the dice and flipped down any tabs they can flip down, the next person rolls the dice and this is repeated until the box can be closed. If anyone rolls a double, then they get to roll the dice again (regardless of whether they were able to flip any tabs down on the first roll), and if you can flip a tab down with the numbers you roll, then you must do so.

When And Where Can You Play It? Shut The Box! can be played anywhere where you have the room to set up the required game set, and you can get smaller travel versions for when you are on the move.

Variations: In addition to the two variations outlined above, you can also extend this game by rolling dice to flip the tabs up before rolling them again to flip the tabs back down. In this variation, you must have rolled enough numbers to get all the tabs up before you start putting them down again. Similarly, you can decide that you have to roll a double six to start or, if you are playing to put all the tabs up and then down, before you can start putting them down again.

Finally, the versions of Shut The Box! outlined in this post have been simplified to make it easier for younger children to play. In the standard version, you can choose which tabs to flip down based on any combination of numbers that adds up to the total of the two dice. For example, if you roll a six and a three, you could flip down the six and the three tabs, or you could flip down the one, the two and the six tab, and so on. In this version, you must be able to flip down tabs which total the same as your dice roll. If you cannot, then your turn is over and you add up the values of the remaining tiles to get your score. The game then passes onto the next person. This standard version of the game is played over either one or a pre-determined number of rounds, and the winner is either the person with the lowest score after this number of rounds or the first person to flip down all nine tabs in a single turn. This standard version of the game is better suited to older children (or, indeed, adults) as it requires more complicated mathematical skills (but it is a great way to help your older child develop them!). More information about Shut The Box! and its rules can be found on its Wikipedia page by clicking here.

Links To Useful Products For This Game

For Parents Based In The UK

For Parents Based In The USA

About The Author: This post was written by Colin Drysdale, the creator of How To Raise A Happy Genius. Bird, Dog, Pig, Frog is one of the games he invented to help make teaching kids how to spell fun.

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