I've had my eye on the Tenzi dice game for a while now, and I finally broke down and bought it. I have a weakness when it comes to games, dontcha know. Tenzi markets itself as "The World's Fastest Game" and game play is quite rapid, making it a fun choice when attention spans are short.
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The rules of the game are quite simple: each player gets 10 dice. Players roll their dice simultaneously, inspect their hand and determine which number they will shoot for. Then, in rapid succession, players continue to roll their remaining dice until they all display the same number.
Considerations for playing with kids:
- Winning Tenzi requires speed, both physically (e.g. hand coordination) and the ability to quickly identify die numbers. This can be fun and cause lots of laughter, or it can cause tears for younger kids unable to keep up.
- The recommended age is 7 and up. Younger kids can certainly play if they don't get too frustrated with the speed.
- The game comes with several variations, like stacking the dice, getting 5 of and one number 5 of another, or playing on teams.
- I don't have daughters, so I can't comment on that, but boys can get quite rowdy when playing this game!
- Play on a large table or the floor, since dice can roll off small surfaces if little hands get too aggressive.
How to play with a Preschoolers:
- For my preschooler (age 4) I altered game play to eliminate the speed. Instead of seeing who could roll the dice the fastest, we rolled our dice together every time. Between rolls I helped him identify the right numbers.
- Since we were not playing for speed, the game took on an educational bent. We worked together, counting dice, counting dots and counting rolls.
Games you can play with Tenzi Dice:
View my previous Games of the Month, including Skippity, Rat-a-Tat Cat, Rummikub, and Scrambled States of America.
Even in Australia says
I was eyeing this game too! I put it in my Amazon cart and then moved it to "saved for later." I'm also tempted by Quiddler. Have you tried that one?
Erica MomandKiddo says
I had Tenzi in my "save for later" for about a year! I haven't tried Quiddler, yet. While my son does like some word games, they are usually not his favorite so I tend to buy number games instead. It looks interesting, though.
Amy says
Quiddler is awesome!
teachingyoungchildren says
First time I hear about this game. Right now Anna is quite crazy about Set, especially since she can beat me 🙂
maryl1 says
Set is an awesome game and one at which a young child may be legitimately better than parents and older siblings. Lately I have been reading a lot about subitizing, which is instantly recognizing an amount. It helps children develop abstract numbers and arithmetic strategies. Looks like Tenzi may be good for that.
Erica MomandKiddo says
We have Set, too. I really like it, but it hasn't caught on with my older son, yet. One day I hope it will!
GoodyearMom says
Thank you for helping me have fun with my kids today. They are 3 and 5. I found 6 die in the house so it didn't cost me anything. They just enjoyed rolling and trying to get matches. I'm so grateful for the new idea. thank you, thank you!
Erica MomandKiddo says
I am so glad to hear this! When I was playing with my 4 year old, I thought that rolling dice was so entertaining, why had I not thought of it before?
Pragmaticmom says
Looks fun! I haven't heard of this game but I think my kids would love it!
Erica MomandKiddo says
It's so much fun. I hope you kids like fast-moving games!
Emily says
I just taught my three year old how to play a couple days ago. I started him out with three dice, and he has worked up to five already, while I still use ten. Also, we didn't purchase the actual game, I think we just bought a bunch of dice at a discount store (I don't recall which though).
Wendi Tarver says
My daughter is 9 and received Tenzi as a Christmas gift from her grandparents. At first, I thought it was WAY below her level, but we started playing and it is a blast! We often have "Tenzi Tournaments"....where the winner of each round gets a point....we will go through each of the 1-6, then do 2 sets, then 3 sets....just mindless fun! I would definately recommend this game!
Trish S says
We love Tenzi but I couldnt justify the price they wanted. I found 100 dice for $10 on Amazon and we make up our own rules!
Erica MomandKiddo says
I agree about the price. Another good idea would be to get dice at the dollar store. Have you tried google-ing the full instructions? Everything is online these days!
Annelise Dent says
I bought this game for my after school program, and then ended up buying extra dice because there were never enough sets for all the children that wanted to play. I love that it can be played by children of all ages at the same time, and that there are so many variations of it. For the really young ones I gave them dice instead, because they are not as quick at subitizing. I recently bought a second set for my grandsons. There is a 4 year age difference, and it is an easy game for us all to play together, without the younger one always losing. Love this game!!
Erica says
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Kari says
We also bought the Tenzi cards and it mixes it up for our family'. You have to do different activities for each set of rolls- ex make favorite animal sound with each roll! So much fun!!!