Ludo Pieces Head Home
A giant Ludo board (the cross-and-circle game known in Spain as parchís) is painted on the playground with four colored homes and a path around them: children are the pieces and move along the path when the color die shows their home's color. Instead of capturing, pieces that land together greet each other and jump together.
How to play
- The teacher chalks a big square of spaces with a hoop of each color in the corners (the homes) and a finish in the middle. Explain that Ludo is a board game families play at home (3 min).
- Make four groups of pieces, one per color, and each group steps into its home. The die shows the four colors plus two “Everyone!” faces (2 min).
- Roll the die: the group whose color comes up moves three spaces along the path by jumping; on “Everyone!”, all groups move at once (5 min).
- If two pieces of different colors land on the same space, instead of capturing they greet each other, high-five and jump together three times counting “one, two, three” (3 min).
- When a group goes all the way around, it heads up its lane to the finish in the middle and cheers the others on; we end with everyone at the finish in a group hug (3 min).
Rules
- Only the color on the die moves.
- A group's pieces move together.
- In this game nobody gets captured: we say hello.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, two homes instead of four, a short path, and they always move one space with a jump.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, four homes and three spaces per roll.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, roll a dot die along with the color die and move that many spaces, with safe spaces for resting.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: wide spaces for the wheelchair, and the group can move along pushing the chair or holding hands.
- Visual impairment: each home has a sound (claps, stomps, snaps) and a teammate guides them.
- Autism: the group keeps the same color every time, and the child holds a picture of their home to know when it's their turn.
Learning goals
- Get to know a board game families traditionally play.
- Move along a marked path.
- Replace capturing with greeting and playing together.
Equipment for a class of 25
- tizas: 6
- aros: 4
- dado gigante de colores: 1
Teacher tip
Chalk the path with big spaces, one long child-step each. Explain the greeting rule from the start; if someone says “I got you!”, turn it into a hug.
PatioLab has "Ludo Pieces Head Home" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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