Cognitive development
Titi's Dominoes
Suggested age: Ages 6 to 10
Titi set up a dominoes table with two friends: drag tiles with the same number and run out of tiles before they do.
Choose the difficulty
For parents and caregivers
How Titi's Dominoes helps your child
Dominoes is a classic board game that many families play together. Here your child sits at the table with Titi, the curious girl from the story Papelitos de Colores, and two Mora friends.
How to play
Four play: your child, Titi and two friends who change every game. Taking turns, each one plays a tile with the same number as one of the two ends of the line; your child drags it onto the table with a finger. If none fit, you draw from the boneyard, and if it's empty, you pass. Whoever runs out of tiles first wins; if nobody can play, the one with the fewest points in hand wins. On easy the tiles go from 0 to 4, have colors and the ones that fit light up; on hard it's the full set, from 0 to 6, with no boneyard, like at home.
What they're learning
They recognize amounts at a glance (without counting dot by dot), compare numbers and add up the points at the end. They also plan: which tile to play now and which to keep, and they wait their turn at a table of four. Dragging each tile to the right end works fine motor skills and hand–eye coordination. Losing a game now and then, with no penalty, teaches them to try again.
Ideas to keep going at home
- Play with a real set of dominoes and ask them to count the points in their hand at the end.
- Before they play a tile, ask why they chose that one and not another.
- Make a paper domino set with drawings or numbers your child picks.
A tip from Mora: play together for a short while, 5 to 10 minutes, and talk when you finish. Screens work best as a starting point for family conversations rather than as a solo activity: real learning happens in the conversation, which is the heart of the Mora method.