On Par

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Practice quick mental subtraction and cooperative turn-taking using a shared scoring sheet.

Use it when: Use as an energizer or light mental math warm-up when groups need an accessible game that requires no personal disclosure.

Skip it when: Skip when participants feel anxious about public arithmetic, or when an exercise requires deep collaborative problem solving rather than simple chance.

Group arrangement: Parallel small groups of 4 to 6 people seated in circles. With 4 to 6 people, form one group. For 7 people, split into groups of 3 and 4.

Timing: Playmeo lists 5 to 15 minutes; 18 minutes provides realistic time for setup, 12 rounds of single and double rolling, final tallies, and debrief.

Materials and tools

• One standard six-sided die per group
• One pen or pencil per group
• One printed On Par Scoring Worksheet per group
• One basic calculator or scratch paper per group (optional)

Before participants arrive

1. Print one On Par Scoring Worksheet for each small group.
2. Arrange tables or chairs into small circles with flat rolling surfaces.
3. Place one die, one pen, and one worksheet at each group station.

Say this to open

In this game, your team wants the lowest score possible, just like in golf. Each round has a target number called par printed on your worksheet. In rounds 1 through 6, one person rolls the die once. You record the roll, find the difference between your roll and par, and write that as your score. There are no negative numbers. If par is 1 and you roll 4, your score is 3. In rounds 7 through 12, two people will each roll once in sequence. You will add those two rolls together before finding the difference from par. Let us begin round 1.

How to run it

1. Form groups and explain rules 3 minutes

   Group participants into teams of 4 to 6. Give each group a die, a pen, and a worksheet. Ask one volunteer in each group to take the die and pen as the starting roller and recorder. Explain that the die and pen will pass clockwise after each turn. Read the opening script and confirm everyone understands that scores are always zero or positive.

2. Play single-die rounds (Rounds 1 to 6) 4 minutes

   Players take turns clockwise. For rounds 1 through 6, the active player rolls the die once, writes the number in the Roll column, calculates the difference from that round's par, and records the score. They pass the die and pen to the player on their left, who becomes the roller and recorder for the next round. If a roll matches par exactly, the score is 0. Give verbal pace calls every 40 seconds.

3. Play double-die rounds (Rounds 7 to 12) 8 minutes

   Announce round 7. For rounds 7 through 12, par equals the round number. The next person in clockwise order rolls once and hands the die to the player on their left. That second player rolls, sums both rolls, enters the total in the Roll column, and records the difference from par in the Score column. That second roller then passes the die and pen to their left. That recipient becomes the first roller for the next round. Continue through round 12.

4. Tally and debrief 3 minutes

   Teams sum their twelve round scores to get their final total. Invite groups to call out their totals to identify the lowest score. Ask two whole-room debrief questions and take two or three brief responses.

Debrief questions

• How did your chances of matching par change when you shifted from one die to summing two dice?
• What method did your group use to verify scores quickly without stalling turns?

Finished output: A completed twelve-round scoring worksheet with a verified total score for each group.

Remote

Create breakout rooms of 4 to 6 participants. Distribute a shared digital spreadsheet of the On Par Scoring Worksheet. For rounds 1 to 6, players take clockwise turns rolling a physical die on camera or using an online dice tool, typing their roll and score. For rounds 7 to 12, two players roll in sequence. The second roller types the sum and score, then names the next player in clockwise order as the first roller for the subsequent round.

Hybrid

Run separate breakout rooms for remote attendees and physical tables for in-person groups when possible. If mixing within a group, remote participants roll using an online die roller visible on screen share, while in-person participants roll physical dice on camera. A designated recorder logs all scores on a shared digital spreadsheet.

Access and participation choices

• Offer a basic desktop or phone calculator at each station for anyone who prefers not to calculate mental subtraction.
• Any participant may serve solely as recorder, roll without doing the math, or pass their turn to the next player without explanation.

If the session gets stuck

A participant writes a negative score after rolling below par.

Remind participants that scores are absolute differences. Subtract the smaller number from the larger number so every score is zero or greater.

Groups finish at very different speeds.

Ask faster teams to verify their column sums while slower groups complete round 12.

Terms used here

• Par: The target value for each round. Scoring exactly par results in a score of zero.