Chutes and Ladders

1 Game Overview

Chutes and Ladders (Snakes and Ladders outside North America) is one of the oldest board games in existence, originating in ancient India as a moral lesson game. The modern Hasbro version keeps the same mechanic: land on a ladder and zoom ahead; land on a chute and slide back. Race to square 100.

No reading required. Perfect for very young children learning numbers and counting.

2 What You Need

• 1 game board (10x10 grid, squares 1-100)
• 4 player pawns
• 1 spinner

3 Setup

1. Place all pawns off the board (or on square 1, depending on your version).
2. Youngest player goes first.

4 How to Play

1. On your turn, spin the spinner and move your pawn that many squares forward.
2. If you land at the bottom of a ladder, climb up to the square at the top.
3. If you land at the top of a chute, slide down to the square at the bottom.
4. No special action if you land on a plain square.
5. Next player takes their turn.

5 Winning

First player to reach exactly square 100 wins. Some versions require an exact spin to land on 100 (overshoot means you stay put or bounce back). Check your box rules.

6 Tips

• No strategy exists - pure luck. That's fine for ages 3-6.
• Great for counting practice. Have kids count out loud as they move their pawn - great number recognition for young learners.
• Adjust for patience: Young kids can get frustrated sliding back repeatedly. For 3-year-olds, consider skipping the backward chutes or using a house rule that chutes only go to a nearby square.