A Little Tenzi Frenzi for a Whole Lotta Fun

Tenzi is a favorite at Grandma’s house because it’s perfect for two people or twenty…for toddlers, teenagers, or the nearly prehistoric….and play can last five minutes or two hours!

A couple years ago, Grandpa and I gave every member of our family a set of Tenzi dice for Christmas, but before stuffing them into our Santa Sacks, I removed the dice from the original packaging and put each set into a clear plastic spice jar, with a name label. Then, I hung a spice rack in the game room to store them. Yes, everyone received their own set. And yes, all the sets stay at Grandma’s! 😉

A Glimpse Into the Frenzi

The two crazies in the video below were at our house for a sleepover this weekend and we played a lotta Tenzi! There were giggles, negotiations, celebrations, and even a few pouty faces. Games are a beautiful thing.

The American Academy of Pediatrics released a report called The Power of Play, showing that playing games like Tenzi with our grandkids…

• improves their brains, bodies, and social bonds
• improves their ability to plan and organize
• improves their ability to get along with others
• improves their ability to regulate emotions
• Improves language, math, and social skills
• improves their ability to cope with stress

What’s not to love about that!

Enjoy a peek at our frenzi in the following video, keep reading to learn more about the game, and then download and print the Tenzi rules for YOUR next sleepover.

Game Pieces

One uniquely-colored set of 10 dice for each player

Grandma Tip: We ordered the official Tenzi dice on Amazon, but they can be purchased about anywhere that sells toys.  Of course, you can use any colored dice, as long as each person has a uniquely-colored set of ten. 

Object

Be the first player to get all ten dice to match and yell “TENZI!” 

Grandma Tip: We start with rolling all ones, then all twos, and so on, until we roll all sixes. We tally the winner of each of the six rounds and the player that wins the most rounds is the winner! Then, the winner gets to swap dice with any other player!

How to Play

Grandma Tip: It can be difficult for little hands and minds to compete with a full set of 10 dice, so we allow our littles to have the same number of dice as their age: 5 years old = 5 dice.

• Each player holds their set of dice in hand(s). 
• Someone says “Ready-Set-Go” and everyone rolls at the same time. 
• Look at the dice you rolled and set aside any with the number you’re going for. 
• Quickly pick up the remaining dice and roll again. (You don’t have to wait for others to roll again. Everyone only rolls together on the first roll.)
• Keep rolling until all ten of your dice show the same number and then yell, “TENZI!”

An Opportunity for Scripture

Variations

Grandma Tip: We like to set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes and then take turns choosing different variations.  We tally who wins each round/variation and when the timer goes off, the person with the most wins gets to trade dice with another player!

• Stackzi Tenzi: Instead of putting your successfully rolled dice aside, stack them one on top of the other. First player to get all their dice stacked and shout “TENZI” wins!
• Splitzi: Instead of trying to get all 10 dice of one number, try to get five dice of one number and five dice of another number, and then yell “TENZI”.
• Pairzi: Roll 5 different pairs.
• Straightzi: Place your dice in a straight line like this: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Click to print the rules…