Dominoes are small, rectangular-shaped game pieces that can be stacked on end to form long lines. Each domino is marked on one side with an arrangement of spots, called pips, and on the other side with a blank or identically patterned face. A set of dominoes may be made from any material, but are most often made of plastic or wood. In the past, dominoes were also made of bone, ivory, and stone. A domino is distinguished from a card by the fact that each of its two opposite faces bears an identical pattern of pips.
The word “domino” has several meanings, from the name of a type of loose cloak to a term for a chain reaction of events. The most common use of the word today refers to a series of related but distinct events that, like a falling line of dominoes, lead to a much larger, more significant result than any single event would have produced. The phrase is also used metaphorically to describe any number of outcomes that could occur in the future, such as a reversal of a trend or a sudden change in direction.
Some learning challenges impact students like a line of dominoes. A small movement can cause the whole row to fall, affecting more and more until the domino effect is complete. For example, a child might compensate for a weak foundational skill by using more advanced strategies, but this can eventually tax their working memory capacity to the point that it becomes a disadvantage.
Dominoes can be played in many different ways, with the most basic game requiring just two players and a double-six set. The 28 dominoes are first arranged in a pile, called the stock or boneyard, with each player choosing seven dominoes to play. The player then attempts to place the chosen dominoes in a row, each touching the edge of the preceding domino and then matching its value with that of the next piece played. The first player to play all of their dominoes wins the game.
If a player doesn’t have a domino with the same value as the previous one, they must take another from the boneyard and try again. The goal is to build a row of dominoes, with each player taking turns until they either win or can no longer continue.
For more complex games, the pieces can be grouped into suits, with each suit sharing one or more of the same pips on each edge. This allows players to match pairs of dominoes by color or other characteristic, and it also makes it easier to keep track of the score. Some players also enjoy placing dominoes on a large surface and creating artistic designs. These can be as simple or elaborate as desired, and can include straight lines, curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, or 3D structures like towers and pyramids. For even more challenge, dominoes can be flipped over to create more complex patterns.