How to play Beetle
Beetle is a dice-and-drawing game. Each number on the die lets you draw one part of a beetle, but you need the body first. The first player to finish a whole beetle wins.
- Ages 4+
- 2 to 6 players
- About 15 minutes
- You need: one die, paper and a pencil for each player
Easy rules, to read aloud
- Take turns rolling the die.
- Roll a 6 to draw the body.
- Roll a 5 to draw the head.
- Then 4 is a wing, 3 is a leg, 2 is a feeler and 1 is an eye.
- You need two wings, six legs, two feelers and two eyes.
- The first to draw a whole beetle shouts Beetle and wins!
The full rules
- Each player has paper and a pencil. Take turns rolling the die, passing it to the left.
- A 6 is the body. You must roll a 6 before you can draw anything else.
- A 5 is the head, joined to the body. You need the head before the eyes and feelers.
- A 4 is a wing (two in all), a 3 is a leg (six in all), a 2 is a feeler, also called an antenna (two in all), and a 1 is an eye (two in all).
- If you roll a part you already have all of, or one you are not ready for, nothing happens this turn.
- A whole beetle has 14 parts: a body, a head, two wings, six legs, two feelers and two eyes.
- The first player to finish shouts "Beetle!"
How to win: The first player to draw a complete beetle wins. Play again and see who finishes the most beetles.
Tips
- Draw the body big so there is room for six legs.
- Count your legs out loud as you add them.
- Wobbly beetles count. Any beetle is a good beetle.
What it practises
reading dice numbers, counting to six, drawing shapes.
Other ways to play
- Beetle drive. Several tables of four play at once. When anyone shouts Beetle, every table stops, and players move tables for the next round.
- Your own numbers. Agree on which number draws which part to suit your family.
About the game
You may also hear it called Cootie, or know a boxed game like it. This page is about the traditional game, which anyone may play.
The age is our own suggestion: Peabody's suggestion (matching a number on a die to a part of the picture). Sources we read: Wikipedia: Beetle (game). Every word here is Peabody's own. Checked .