National Hispanic Heritage Month / LatinX Heritage Month is more than dusting off your maracas, sliding into salsa classes and pigging out on Taco Tuesdays. It’s a celebration of Latino culture, art and life. And rightfully so. Latinos are the country’s second largest racial or ethnic group, behind white non-Hispanics. We make up approximately 18% of the U.S. population. In raw numbers, that’s nearly 61 million Latinos! With one entire continent dedicated just to us, there’s so much celebration to choose from. And I couldn't help and feel nostalgic and fiery about the passion-evoking, underrated game of Dominoes.
This is my Ode to the 28 to kick-off National Hispanic Heritage Month 2021.
So many ways to dig in!
Every Caribbean country plays a variation of the popular game. For the most part there are 4 people sitting at a table, those across from each other are team members, but you could also play as individuals. After shuffling, each player takes 7 Domino tiles ranging from double zero to double six. On the first try, the person that gets the double six, throws that tile first. The game has begun. It’s played counter clockwise and the goal is to be the first without any tiles. That’s the simple version.
In my native Dominican Republic, the winner, or first to place (read: slam) their last ficha, or tile will receive the sum of their opponents’ dots as points. First to 200, 250 or 500 wins- depends on your endurance.
In Puerto Rico similar rules apply, but if the last player wins with the double-blank, it’s a “chuchazo!”
In Jamaica, again similar rules apply, but you can play a “six love” game where either the individual or team that wins 6 games in a row, or the best of 6 games wins the match. This can go on for hours.
However, in Cuba Dominos is played with 55 tiles (30 pairs, 25 unpaired) and the tiles go up to the number 9. Oh yeah, it just got serious! Every player gets 10 tiles and the amount of mental agility required to play definitely escalates. That’s a whole other blog post.
What do all these people from the isles have in common? Skill and Passion. And, as they say in Cuba, “No hay sábado sin son, ni fiesta sin dominó”. Translation: “There’s not a Saturday without the sun, nor a party without Domino”. Same!
Wepa!
So you’re sold on the cultural relevance of Dominoes and you want to get started with your kiddos. Here’s how to incorporate Domino’s into your Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrations:
As with any teaching and learning moment, start easy then gradually up the complexity.
On the Go: A nice Domino's set makes for great travel-sized blocks. Just make sure to get your kids their own, you don’t want to have any missing tiles. OUCH!
DIY: Create your very own domino-inspired game with shapes or favorite cartoon characters and match away! You can use craft sticks, cardboard, felt, or simple printed and laminated dominoes.
I make my own using this amazing teacher resource: https://www.toolsforeducators.com/dominoes/
Differentiated Dominos: Print-out or buy colored Domino’s, where each number has a corresponding background or “dot” color. These colored-coded sets will guide your child as they match the “dots”.
Adding: Tape down numbers from 1-12 (depending on which Domino’s set you use) and have your child match all the tiles that add up to that number. For instance the #4 can be matched up to tiles 4:0, 3:1 and 2:2. Flip the tiles to 0:4, 1:3, and 2:2, and now they’re adding and realizing that there’s flexibility in numbers.
Partner Up: In my house we love to each take a child, sit them on our lap and strategize together on our game. Let the child be the “coach” as you problem solve together, but most importantly, allow them to do the slamming. It’s the best part!
Coming of Age: There comes a realization that just matching tile numbers isn’t what’s going to get you those bragging rights. You must simultaneously learn to count the amount of corresponding tiles available for your move, remember the pattern in which your partner and your opponents played for any clues as to which tiles they have (and don’t have), and figure out how to aid your partner while jamming up your opponent. Oh yes! The pros on the park benches can do that and much more. This is a great time to take your youngin under your wings and teach them about counting, memorizing, body language, probability, pattern recognition and how to have the right “poker face”. Soon your protege will make you proud when s/he rises up, slams his/her very last tile that’s just finished the game, and surprise, surprise, it can go on either side of the table. Then s/he proudly roars a resounding “CAPICÚ!”* S/he’s earned those stripes.
(Capicú comes from the Catalan words cap i cua, meaning ‘cabeza y cola’, or heads and tails.)
Nerd out:
Now, as a Learning Scientist and Cultural Advocate, I can assure you that nothing feels better than finding that perfect intersection where education and cultural relevance meet. I gawk at Dominoes.
This 13 Century game migrated all the way from Oriental shores, to Europe to the Caribbean, and now to front porches, park benches, and corner stores all over the States. And while the thought of any Caribbean island provokes visions of pristine, turquoise waters, well-seasoned, seaside fish and maybe some Creole rum and cigars, for many the thought of the Caribbean evokes one thing: SLAM CAPICU!
Let me know how your family plays the game and any trucos (tricks) you have to win!
MEET MS. WENDY
Wendy Toribio-Baez lives and breathes for the wholesomeness of early childhood. She is a Behavior and Learning Scientist, who guides parents and teachers in providing optimal learning experiences for young children. In her personal practice, Wendy creates and implements individualized plans to help her students efficiently acquire communication, independence, learning and academic skills. With almost 10 years of experience as a Founder and Educational Director of various early childhood learning havens, Wendy has partnered with hundreds of educators, psychologists and other professionals to become a resource for the families she supports. And, she also walks the walk. A millennial mom, Wendy and her two little girls have a ton of fun homeschooling, unschooling and re-schooling; always with intent, curiosity and goodness.
Wendy Toribio-Baez is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who earned her Masters of Science in Teaching (MST) in Early Childhood-Early Childhood Special Education from Fordham University, where she was President of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education. If you’d like extra support with your little one, feel free to email her!