HT Games
The "Draw" game
This game is short and easy to learn. You need a basic dominoes set and two to four players. Shuffle the tiles and place them face-down. If there are two players, each selects seven tiles; if there are three or four players, each selects five tiles. Leave the rest face-down. Each player views his tiles but keeps them secret from the group. The player with the highest double number on a tile goes first by placing that tile in the middle. Play moves to the left, and each player places one end of a tile to match the number on one end of a tile already played. You can also place a tile perpendicular to a double tile if the short end of your tile matches the double tile. If you cannot play a tile, you must draw one until you can. Pass your turn if no tiles are left. The match ends when someone plays his last tile or if everyone passes. The person with no tiles or the least amount of tiles then counts the number of points left on the tiles remaining in his opponents' hands. Repeat games until someone wins by reaching 100 points.
The "Block" game
This is a short, simple and easy game that is only slight different from "Draw." You need two to four players and a basic dominoes set. Shuffle the tiles and leave them face-down. Each player receives eight tiles minus the number of players; the rest stay in a draw pile. The player with the highest "double" tile places it in the middle, and play goes to the left. Each player places one end of a tile to match the number on one end of a tile already played. You can also place a tile perpendicular to a double tile if the short end of your tile matches the double tile. If you cannot play, you must pass your turn. Play ends when someone uses all of his tiles or when everyone passes. The person with zero or the least amount of tiles scores points based on how many points are left on the tiles in his opponents' hands. Repeat the game until someone reaches 100 points.
Freeze Out/War
This game requires two or more players and one or more dominoes sets. Distribute the tiles evenly to each player; then everyone places his tiles face-down in a row. One player then flips over one tile on the right side of his row. He will have two "lead" numbers based on his tile or one lead number if the tile is a double. Play moves to the left, and each player flips over the tile on the right side of his row. The last player to flip over a tile that contains one of the "lead" numbers wins all of the tiles that were flipped during that turn. He then places those tiles face-down on the left side of his row. The player who collects all of the tiles wins.
Solitaire
There are a couple of solitaire games kids can play with dominoes if they do not have a playmate. The first is called "Castle Rock." Shuffle the tiles and place them face-down. Draw three and place them in a row face-up. If the first and third share a common number, you can remove the middle tile. Continue play by adding one tile at a time on the right side of the row. Every time a tile is surrounded by two other tiles with a matching number, you can remove it. If there are three tiles in a row with matching numbers you can remove all three or just the middle one. You win the game if you remove all of the tiles. Another Solitaire game is called "Concentration" or "Memory." Place all of the tile face-down in a grid. Turn two over at a time. Whenever there is a "match" and the sum of dots on each tile are equal, you can remove the pair. You win the game when you remove all of the tiles.
Math Games
With a little creativity you can also use dominoes for math practice. Have a child practice his addition by using them like flash cards: Every time he flips one over he has to add the two sides together. He can add up points individually or compete against a friend. You can do the same game with subtraction, multiplication or addition. For variations, use a stopwatch or have the participants calculate values on two or more tiles. You can also add pen and paper so the child can practice writing equations.