How to Play Snakes and Ladders: Rules, Setup and Where the Game Came From
Snakes and ladders is a race to be the first player to reach square 100: you take turns rolling a single die, move your counter that many squares, climb up if you land at the foot of a ladder, and slide back down if you land on the head of a snake. There is no skill to it, only luck and turn-taking, which is exactly why it suits very young children at the kitchen table.
It is one of the gentlest ways to introduce a child to a board game, and it carries a long history behind it. What we now play as a cheerful family game began in India as a game about virtue and fate, and Jaques of London was among those who brought it to a British audience. Here is how to set it up, how to play, and where it really came from.
The one-sentence answer, then the setup
If you only read one line: roll the die, move your counter that many squares along the numbered track, go up any ladder you land on and down any snake, and the first player to reach square 100 wins. That is the whole game, and a three-year-old can grasp it in a single round.
To set up, place the board flat where everyone can see it. Give each player a counter in a different colour and put them all just off square 1, ready to enter the board. Sit so that everyone can reach to move their own piece, which matters more than you might think for little hands learning to count squares. Agree who goes first by each rolling the die, with the highest number starting.
You need very little kit, which is part of the charm. A board, a single die and one counter each is enough. If you are buying a set to keep, look at our traditional games and board games collections, where the same care goes into the everyday games as into our chess and croquet. For a similar gentle introduction to a counting game, our guide to how to play Mancala follows the same clear, step-by-step shape.
What you need to play
How a turn works, step by step
Play moves clockwise, starting with whoever won the opening roll. On your turn, roll the die once and move your counter forward that many squares, counting each square aloud as you go. This counting-aloud habit is half the educational value, and it is worth doing slowly with a young child rather than sliding the piece in one swoop.
If your counter finishes at the bottom of a ladder, climb straight up to the square at its top. If it finishes on the head of a snake, slide all the way down to the square at its tail. You only move for ladders and snakes when you land on the relevant square, never when you simply pass over one. Then it is the next player's turn, and so it continues round the table.
To win, you usually need to land exactly on square 100. If your roll would take you past it, most house rules say you stay put and try again next turn, which adds a little gentle suspense near the finish. Some families prefer to let any roll of enough simply win, and either version is fine for young children. We set out a similar turn-by-turn rhythm in our guide to how to play draughts, if you want a next step once counting comes easily.
A single turn, in order
There is no strategy to win, only the patience to take your turn and the grace to slide back down a snake.
Where the game really came from
Snakes and ladders did not begin as a children's game at all. It grew out of an Indian board game variously called Moksha Patam or Gyan Chaupar, a game of moral instruction in which ladders stood for virtues that lifted the player towards liberation and snakes stood for vices that dragged them back down. Scholars at institutions such as the British Museum hold examples of these boards, and you can read more on the game's documented history through the open record.
The idea was that fate and conduct moved you up and down the board, a lesson dressed as a game. When the game travelled to Britain in the late nineteenth century, the explicit moral framing softened and it became the simple race we know. The word itself, as the dictionary record reminds us, carried that old sense of something to be wary of.
Jaques of London, the firm that brought Happy Families and Ludo to the British market, was among those who published and popularised Snakes and Ladders here. We are proud to be the oldest games company in the world, founded in 1795, and that long history is exactly why we keep the origins of a game like this told properly rather than dressed up.
From Moksha Patam to the nursery
Choosing a set that lasts
You do not need anything elaborate, but a well-made set survives years of being tipped onto the floor and counted out by sticky fingers. We make the case for buying fewer, better things in our guide to choosing children's toys that actually get played with, and the same logic applies to a board game you mean to keep.
Look for clear, large numbers a young child can read, counters that are easy to grip, and a die big enough not to vanish under the sofa. Solid wood pieces feel good in the hand and tend to outlast plastic. When you are browsing, our traditional games range sits alongside classics like our chess sets and backgammon, all made to the same standard.
If you are building a small shelf of family games, a counting toy such as the wooden abacus pairs beautifully with snakes and ladders for the under-fives, reinforcing the very counting the game encourages. You might also enjoy our round-ups of the best dominoes sets and the Shut the Box guide, both gentle next games once turn-taking is firmly in place.
A solid wood counting frame that reinforces the number sense snakes and ladders builds, perfect for the same age group.
What little ones actually learn
For all its simplicity, snakes and ladders quietly teaches a great deal. Counting squares one by one builds early number sense, and the leaderboard nature of the race gives children a reason to care about who is ahead, which is one-to-one correspondence in disguise. Bodies like the NAEYC have long argued that this kind of structured play is how young children learn best.
Then there is turn-taking, perhaps the harder lesson. Waiting for your roll, watching someone else climb a ladder you wanted, and sliding down a snake without melting down are all rehearsals for self-regulation. The team at Zero to Three describe play as the natural setting for this emotional practice, and a game decided purely by luck is a kind place to learn that you cannot always win.
Most children can join in from around three, with a grown-up to help count, and play happily well into the early school years. The NHS guidance on play is a useful reminder that the point is the shared time as much as the skills. If you are deliberately building screen-free family habits, our piece on real play at home sits naturally alongside a board game on a wet afternoon.
What the game builds
- Counting squares aloud
- One-to-one correspondence
- Waiting for a roll
- Watching others move
- Coping with bad luck
- Winning and losing gracefully
- Shared attention
- No screens needed
How do you actually win at snakes and ladders?
You win by being the first player to reach square 100. On each turn you roll a single die and move your counter that many squares, climbing any ladder and sliding down any snake you land on. There is no skill or strategy involved, only luck and patience, which is why it suits very young children. Most house rules ask you to land exactly on 100 to win, so if your roll would overshoot, you wait and try again on your next turn. Either way, it is a short, cheerful game.
Do you need to land exactly on 100 to finish?
That is the most common rule: if your roll would take you past square 100, you stay where you are and try again next turn. It adds a little suspense at the finish and a few extra rolls. Some families, especially with younger children, prefer to let any roll that reaches or exceeds 100 win outright, which avoids frustration near the end. Both are perfectly acceptable. Agree which version you are using before you start so nobody feels hard done by when it matters most.
What age is snakes and ladders suitable for?
Most children can join in from around three years old, with a grown-up nearby to help count squares and hold the die. By four or five many play independently. Because it relies entirely on luck rather than reading or strategy, it sits comfortably within the kind of structured play that bodies like the NAEYC recommend for early learning. It also stays fun for older siblings and adults, so it works well as a whole-family game on a rainy afternoon when you want something quick and undemanding.
Where did snakes and ladders come from?
It originated in India, where it was played as Moksha Patam or Gyan Chaupar, a game of moral instruction. Ladders represented virtues that lifted you upward and snakes represented vices that dragged you back down, so the board taught a lesson about conduct and fate. Examples survive in museum collections including those held by the British Museum. The game reached Britain in the late nineteenth century, where the moral framing faded and it became the simple race we play today.
Did Jaques of London invent snakes and ladders?
No. The game came from India, and Jaques of London did not invent it. What Jaques did do, as the world's oldest games company, was help bring it to the British market alongside other classics we did publish here, such as Ludo and Happy Families. Jaques genuinely invented croquet and registered the Staunton chess set in 1849. We try to keep the difference clear, because origins matter and the real story is interesting enough without overclaiming.
How many players can play?
You need at least two players, and the game works well with up to four or even more if you have enough counters and patience. With more players each turn comes round less often, so very young children may find a long wait hard. Two or three players is usually the sweet spot for the under-fives, keeping turns frequent enough to hold their attention. There is no upper team limit in principle, and adults can happily join in, since the game gives no advantage to skill or experience.
What do you do if you land on a snake or a ladder?
If your counter finishes its move at the foot of a ladder, you climb straight up to the square at the top. If it finishes on the head of a snake, you slide all the way down to the square at the snake's tail. Crucially, this only happens when you actually land on that square, never when you simply pass over it during your count. After climbing or sliding, your turn ends and play passes to the next person.
What skills does the game teach young children?
Counting squares one at a time builds early number sense and one-to-one correspondence, which is why counting aloud during each move matters. Just as valuable is turn-taking: waiting for your roll, watching others move, and coping when a snake sends you backwards. As Zero to Three note, play is where young children rehearse this kind of self-regulation. Because the game is decided by luck, it is a kind setting for learning that you cannot always win, which is a useful early lesson in resilience.
How long does a game take?
A typical game lasts roughly ten to twenty minutes, depending on the board, the number of players and how the dice fall. A run of good ladders can finish it quickly, while landing on snakes near the top can stretch things out. That short length is part of why it suits young children, whose attention spans are limited. If you want a quick game before tea or bed, snakes and ladders fits neatly, and you can always play best of three if everyone is keen to carry on.
What is the difference between snakes and ladders and chutes and ladders?
They are essentially the same game. Chutes and Ladders is the name used for a version sold in the United States, where slides, or chutes, replace the snakes, partly to seem less frightening to small children. The board, the single die and the race to 100 are identical. In Britain and much of the world the original snakes are kept, carrying a faint echo of the game's Indian origins, where snakes stood for vices. Whichever version you own, the rules and the spirit of the game are unchanged.
For something so simple, snakes and ladders earns its place on the family shelf. It asks nothing of a child but to count, to wait their turn and to take the rough with the smooth, and it carries a long, honest history from an Indian board about virtue and fate to a wet-afternoon favourite. Set it up at the kitchen table, count each square aloud, and enjoy the quiet learning hiding inside the play.