# Picture Dice: a story dice speaking game for the classroom > A story dice speaking game for English class: a right answer rolls three picture dice, and the team makes a sentence with them. Free, one screen, no devices. Source: https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/picture-dice/ · Updated 2026-10-29 Picture Dice is a story dice speaking game for the classroom. A team answers a question, rolls three picture dice on the big screen, and then has to say a sentence or a tiny story that uses the pictures. It gets quiet students talking in short, safe bursts, and suits English learners from A1 (one simple sentence) to B1 (a story with a beginning and an end). ![Picture Dice on the big screen: three cute dice showing a camel, a zebra and a snake with their words, and buttons 0 to 3 with 2 selected and the result "2 pictures used: +2"](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/dice.webp "Team 1 rolled camel, zebra and snake, used two of them in a sentence, and scored 2.") ## At a glance | Players | The whole class in 2–4 teams free (up to 8 with Pro) | | Time | 15–25 minutes for 12 questions (the talking takes time, and that is the point) | | Works with | English sets only: picture, word, listen, spell, meaning, sentence order and your own questions | | Best for | Speaking practice, using new vocabulary in sentences, mixed-level classes | | You need | One screen and your phone as the remote; a set with at least 6 words that have pictures | ## How to play Picture Dice 1. **Make or pick a question set.** Snap a textbook page, paste a word list or type a topic, or open a free set from the [library](https://olyclass.com/library/). The dice faces are the pictures from your set, so a set about animals rolls animals. 2. **Pick Picture Dice, set the teams and start.** The screen shows a story corner with three dice waiting. 3. **Play.** Teams take turns answering. A right answer rolls the three dice; each lands on a picture with its word underneath. The team says a sentence or a short story using as many pictures as it can. You judge it and tap 0, 1, 2 or 3 (on the screen or on your phone) for the number of pictures used. A wrong answer means no roll. The team with the most points at the end wins. ## Rules and scoring - **One point for each picture used** in the sentence or story. - **All three pictures:** 3 points plus a bonus of 2, so 5 in total. - **No pictures used:** 0, and Oly looks thoughtful. No points are taken away. - **Double and triple questions** multiply the dice points. - **You decide what counts.** The game trusts the teacher: a sentence with a small mistake can still score if the meaning is clear, or you can ask for a correct sentence. Say your rule before you start. - **Settings:** a timer per question (off, 10, 20, 30 or 60 seconds; running out counts as a wrong answer), minus one point for a wrong answer, steal (another team may answer a missed question and roll the dice), hide the score, calm or no effects. ![A Picture Dice question card: a picture of an owl, "What is it?" and four answers: polar bear, crocodile, frog, owl](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/dice-ask.webp "The question comes first. A right answer earns the roll, and the hint at the bottom says so.") ## What you can teach with it Picture Dice is English only, because the reward is speaking English: the team must use the words in a sentence of its own. It is hidden for maths, science and other subject sets. - **Animals at A1:** "The camel is big." One picture, one point, and everybody can do it. - **Present continuous at A2:** "The zebra is running after the snake." Ask for the -ing form to score. - **Past tense stories at B1:** three pictures, one story, "Yesterday…" at the start. - **There is / there are, prepositions, adjectives:** set the sentence pattern on the board and let the dice give the words. ## Tips from the classroom - Give 20–30 seconds of team talk before one student speaks. Then the sentence belongs to the whole team, and shy students can still help. - Call a different student each turn. With a class list in the lobby before the game, the screen names who answers next. - Write a sentence frame on the side board ("I can see a … and a …") for beginners, and take it away when they are ready. - If one team is running away with it, turn on steal and accept only three-picture stories for the full 5 points. - In big classes of 40, use four teams and let the other teams vote thumbs up or down before you tap the score. It keeps everyone listening. ## Play it without a screen - Make three paper dice, or six picture cards per die and roll a normal die to choose a card. - Ask a question; the team that answers right rolls. - Score one point per picture used, plus a bonus for all three. - Write the score in team columns on the board. The screen version draws the dice from your own lesson's pictures, shows the words under them for everyone to read, and keeps the score while you stand with the class. ## Questions teachers ask ### Is Picture Dice free? Yes. Playing is free, with library games and your own typed questions. The free plan also includes 10 AI question sets a month (3 from photos). ### Do students need devices? No. Everybody watches one screen and speaks; only your phone is used, as the remote. ### Why can't I see Picture Dice for my set? It needs an English set with at least 6 words that have pictures, because the dice faces are those pictures. Subject sets (maths, science and others) don't show it. ### How many students can play? The whole class, in 2–4 teams on the free plan or up to 8 teams with Oly Pro. ### Who decides if a sentence is good enough? You do. After the team speaks, tap how many pictures it used: 0, 1, 2 or 3. ### Can a team lose points? Only if you switch on "minus one point for a wrong answer". Using no pictures scores 0 but takes nothing away. For more word games, try [Balloon Words](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/balloon-words/) or [Mystery Picture](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/mystery-picture/).