Chicken Ladder: Roll Your Way Back to the Coop

Colorful game board for the Chicken Ladder game with numbered squares, chicken ladders, mud slides and farm animals to print

At sunset the chickens want to get back to their coop on square 50 – chicken ladders zip them up, and mud slides send them splashing back down. A quick dice game for 2–4 players ages 4 and up that needs no reading at all.

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What's in the PDFs

There are two separate 4-page PDFs: the color version and the coloring version. Each has the rules, the 50-square game board in landscape format, a page of pawns, and a fold-up die. The board has 4 chicken ladders and 4 mud slides. In the color version, the hen, rooster, chick, and turkey stand on colored bases (red, blue, orange, green).

At a Glance

Players
2–4 players
Age
ages 4+
Pages
4 × A4 + 4 × A4
Time
about 15 minutes

📄 What’s on the Pages

Page 1: How to play
The goal, what you need, how to move, ladders, mud slides, how to win, and chicken facts.
Page 2: Game board
Landscape board with squares 1 to 50, ladders, and mud slides – in color or to color.
Page 3: Pawns
Hen, rooster, chick, and turkey with slot-together bases, plus assembly steps.
Page 4: Fold-up die
One large die template with glue tabs.

How to play

1
Print the board, pawns, and die at actual size on cardstock.
2
Cut out the pawns and bases, cut the slits, and slide them together crosswise.
3
Cut out the die, fold it, and glue the gray tabs inside – or just use a regular die.
4
Everyone starts before square 1; take turns rolling and moving.
5
Follow the numbers: left to right on the first row, right to left on the next, and so on.

Ladders, slides, and winning

1
Chicken ladder: land exactly on the bottom of a ladder and climb straight to the top.
2
Mud slide: land exactly on the top of a slide (where the puddle is) and slide down to its end.
3
The first player to reach the coop on square 50 wins.
4
For older kids: you have to land on 50 exactly, or you stay where you are.

💡 Tips

  • Glue the board onto cardboard or laminate it so it lasts.
  • Use paper of at least 65 lb cardstock for the pawns so they stand up well.
  • Let kids color the black-and-white board first and play on their own creation.
  • Help younger kids count the squares out loud as they move.

What kids learn

Rolling the die helps kids recognize dot patterns at a glance and count squares one by one. The path from 1 to 50 makes numbers tangible: which is more, which is less? They also practice waiting their turn and handling wins and losses – anyone can hit a mud slide.

🔄 Variations & Ideas

Ladder math
Older kids figure out how many squares a ladder skips before they climb.
Cluck and splash
Cluck loudly when you climb a ladder, shout “Splash!” when you slide.
Your own farm
On the coloring board, draw your own animals on the empty squares.

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  • Color and B/W: Ready in full color or as a coloring version to make it your own.
  • Print-ready: Clean PDF pages – print on US Letter or A4 and get started.
  • Made to go together: Games, crafts and 272 coloring pages all around the farm.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How many ladders and slides are there?
The board has 4 chicken ladders that take you up and 4 mud slides that take you down.

Do I need a real die?
No. Each PDF includes a fold-up die. A regular die works just as well.

Which pawns are included?
A hen, rooster, chick, and turkey with slot-together bases. The bases are red, blue, orange, and green, so every player can spot their pawn right away.

Is the download free?
Yes, all templates on PureSketchy are 100% free for personal, preschool and classroom use – no sign-up needed.

Is there a German version?
Yes! You can find the German version here: Leiterspiel Hühnerleiter.