Domino (also dominoes, dominoe, and Domino’s) is a small rectangular block used as a gaming piece. Typically, the face of each domino is blank or marked with dots resembling those on dice. When a domino is laid on its side, the exposed ends may match. In this case, the player places one more domino on the same end of the line, then continues to place dominoes on each of the other ends of the line until the dominoes touch and form a complete row.

Dominoes are the basis of many games and a variety of other creative pursuits, from making artistic sculptures to setting up elaborate domino displays. Some of these displays involve thousands of dominoes and require several nail-biting minutes for the final domino to fall in place.

The earliest known game of domino is thought to have been invented in the 1300s by a Chinese monk named Kum-Tung. During this period, the domino was also introduced to Europe. The European versions of the domino differed from the Chinese versions in that they had more than 28 tiles and were numbered with markings resembling those on dice. Today, dominoes are made of plastic or a variety of other materials and come in a wide range of shapes and colors.

In the simplest Western game of domino, each player draws seven dominoes from a shuffled set. The remaining tiles are left face down and are called the stock, or boneyard. The player who wins the draw plays first and lays down a domino, which can be of any color or shape. When a player runs out of dominoes to play, he or she is out and the game is over.

There are many other domino games, but the most popular is probably “Block.” Each player tries to lay down a domino so its ends match up with those of the dominoes on each side. Players cannot hold back a playable domino for strategic reasons, and they are rewarded with points for each time they do not have to reshuffle the dominoes. A book that contains the rules of several different domino games is available.

The enjoyment of watching a line of dominoes topple is similar to the joy that comes from overcoming learning challenges. When a child with a learning challenge falls, it can be hard for the teacher to figure out how to help. Some of these challenges have to do with motor skills, and others are related to the way a student processes information. In these situations, the teacher must find a balance between compensating for the student’s needs and allowing him or her to develop the skills needed to master a subject. When the student is not given enough time to fully process information, it can be difficult to catch up and perform well in class. Eventually, this can lead to frustration and lack of motivation. This can affect the quality of work produced and even a student’s attitude toward school in general.