Tired of the same old routine? Looking for a way to connect with your kids that doesn’t involve staring at a screen? Dive into the wonderfully creative world of DIY board games! It’s amazing what you can conjure up with some basic craft supplies, a sprinkle of imagination, and a willingness to have fun together. Forget expensive store-bought games for a while; crafting your own is an adventure in itself, leading to truly unique family moments and games tailored exactly to your crew’s interests.
Making your own board games isn’t just about saving money, although that’s a nice perk. It’s a fantastic learning experience wrapped in fun. Kids get to be inventors, artists, and rule-makers all at once. They practice fine motor skills cutting and drawing, use critical thinking to design challenges, and learn about fairness and turn-taking when establishing the rules. Plus, the pride they feel playing a game they helped create from scratch? Absolutely priceless. It transforms passive entertainment into active, collaborative creation.
Why Embark on a DIY Game Adventure?
The benefits go far beyond just occupying an afternoon. When you build a game together, you’re building connections. You have conversations, share ideas, compromise, and work as a team. It encourages:
- Creativity Unleashed: From designing the board’s theme (pirate treasure, space race, magical forest?) to drawing quirky characters and obstacles, the sky’s the limit.
- Problem-Solving Skills: How do we make the game fair? What happens if you land on this space? Kids learn to think through consequences and design solutions.
- Personalization: Incorporate inside jokes, favourite characters, or specific learning goals (like math facts or spelling words) right into the game mechanics.
- Resourcefulness: It teaches kids to see potential in everyday objects – that cereal box isn’t trash, it’s a game board waiting to happen!
- Reduced Screen Time: It offers a tangible, engaging alternative to digital devices, fostering hands-on play.
- Ownership and Pride: Playing a game they designed gives kids a huge confidence boost and a sense of accomplishment.
Gathering Your Game-Making Arsenal
You likely have most of what you need already hiding in cupboards and recycling bins. No need for fancy supplies! Think simple and accessible:
- The Base: Cardboard is king! Large flat pieces from shipping boxes are ideal. Cereal boxes, shoe boxes, or even the backs of old notebooks work wonders too.
- Paper Power: Plain paper, construction paper, cardstock – for drawing paths, making cards, or adding decorations.
- Marking Your Territory: Crayons, markers, colored pencils, pens. Whatever you have for adding color and detail.
- Sticky Situations: Glue sticks, white school glue, or tape to hold things together.
- Cutting Edge: Kid-safe scissors (adult supervision recommended for younger children). A craft knife can be helpful for adults cutting thick cardboard.
- Movers and Shakers: Dice (borrow from another game or make a spinner). Game pieces (pawns) can be buttons, pebbles, small toys, bottle caps, LEGO figures, or custom-made cardboard cutouts.
- Optional Extras: Stickers, glitter glue, yarn, fabric scraps – anything to add extra flair!
Brainstorm Bonanza: What Game Will You Create?
The first step is deciding what kind of game to make. Talk with your kids! What do they enjoy? Simple races? Adventures? Mysteries? Here are a few starting points:
The Classic Race Game
This is often the easiest starting point. Think ‘Snakes and Ladders’ or ‘Candy Land’ structure. Draw a winding path from START to FINISH on your cardboard. Decorate spaces along the path. Some spaces can be simple colors, others might have instructions like “Go back 2 spaces,” “Miss a turn,” or “Roll again!” Players roll a die and move their pawn accordingly. First to the finish line wins!
Treasure Hunt Adventure
Design a map instead of a linear path. Players might start at a ‘ship’ and need to navigate past ‘sharks,’ ‘islands,’ and ‘kraken’ spaces to reach the ‘X marks the spot’ treasure chest. You could incorporate ‘Chance’ cards – draw a card that says “Found a shortcut!” or “Storm blows you back 3 spaces!” This allows for more thematic elements.
Storytelling Quest
Create a path where landing on certain spaces requires the player to draw a card and add to a collaborative story. Cards might have prompts like “Describe a friendly creature you meet,” “What obstacle do you overcome?” or “Add a magical item to the story.” The goal might be to reach the end with a complete, co-created tale.
Memory Match Mania
Not a board game in the traditional sense, but easy and fun to make. Cut out identical squares of cardboard. On one side of each pair, draw matching pictures. Simple shapes, colours, animals, or family members work well. Spread them face down and take turns flipping two. Find a match, keep the pair! Make it themed – matching pairs of silly monsters, space aliens, or favourite foods.
Fantasy Obstacle Course
For slightly older kids, design a more complex path with different types of terrain or zones. Maybe a ‘Lava Zone’ where you need to roll an even number to pass, or a ‘Forest Maze’ where you follow specific arrows. You could even give each player’s pawn a simple special ability (e.g., the Knight can move 1 extra space once per game, the Wizard can reroll the die once).
Building Your Board: The Foundation of Fun
Once you have an idea, it’s time to bring the board to life. Grab your cardboard!
Shape and Size: Will it be square, rectangular, or maybe even a custom shape like a castle or a spaceship? Flatten your box or choose your cardboard piece. Make sure it’s big enough for your planned path and decorations.
Path Design: Pencil it in first! A simple winding path is great for beginners. You could also do stepping stones, a grid, or multiple branching paths. Think about how players will move from START to FINISH.
Adding the Details: Now, the fun part – decorating! Draw directly onto the cardboard. Color in the spaces. Add themed elements related to your game idea – draw trees, stars, monsters, treasure chests, rivers, bridges. Glue on cut-out paper shapes for extra dimension. Let the kids take the lead here; perfection isn’t the goal, expression is!
Special Spaces: Clearly mark any spaces that have special rules (Go Ahead, Go Back, Draw a Card, Safe Zone, etc.). Use symbols or simple text.
Crafting Your Components: Pawns, Dice, and Cards
Every game needs its bits and pieces!
Pawns (Player Pieces): Get creative! Small toys work instantly. Bottle caps are great bases for sticking drawings onto. Simple cardboard cutouts drawn and colored by the kids add a personal touch. You can even make little figures out of modelling clay if you have some.
Dice or Spinners: If you don’t have dice, making a spinner is easy. Draw a circle on a piece of cardboard, divide it into numbered sections (1-6, or fewer for younger kids). Poke a small hole in the center. Push a pencil through the hole and use a paperclip as the spinner – flick it and see where it lands! Alternatively, write numbers 1-3 or 1-4 on small squares of paper and draw them from a cup.
Game Cards: If your game uses chance cards, action cards, or prompt cards, cut rectangles from cardstock or sturdy paper. Write or draw the instructions clearly on each one. Shuffle them up before playing! Examples: “Go forward 3 spaces,” “Swap places with another player,” “Tell a joke,” “Answer a math question.”
Core Crafting Kit Check! Remember, the essential ingredients for your DIY game night are readily available. You’ll primarily need some form of cardboard for the board, paper for details or cards, something to draw and color with like markers or crayons, and kid-safe scissors and glue. Don’t forget found objects like bottle caps or pebbles make perfect game pieces!
Devising the Rules: The Heart of the Game
Rules can make or break a game. The key with DIY games, especially with kids involved, is simplicity and flexibility.
Involve the Kids: Ask them! “What should happen if you land on this red space?” “How many spaces should you go back if you hit the slime?” Letting them contribute gives them ownership and helps them understand the rules better.
Start Simple: Especially for a first game, stick to basic mechanics. Roll and move is a classic for a reason. You can always add complexity later.
Write Them Down: Even simple rules can be forgotten or disputed mid-game. Write them clearly on a separate piece of paper (or even on the board itself if there’s space). Use simple language.
Core Rules to Define:
- How do you start? (Everyone rolls, highest goes first?)
- How do you move? (Roll a die, spin a spinner?)
- What do special spaces do? (Be specific!)
- What happens if you land on the same space as someone else? (Bump them back? Share the space?)
- How do you win? (First to reach FINISH?)
Be Prepared to Adapt: The first playthrough is a test run! If a rule isn’t working or causing frustration, don’t be afraid to change it together. “Hmm, maybe going back 5 spaces is too much. How about just 2?” This teaches valuable lessons about iteration and improvement.
Example Game: “Cosmic Critter Race”
The Concept:
Funny alien critters are racing back to their home planet through an asteroid field.
The Board:
A large piece of cardboard painted dark blue or black. Draw a winding path of colourful planetoids and star spaces from the “Launch Pad” (START) to the “Home Planet” (FINISH). Add drawings of asteroids, comets, and maybe a friendly space station.
The Pawns:
Kids draw their own unique alien critters on small cardboard cutouts with little stands glued to the back, or use colourful pom-poms.
The Rules (Example):
- Each player chooses a critter pawn and places it on the Launch Pad.
- Players take turns rolling a standard 1-6 die.
- Move your critter forward the number of spaces shown on the die.
- Special Spaces:
- Asteroid Bump: (Looks like a grey rock) Go back 2 spaces.
- Comet Trail: (Looks like a star with a tail) Zoom forward 3 spaces!
- Wormhole: (Looks like a swirl) Jump straight to the next Wormhole space on the board (mark 2-3 pairs).
- Space Station: (Looks like a little station) Safe! Take an extra turn immediately.
- If you land on a space already occupied, bump the other player back one space.
- The first player to land exactly on the Home Planet wins! (Or, simplify: first player to reach or pass the Home Planet wins).
This is just a template – your family can tweak the spaces, rules, and theme endlessly!
Let the Games Begin: Playing Together
Making the game is half the fun; playing it is the other half! Gather everyone around, explain the rules you created together, and start playing.
Focus on Fun: Remember the primary goal is spending quality time together. Laugh at the silly drawings, celebrate lucky rolls, and groan dramatically at unlucky ones.
Be Patient: Kids, especially younger ones, might need reminders about the rules or help counting spaces.
Model Good Sportsmanship: Show how to win and lose gracefully. Congratulate the winner and encourage everyone for playing.
Talk About It Afterwards: “What was your favourite part of the game?” “Which rule worked really well?” “Is there anything we should change for next time?” This reinforces the iterative design process.
More Than Just a Game
Creating your own board games using simple materials like cardboard and paper is a gateway to so much more than just play. It’s a chance to boost creativity, practice essential skills, build family bonds, and make lasting memories. Ditch the digital distractions for an afternoon and dive into the rewarding world of DIY game design. You’ll be amazed at what you and your kids can create together, armed with nothing but imagination and a few recycled boxes. So grab that cardboard, gather your markers, and let the family fun commence!
