Make your own board game for kids

Safety first

A grown-up should do all the cutting with scissors, and check every item before it goes on the table. This game is meant for children aged four and up. If a child under three is nearby, keep the dice, paper clip, tape pieces, paper scraps and counters out of their reach, because they may put things in their mouths. Make counters large, bigger than a small fist, for any child who still mouths things, and never use buttons, coins or beads. A grown-up should sharpen and hold the pencil for the spinner and keep pencil points down. Play at a table rather than on the floor. Age hints are a guide, so you know your child best.

What you need

• one large sheet of paper, such as a poster sheet or two sheets taped together
• pencil, crayons or felt pens, and a ruler
• scissors, for a grown-up only
• a little tape and a paper clip
• coloured paper for counters, or large clean pebbles

Step 1: draw the path

1. Lay the paper flat. Start at one corner and draw a winding path across it, wide enough for a counter to sit in each square.
2. Divide the path into 20 squares. Count them together as you draw, and make them roughly the same size.
3. Write Start in the first square and Finish in the twentieth. Number every square from one to twenty, so that the special squares in the next step are easy to find.
4. Colour the squares in a pattern, such as red, yellow, green and blue in turn, so the path is easy to follow.

Step 2: add special squares

Special squares make the game exciting. Pick the squares below, then mark each one with a clear picture so nobody has to ask what it means.

• Go forward 2: choose three squares, for example squares 4, 9 and 14. Draw a small arrow and write +2.
• Miss a turn: choose two squares, for example squares 7 and 17. Draw a resting moon and write Rest.
• Keep the other squares plain so the game does not drag. With these choices, a +2 move from squares 4, 9 and 14 lands on squares 6, 11 and 16, which are all plain.

Agree one more rule before you begin: to win, a player must land exactly on Finish. If a roll would go past square 20, the counter stays put and the player tries again next turn.

Step 3: make a dice or a spinner

Paper cube dice. A grown-up cuts a cross shape from stiff paper, made of six equal squares about 4 cm wide: four in a row, with one square above and one below the second square in the row. Draw the dots from one to six on the six squares first, while the paper is flat, or use one to three twice for younger players. Then fold the four squares in the row into a ring, fold the top and bottom squares in to close the ends, and tape every edge firmly. If folding feels fiddly, write the numbers one to six on six small paper slips instead, fold them, and pick one from a cup each turn.

Paper-clip spinner. Draw a circle about as wide as a hand, mark its centre, and split it into three equal parts with lines from the centre to the edge. Write 1, 2 and 3, one in each part. Lay a paper clip flat with one of its loops over the centre. A grown-up holds a pencil upright and passes its point through that loop, resting it lightly on the centre mark, so the clip can turn freely around the pencil. Flick the clip with one finger so that it spins around the pencil. When it stops, the number under the clip's far end is your roll. If it stops on a line, spin again. A grown-up checks the pencil point and stays nearby.

Step 4: choose your counters

Have a grown-up cut a wide strip of coloured paper for each player, fold it into a tent about the size of a small fist, and tape the ends. Or choose a large, clean pebble, washed and dried, with a coloured stripe painted on it. Use pebbles only with children aged four and over, and let a grown-up decide whether each one is large enough to be safe.

Step 5: play your game

1. Put all counters on Start. The youngest player goes first, then turn to the left.
2. Roll the dice or spin the spinner, and move your counter that many squares.
3. If you land on a +2 square, move forward two more. If you land on a Rest square, miss your next turn.
4. The first player to land exactly on Finish wins, but keep playing until everyone has finished if you like.
5. Afterwards, talk about which rule worked well and which one to change next time.

Four ways to change your game

1. Themed path with a story

Give the path a story, such as a little boat crossing a pond to reach a mango tree. Draw reeds, stepping stones and a tree on the squares. When a player lands on a special square, they tell one line of what happens to the boat.

2. Counting version

Number every square. After each move, the player says the number they landed on aloud, then counts back three squares with a finger without moving the counter.

3. Kindness-cards version

Make ten small cards with kind ideas, such as Share a smile or Say thank you to someone at the table. Draw a heart on four plain squares, for example squares 2, 12, 15 and 19. When you land on a heart, read one card and do what it says before the next turn.

4. Team version

Make two teams with one counter each. Each team talks together, decides who rolls, and moves the counter. Or play as one big team with a single counter and count how many turns it takes.

More to do on Rangooo

Practise numbers with easy maths games, make more things with easy paper crafts, try ideas from kindness activities, plan an evening with family game night ideas, find more at indoor games for kids, browse stories and activities, or see resources for teachers.

Questions

What age is this board game project for?

The game is meant for ages four and up. Children of about five to eight can draw the path and play with a grown-up helping, and four-year-olds can colour squares and move a counter. A grown-up should do the cutting and keep paper clips, tape and other small parts out of reach of children under three.

Can we play with only two people?

Yes. Two players is plenty. For a bigger group, use the team version so that everyone has a job, such as rolling, moving the counter or reading a card.

What if we do not have a dice?

Use the paper-clip spinner instead, or write the numbers one to three on small pieces of paper, fold them, and pick one from a cup each turn. Put the paper back before the next player goes.

How do we keep the game fair and kind?

Agree the rules before the first turn and write them on the back of the board. Take turns in the same order, cheer for every player, and let the group change a rule only when everyone says yes.