Home >> Games & Cards >> Board Games

How to Make Card Tally Sheets

Tallying dates to the Stone Age when people counted and grouped numbers. In a tally, four straight lines and one diagonal line make up a group and count as five. Tally card sheets allow you to keep track of numbers in groups. They are often used to keep track of points for games. Tally sheets form a grid of columns and rows. A row may represent each category or player and the column may represent each item or round.

Things You'll Need

Standard size card stock paper
Pencil
Ruler
Eraser

Instructions

- 1
  Turn the paper sideways in a landscape position. This means the long edges of the card stock will form the top and bottom edges.
- 2
  Align the ruler vertically (so it is perpendicular to the long edges of the card stock), 1 inch from the upper left corner of the page. Use a pencil to mark the start and end points for the first column at the top and bottom edges of the card stock.
- 3
  Move the ruler 1 inch to the right and mark the spots for the second column at the top and bottom edge. Continue this pattern until you've made enough marks to create the needed number of columns.
- 4
  Align the ruler horizontally (so it is parallel to the long edges of the card stock), 1 inch from the top of the card stock. Use a pencil to mark the start and end points for the first row at the right and left edges of the paper.
- 5
  Move the ruler 1 inch down and mark the spots for the second row. Continue this pattern until you've made enough marks to form the number of rows needed.
- 6
  Return to the starting point, placing your ruler on the markings. Draw a line to connect the dots. Repeat this process to connect the remaining dots to form each column and row.
- 7
  Write the category's title, such as "Players," in the upper left row. Leave the remaining rows in the first column blank for users to add details, such as each player's name.
- 8
  Write the individual items you want to tally in the first row of the remaining columns, such as "Round 1," "Round 2," "Round 3" and "Total."

Board Games