Home >> Games & Cards >> Board Games

How to Create an Easy Children's Board Game

Board games can be quite entertaining for children; however, the kids may become tired of playing the same games over and over again. Instead of spending money restocking your gaming shelves, create your own. Let your children help you create a board game that gives them a sense of accomplishment before the pawns are even lined up at the starting place. For a holiday or birthday gift, customize a game for each child that features her favorite images. Consider laminating the board to increase the life of the game.

Things You'll Need

18-inch square white poster board
Pencil
Card stock
Scissors
Dark-colored permanent marker
White glue
Sources for images (magazines, children's books or family albums)
Small toys (cars, standing dolls or building blocks)
Small basket

Instructions

- 1
  Choose a theme for your board game, such as zoo animals, sports or family. Find images that correlate with the theme, such as zoo animals from children's books or family photographs. Cut out 25 3-inch square images.
- 2
  Lay an 18-inch square sheet of white poster board on a flat work surface. Identify one corner of the board as the starting point and write "Start" in pencil in small letters. Write "Finish" on the corner in the opposite diagonal corner.
- 3
  Cut out a 5-inch yellow star and a 5-inch green circle from card stock. Using a dark permanent marker, write "Start" on the green circle and write "Finish" on the yellow star. Glue these shapes over their respective corners.
- 4
  Draw a line from the starting point to the finish line, which covers the majority of the board. You can make an "S" shape, a zigzag line or a looping line.
- 5
  Begin with the starting line and lay out the 25 images you cut out previously, which are related to your theme. Space the images so they reach all the way to the finish line. Cut out additional images or remove any images if necessary to fit on the board. Glue the images in place.
- 6
  Cut 10 1-inch circles from the card stock. Write "1" on both sides of two circles. Repeat this by writing the other numbers, two through five, on both sides of two circles. Place the circles in a small basket.
- 7
  Use small toys, such as cars, standing dolls or building blocks, as pawns.
- 8
  Let up to four children play the game by first choosing a pawn. Each person takes turns drawing a number and then he moves that many spaces from the starting line. The winner is the player who reaches the finish line first.

Board Games