How to Make a Board Game in Language Arts

Pick a theme. Decide what you want to teach your students and base the game off teaching this information. For example, if you are teaching your students about John Steinbeck novels, it is a good idea to have your game focus on one or more of his books. In this case, you could set up the game board as if it was the Joad family riding out to California to find work. Players would have to answer questions or complete tasks that will help them on their journey. If you want to make the theme a lot more general, feel free to set up just a standard trivia-led game board that does not tie in with any specific theme.

Consider how the game will be played. Determine the object of the game, how many people can play, how players will progress through the game, any trivia questions they might answer, and more. Consider what to do in the event of a tie and other trouble shooting ideas so you can ensure the game runs smoothly in class.

Design the game board. Draw a rough sketch of what you want the board to look like before actually decorating the cardboard. This will largely be dependent on your theme.

Draw and paint the game board. Use fun colors, acrylic paints, markers, and anything else to give your game vitality and visual interest.

Create the pawns for your game. A good option is to sculpt them out of clay that you then bake in the oven, so they stay intact. The pawns can tie in with your game’s theme, or you can buy or build regular non-game specific pawns.

Create whatever other game pieces you need. This could include “chance” cards, trivia cards, dice or anything else that your players will require for game play.

Draft up the rules. You can then reference these rules should your players run into a problem. Written rules will also prevent any arguments that arise because all the details were not implicitly written out.