Games to Play on a Dry Erase Board

Tic-Tac-Toe

• This is a classic two-player game. In some circles it is known as noughts and crosses; others refer to the game as X's and O's. Regardless of name, the rules are identical. Set-up involves making a simple grid of two spaced vertical lines crossed with two horizontal lines. The result is a grid that is 3x3 squares (looking similar to the pound symbol on the telephone). Player one is X, while player two is O. Game play begins when one player draws his symbol in one of the boxes on the grid. Player two follows in a similar fashion. The object of the game is to get three X's or O's in a row before the other player does. This can be accomplished horizontally, vertically or diagonally. This game frequently ends in a tie as players adapt and anticipate the opponent's moves.

Hangman

• This is a two-player word game. One player is the "executioner." She sets up the game by drawing a simple hook shape to represent the gallows, and writing the alphabet for display. The executioner then draws a series of dashes to represent the letters of a secret word or phrase. The second player then attempts to figure out the word or phrase by choosing letters. If the letter is part of the word or phrase, the executioner must write the letters on the corresponding dashes. If the letter is not part of the word or phrase, the executioner marks the letter out of the alphabet display and adds a stick figure body part to the gallows. With six stick figure body parts (head, body, arms and legs), the guesser has six tries to figure out the word or phrase. If he guesses correctly before the entire body is on the gallows, he wins the game.

Dots and Boxes

• Dots and boxes is essentially a two-player variation of connect-the-dots. The game is set up by drawing a series of dots to form a rectangular grid. The amount of dots is up to the players, as long as the result is equal amounts of dots in each column and row. Game play begins when one player connects two dots together with a line. The line can be horizontal or vertical. The second player follows in a similar fashion. Any time a player draws a line that completes a square (fourth line), she marks the inside of the square with an initial. When all of the squares are formed, the player with the most initialed squares is the winner.