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Tic-Tac-Toe Games for Kids

Tic-Tac-Toe is a pencil-and-paper game played on a three-by-three grid. Players take turns drawing X's and O's -- trying to get three in a row. Because most tic-tac-toe games end in a draw, the game is particularly useful when teaching children that the most important thing is to have fun -- rather than just to win. Although the game's simplicity makes it one of the first young children learn, variation's of tic-tac-toe can be enjoyed by kids of all ages.

Bean Bag Tic-Tac-Toe
- Draw a tic-tac-toe board with each line approximately 10 feet long with chalk on blacktop. Draw another line 15 feet away from the edge of the grid where players will stand. Each player will have five bean bags of one color. Players will throw the bags onto the squares from the line to claim them. The first player with three in a row wins. Depending on the age of the players, you can move the line closer or farther, to adjust the level of difficulty.
Memory Tic-Tac-Toe
- For this game, you will need a record keeper, in addition to the two players; which can be yourself or another child. Instruct the two players to picture a tic-tac-toe board in their mind. Pick one player to go first, and have him say the name of the square where he wants to play an X or O, using terms such as "upper-right," "middle" or "lower-left." The record keeper will keep track of the game on paper and pronounce the winner when one player gets three in a row.
Rubik's Tic-Tac-Toe
- By modifying a Rubik's cube, you can create a unique tool for playing many different kinds of tic-tac-toe. To do so, take a normal Rubik's cube and use a permanent marker to place 18 X's and 18 O's on the different squares, leaving 18 blank. Scramble the cube and pick one three-by-three face for the playing surface, which will always face upward. Players will take turns, twisting the cube once each turn. The first player with three in a row on the playing grid wins.
Triple Tic-Tac-Toe
- This game is simply a larger version of the original game. To play, draw nine tic-tac-toe grids, so that the grids form a larger tic-tac-toe board, giving you a total of 81 squares. Just as in normal tic-tac-toe, players will take turns placing X's and O's on the squares. However, in this game, players can make their mark on any of the 81 squares. When a player wins a grid, mark it with an X or an O. The first player to get connect three grids in a row is the winner.

Kids Games