How to Make Homemade Games for Your Children and Youth

Photo Memory

• 1

  Photograph each family member using a digital camera and upload the pictures to your computer. You can take head shots or full body shots. Save money by using a digital camera rather than a film camera, which costs time and money to develop.

• 2

  Print two copies of each photo using a home or office printer. You must print out at least two copies of each image or the game will not work properly. Also, make sure each photo prints at the same size.

• 3

  Cut and paste construction paper to back each photo. Attaching construction paper to the back of each photo will decrease the likelihood of the photos ripping or tearing. A colored background also prevents the image from being visible through the thin printer paper.

• 4

  Gather the family for a game of memory with their own faces as the cards. Flip the photos upside down and take turns trying to match two pictures.

Personalized Board Game

• 5

  Trim a piece of corrugated cardboard to a 20-by-20 inch square. This will form the board for your personalized game.

• 6

  Create game pawns using household objects. You can use coins, beans, pawns from other board games or anything else you can think of.

• 7

  Draw as many 2-by-1 inch boxes as will fit around the border of the game board in marker. Use a ruler to ensure you make straight lines. These boxes form the spaces of the board on which you will place your pawns. Rotate a few colors to fill in each box. Include the kids for a fun project.

• 8

  Write instructions on some of the boxes using a fine tip black marker. Include things like "Johnny forgot to take out the garbage; move back three spaces," or "Susie didn't clean her room; miss a turn."

• 9

  Cut white card stock into 30 3-by-3 inch cards with dots of color on one side corresponding to the colors on the game board boxes. During his turn, each player will flip a card to reveal the colored dot and move to the nearest corresponding color box on the board.