How to Build a Bean Bag Board

Choose a large cardboard box to convert into your bean bag board and game based on the size and age of the children who will use the game board. Try to find a box that measures approximately 3 feet wide by 3 feet long; you do not have to worry about the depth, as you will cut most of the depth off the board.

Turn the box over onto a seamless side, which you will use as the top of the game board. Cut all the way around the box, 6 inches up from the ground; the 6 inches on each side serve as the sides of the game board. Use a utility knife to perform these cuts--scoring the lines first by poking the knife through the box--to produce smoother cutting lines.

Repair any corners that fall loose when you finish cutting out the piece for the game board. Pull the corners back into shape and apply several strips of duct tape to the inside and outside of the corners to hold them into place.

Turn the cardboard piece over so that the wide piece sits on the top as the top of the game board. Take the box outside to spray paint and lay newspaper underneath the cardboard to prevent discoloring your yard, patio or driveway.

Spray paint the top and sides of the board with your color choice. Allow the spray paint to dry onto the game board for an hour or two.

Sketch the holes as you want and make them of any shape. Draw cutting lines with a compass to make perfectly circular holes. Then score the lines with a utility knife before cutting the shapes out completely; this produces smoother edges when cutting.

Use acrylic paint and a small artist’s brush to paint point values near each hole, or to draw designs onto the board. You may consider making your board look like a clown face, with eyes, nose and a mouth hole, painted accordingly.