Arts & Crafts
Design Your Own Board Game
Invent a board game together, then play-test and fix the rules.
Ages 9 to 12
60 minutes
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Get ready
5 minutes. Find a big piece of cardboard.
What you’ll need
Cardboard, markers, a die or a homemade spinner and small objects as pieces.
Let’s play
1. Pick a theme, like space or a jungle.
2. Draw a path with 30 spaces and a few special squares.
3. Write five chance cards.
4. Play-test it and fix one rule that felt unfair.
Your part in the adventure
Be the player who finds the loopholes.
What they’re discovering
They’re designing rules, thinking about fairness and working with probability.
Before you begin
Supervise scissors with younger siblings around.
Keep the idea going
Add a cooperative mode where everyone wins together.
Every child is different. Adjust activities for their age and abilities, and stay close by. These are play ideas, not medical or developmental advice.