Invent a Board Game

Invent a board game at home. Design it, playtest it, fix the boring parts and name it.

Pick a theme together: escape the volcano, a race across your town, the cat's revenge. Draw the board on a big sheet of paper or a flattened cardboard box, use bottle caps or coins as pieces, and make a stack of chance and trap cards. Write three to five rules, play a test round, then fix whatever was broken or dull. Play the final version for real, give it a name, and make a cover for the box lid. Get a photo of everyone holding up the finished game, then put it on the shelf next to the store-bought ones.

• Date or adventure
• 1-3 hours
• Moderate
• Under $20
• Indoors

Photo prompts along the way

1. Drawing the board
2. The cards and pieces
3. The test round
4. The winner of the final game
5. The finished box with its title

Kids' version

Make your very own board game!

1. Your game board
2. Your game pieces
3. Roll the dice!
4. The winner!
5. A selfie with your grown-up!

Checked November 2026

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