Board games from scrap materials. DIY board games

A homemade board game is a great piece to wow your friends with for another night of home entertainment. But before you can boast about the final result of your creativity, you will have to develop the basic principles of the game, including its goals and rules. After taking care of the first stage, then you will need to create a prototype of the game to test your idea. After the board game is successful in testing, you need to make the final flawless version of the game, which can already be used for evening gatherings with friends.

Steps

Part 1

Board game development

Write down your ideas. It's impossible to guess when the perfect idea might come to mind. Sometimes it happens that a combination of two whole ideas can turn into a terrific concept for a new board game. Jot down your ideas in a notebook, computer, or a dedicated writing app on your smartphone.

Come up with a theme for the game. Themed games allow you to better “feel” the gameplay. Sometimes the theme of the game is called its “genre”. Adventure games have one simple theme - the desire to get to the finish line the fastest. Complex war games must have conflicts, a game action policy, and a strategy for placing game elements on the playing field.

Develop the mechanics of the game first (as an alternative). The mechanics of the game determine the way players interact with each other. In Monopoly, the mechanics are based on rolling dice, buying and selling real estate and making money. In the board game "Axis and Allies" you need to move the elements of the game across a large playing field and resolve conflicts between players by throwing a die.

• Some people first come up with the mechanics of the game and only then create a theme based on it, while others first come up with an amazing theme and only then adjust the mechanics of the game to it. Experiment with this question to see which way of working works best for you.
• Common types of game mechanics are: alternate moves, dice rolls, moving around the playing field, drawing cards, unfolding cards, auctions, and so on.

1. Decide on the age range of the game. The age range of the game will affect its difficulty and rules. If you are developing a game for children, you will need to make sure the game is simple, easy to understand, and fun. In adult games, you can create something more competitive, exciting and challenging.

   Determine the number of players, play times and size limits for your game. Some games are limited by the size of the playing field, the number of playing chips or cards. The size of the playing field and the number of playing cards also affect the duration of the game itself. When setting these limits, try to keep the following points in mind.

   • The number of players who can play the game. Will the game be fun for only two players? What is the maximum number of players that can play it? Are there enough cards / chips for this?
   • Average game duration. Additionally, keep in mind that the first game round is usually the longest. It takes players time to learn the rules.
   • Game size. Large playing fields and decks of cards usually complicate the game and increase the playing time, but the game also begins to lose its portable qualities.

2. Decide how the game will be won. Once you have written down the main idea of ​​the game, ask yourself what the conditions for winning the game will be. Think about the different ways players can win, and don't forget about them as you develop your game.

Part 4

Making the final game

List the materials you need. When testing is completed, and you are satisfied with the game, you can start making its final version. Each game will have its own needs, so the list of required materials may vary. Make a list of all the constituent elements of the game that should be present in its final version, so as not to forget anything.

Decorate the playing field. The playing field is the centerpiece of the board game, so get creative with your design. Make sure that the direction of movement or playing cells are clearly marked, as well as that all instructions on the playing field are easy to read.

• To make simple volumetric chips, you can print their templates on paper and then stick them on erasers with tape.
• If the layout of the playing field implies square cells, when you draw them, use a ruler to make everything work out smoothly and neatly.
• Collect feedback and opinions from other people before creating the final version of the game. Ask yourself if the game really is what you wanted. Remember that your friends and family will also play the game, so it should still be as attractive to them as possible.
• Try not to get on the defensive when your game is criticized. Criticism is important for improving the game, so be polite and write down any comments.
• You can also use bottle caps, beads, glass marbles, pieces of paper, or tokens from other games as tokens for your DIY game.
• Reduce the size of your game so you can take it with you on the road.
• When a group of people are testing your game, try to observe them without interfering with the gameplay. This will allow you to gauge how well the rules of the game are perceived by those who are completely unfamiliar with it.

Warnings

• Try to keep the rules for the game as short and simple as possible. Any unnecessary complications can make players lose interest in the game.
• Make sure the rules of the game you come up with are fair. The aim of the game is to please people, cheer them up and set a positive attitude.
• If you plan to publish and start selling your own game, make sure that you do not explicitly infringe on anyone's copyright. If something looks very much like other games, it would be better to revise and change these elements.

Board games are a useful invention that will help a child of any age to spend time with benefit. Such activities will give a lot of positive emotions to the whole family. With their help, the kid will increase his intellectual capabilities, learn to think logically and learn a lot of new and interesting things.

There are countless table entertainment in stores, but this is not at all a reason to give up making games with your own hands. Today we will tell you about several interesting and easy-to-use options, with the help of which you can make board games for children.

DIY board games for children

Walker-walker

This kind of entertainment is perfect for kids 5-6 years old. The child, together with you, can take part in creating the necessary elements for this game. Classes perfectly develop fine motor skills, imagination, help the baby to reveal his creative potential. The game will bring a lot of positive emotions, teach kids to count, concentrate and be organized.

What elements are required to make a walker-walker and what can they be made of?

• Field.

As a field for basis you can take ordinary cardboard. Draw a route for the game on it using pencils or paints. These can be circles or any other shapes of various colors. If you are unsure of your artistic abilities, use appliques. Cut out the necessary elements from colored paper, fix them on the cardboard with glue.

For the game to be fun, you need a little of it complicate... To do this, draw arrows from one element to another, with the help of which, during the game, the participant will return a few circles back or, conversely, forward.

Highlight a couple of other details with a specific color or draw a sign on them. These items will come with surprises. When the player is on them, he will become the owner of the prize.

Decorate the rest of the field with animals, draw a forest, houses, etc. Turn on your imagination, but do not overdo it so as not to overload the game.

Rules of the game develop yourself. Come up with an interesting story, in the format of a fairy tale. For small children, choose simple plots, for older kids - complicate the task.

PECULIARITIES! Teach your child not to despair and accept defeat in games with dignity, and most importantly, continue to believe in yourself.

• Cube.

The cube can be used ready-made, or you can cut it out of cardboard according to a template, indicating the necessary numbering on each resulting square.

• Cards with tasks.

Cards are needed when hitting a particular cell. Cut out rectangles of the same size from cardboard, write a task on one side, for example, "skip 2 moves", "get back to the start" or more creative ones: "jump as many times as you have taken steps in the game", "eat candy" and etc. Let your little one take part in the process of creating cards, because this is a very exciting activity that will develop imagination and imagination. If you do not have drawing skills, then try to make board-print games for children with your own hands by drawing cards using a graphics program on a computer. All materials will only have to be printed.

• Chips.

Use different colors of felt to make your chips. Sew together 2 circles, fill with filler. Or, make a cone out of plain paper by folding it into a bag, and then cutting off the excess at the bottom. Such a craft is stable and easy to perform, you can decorate it at your discretion.

Puff pastry products in the form of various animals can also be used as chips. All participants will enjoy the process of making them.

Jigsaw puzzles

This game is loved by many children. And it is not at all necessary to spend money and buy it in the store, because making puzzles with your own hands is much more pleasant. Classes with them are suitable for children over 1 year old. They will help develop perseverance, accuracy, imagination, attentiveness, fine motor skills. In addition, the baby will learn to distinguish colors and think logically.

Of course, you can take a ready-made template on the Internet and print it by cutting it into squares along special lines. But we will make felt puzzles. This material is durable, pleasant to the touch and completely safe for children, in addition, it is a pleasure to work with it.

What is needed for making a puzzle?

• Felt of different colors.
• Threads.
• Scissors.
• Needle.
• A bar of soap.

PECULIARITIES! For jigsaw puzzles, choose good density felt.

The order of work.

• First, decide which puzzle you will be making. Use patterns from the Internet or specialized magazines.
• We cut out the necessary details of the application (in our case, we will make a duck), and then the base-square.
• Now we attach the body of the duck to the base and sew it with small stitches along the edge. You can use a sewing machine, or you can manually complete these steps. Choose a needle that is not too thick so that there are no ugly stitch holes.
• Thereafter sew on the beak to the torso in the same way.
• We embroider the eye. Or you can cut a small circle out of felt and sew or glue it to the duck's head.
• We attach the puzzle pattern to our base. We outline carefully with soap or a pencil.
• Cut out details.
• And now, in order to give the toy a finished look and ensure good structural strength, we retreat from the edges of the resulting elements 1-2 cm and lay a line. Or we take a piece of felt, apply the details to it and lay a line along their edges, then cut off the excess.

The puzzle board game is ready.

By the same principle, you can sew more complex puzzles, consisting of more parts.

IMPORTANT! Already at the stage of making a board game, a child can gain invaluable experience, prove himself as an artist, designer, reveal his creative abilities and give free rein to creativity.

Maze

Another interesting DIY game for children. To make a labyrinth, you need a box lid, glue or glue gun, scissors, a pencil, a ruler and cocktail tubes.

The order of work.

• Draw lines with a ruler and a pencil inside the lid for the future maze. You can come up with it yourself or take a template from the Internet as a basis.
• Cut the tubes to the required size.
• Apply glue on the lines and fix the tubes with it on the line. You can use double-sided tape instead of glue.
• That's it, the toy is ready. It remains to take a ball (bead), which will go through the maze.

If you have never made board games for children at home - hurry up to try it, because this is a simple and very exciting activity.

How to make a do-it-yourself board game for children: Puseful video

Don't know how to make board games for children to make yourself? Watch a master class on making an exciting board game:

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How can you pass the evening in an interesting and unusual way, and be charged with different emotions? It's not that difficult, you need to make board games with your own hands. In today's article, the HomeMyHome editorial team suggests trying to make an original game both alone and with all the household. So let's get started.

Games, jokes, songs will bring us together
PHOTO: alwaysbusymama.com

Types of board games for self-production: where creativity and the desire to play take us

If the question arose about how to create your own board game, you need to at least roughly imagine in which direction to move. There are several game varieties that are beautifully made and are used with pleasure for relaxing in a company:

• an adventure game of any theme with cubes and chips;
• economic game: "monopoly", "market", "millionaire" and other similar names;
• card fun: "mafia", "crocodile" and others;
• occupation of the type "complete, rebuild";
• figure games: backgammon, chess, checkers, dominoes.

Having chosen the direction, you need to decide what the board game will be made of and prepare everything for its manufacture. As a last resort, you should find out if there is a rental of board games nearby, try the option you like, and then reproduce it yourself.

How to create a board game for players of different ages: the nuances of creating

An idea is great, but it alone is not enough. For the successful implementation of the idea, you need to focus on the age of the players. This is an important factor: kids will not figure out what to do in an economic toy, and older children may find the children's option not so interesting and dynamic.

PHOTO: 20th.su

Next, you should choose the size of the product. If this is an option for kids, then the details should be large, because the field will be located on the floor. But the teenage scale will already be reduced and more detailed.

PHOTO: lordofboards.com.ua

Any game product is created according to the following scheme:

1. Idea.
2. Accounting for age nuances.
3. Sketch.
4. Search and selection of materials.
5. Manufacturing.

Advice! First, you should test the sketch, in this case it will be possible to provide for all the little things and eliminate the shortcomings before starting to create the finished version.

After making adjustments, you can work further, creating a game wonder.

Making a board game with your own hands for preschool children

Preschoolers prefer large or medium-sized games. These can be walkers on the field, simple quests, puzzles. Walkers around the field are created for children 5-6 years old. You can even involve them in the creation of the game, at least listen to their wishes and ideas, they also play it!

PHOTO: gretahome.ru

Adventurers consist of a field painted with paths and pictures, chips and one or two cubes.

You need cardboard for the field. But the plot itself can be applied directly to the base with felt-tip pens or separately on paper, and then glue it to the base.

PHOTO: golos.io

Arrows complicate the gameplay, making it more fun. On arrows of different colors, you can jump to other circles, go back. Or you can introduce an element of surprise by marking some areas with a different color. Standing on this field, the player must receive a prize or sing a song, and possibly get a kiss from his parents.

Younger and older children like jigsaw puzzles. For kids 3-4 years old, you can make them soft from felt or make cardboard counterparts.

PHOTO: razvashkidoma.rf

This is the kind of board game for kids that you can even print out. The printed picture is glued to cardboard and cut into parts, and the second same image serves as a "help".

And what about older children: how to make a board game with your own hands for schoolchildren

For schoolchildren, we need more varied games. You can use different materials in the creation of a game product and actively involve the children themselves.

For example, Memory cards are another DIY board game that you can simply print and cut.

PHOTO: youtube.com

This is an excellent game material for training memory and attention. You need to make a large number of images, but in pairs: each image is repeated once. All images are turned face down, and then a pair is found for the open image. One move allows you to open only two pictures, but if they are the same, the pair is removed and the move continues.

For schoolchildren, you can take the game "crocodile", but in a simplified version, and also introduce them to any traditional games, for example, checkers. Checkers can be made from pebbles or buttons, and a checkered field can be drawn using a ruler and paints.

What teens play: suitable do-it-yourself board games

Teenagers willingly sit down for the "mafia". You need to download the cards for this board game and print them. The rules must be read carefully, choose a driver and get a lot of positive emotions!

PHOTO: nastolkoff.ru

PHOTO: softwareburden.weebly.com

Interesting DIY board games for the whole family

Fun game products for the whole family include those that are universally suitable for everyone. It will be interesting for parents to teach their children and play with them, but the rules should be simple and understandable for the youngest member of the family and everyone else.

A family can make many games with their own hands, such as chess from Lego, checkers from any materials, travel games through fairy tales or science, twister, ladders.

PHOTO: veseliebydni.blogspot.com

DIY board games at home from different materials: what to do on the weekend

We propose to spend the next weekend in an interesting and unusual way: it's time to create your own home production of board games, which will be played by family and friends. Let's see what materials can be used for work.

Board games made of wood

Wood can be used as a basis not only for master carpenters. There are also options available for everyone.

Dominoes and Lotto

Off the computer! We buy a stock of wooden ice cream sticks, acrylic paints, brushes and create a funny domino!

Domino is able to captivate the first time. The point is to line up a chain of monochrome ends or endings with an appropriate number of points that are applied to each other.

PHOTO: lifeacademy.pearl.pp.ua

Tangram

To create a tangram, you need minimal carpentry skills, but if you have tools, for example, from a neighbor, you can make a useful product.

The essence of the tangram is in the reproduction of the proposed figures. Each figure consists of a set of elements that must be placed in a certain way.

All the necessary elements are cut out from wooden blocks or flat plywood with a jigsaw. Details need to be sanded with sandpaper, then varnished or painted.

PHOTO: lovingmama.ru

Cubes: tic tac toe

From wooden blocks it is easy to saw cubes of the same size, which are comfortable to hold in your hand. On each cube you need to burn symbols like noughts and crosses with a burning machine, but you can take any. If you do not want to burn out, you can simply mark the figures with paint.

PHOTO: pinterest.com

We create interesting and colorful board games out of paper with our own hands

We suggest taking the time so that you can get together with your household and discover new facets of character in each other. It's time to learn how to make a board game out of paper without leaving it on the back burner.

Treasure hunt

A version of the game of the genre "walker". It is always interesting to look for treasures, especially if the parents provide for a real prize. But you can take other plots from your favorite cartoons, fairy tales.

Game options:

• geographic map;
• a map based on fairy tales;
• local map.

PHOTO: lifeacademy.pearl.pp.ua

First, we create a “legend”, then draw a sketch, where the main “path” will be made of equal steps. You will have to buy a dice (or two), and as chips you can take toys from a kinder surprise.

Fill the empty spaces around the track with pictures and stickers according to the selected legend.

Geography puzzle

Pictures that need to be put together from different elements delight many children and even adults. You can turn puzzles into an educational and information resource for any age. For this, information suitable for the plot is placed on the back of each element, which is read before installing the part in place. Thus, all information is collected.

PHOTO: schoolearlystudy.ru

From the old atlas, you need to cut out the outlines of the continents, stick them on cardboard and use them to create the world.

Homemade board games from other materials

What board games can you make yourself? Yes, any! Of what? Yes from anything! Here is a list of materials that can be in the house and wait in the wings:

• felt;
• synthetic winterizer for stuffing felt;
• acorns, nuts, cones;
• threads, scissors, glue;
• buttons;
• lids from plastic bottles and iron jars.

And here's what home board game makers, who have already tried many different options, offer.

Tic-tac-toe made of buttons, felt, covers

Not everyone will be able to process wood, but everyone can handle felt. It is good to involve the younger family members in this work by giving them scissors and a template.

Any variant of figures is used as crosses and toes: birds and animals, circles of two colors, flowers and fungi, in general, everything that fantasy tells.

You can cut figures out of felt, sew them and fill them with padding polyester, or you can take two types of large beautiful buttons as playing pieces.

PHOTO: best-prezent.ru

They also use a cardboard box, but chips are made from any materials at hand.

PHOTO: allwomen.ru

Children can make stitches, it is easy to teach them this process.

Fleas

The old Slavic game is called "fleas". If earlier they were made of wood or buttons, today you can take other materials as well.

Interesting! The game helps in the development of fine motor skills of hands, which is very useful for children.

You need to take two colors of beans, a cardboard box, a couple of 5-ruble coins, colored markers and paper, a piece of thick material.

PHOTO: babylessons.ru

First, paint the field or paste over it with colored paper circles. For the base, the inside of the candy box is used.

PHOTO: maam.ru

The markings resemble a football field, but you can experiment.

The edge of the bean is pressed with a coin, the bean jumps merrily, no worse than a real flea. A piece of cloth is needed as a springboard from which the beans jump well.

A flea needs to get to the bowl or move someone else's flea to her. You can compete, whose flea will jump farther. With a drawn field, the main task is to get into the opponent's gate.

The game continues until one of the players runs out of beans, because a flea that hits the opponent's field remains there and is no longer used.

Recommendations on how to download and print the board game

If you want to play urgently, then board games can be downloaded for free.

There are several resources on which there are different options for such fun.

PHOTO: i1.shapescience.ru.net

There are also special resources, a number of games on which are downloaded completely free of charge, in a format that is convenient for printing. For many products, in addition to the playing field, a number of related elements are required.

PHOTO: gamedev.ru

Making board games with your own hands is not only cheaper, but also much more interesting than buying ready-made sets in stores. After all, you can change the plot, add new rules and "chips" - whatever your heart desires. The main thing is not to overdo it, so that the participants do not get completely confused.

Board games for children

Before the era of computers and tablets, it was a tradition in many families to gather in the evenings for exciting board games. It promotes live communication between parents and children, helps strengthen relationships and just have a great time.

Here is a small selection of games you can make yourself.

"Treasure hunt"

Making such board games with your own hands is an incomparable pleasure. The plot of the "walkers" can be anything you like: if you want - go on a trip around the world, if you want - live your favorite fairy tales.

Board game "walker" for children | Lady of rain

The size of the playing field, the number of cells and the difficulty will depend on the age of the child. To make it more interesting, try to make several cells with bonuses or "tricks" - for example, stopping on a cell, the participant must skip a move or move 3 cells forward. The winner is the one who gets to the last circle first.

"Alias"

Alias, aka “Say otherwise”, is a wonderful educational game for children, although many adults are also happy to join the process. The bottom line is simple: draw out a card with some concept and explain it in other words so that other participants can guess. This is quite a fun activity, and it also promotes the development of speech and vocabulary.

Chest

For each age, the set of cards can be different: from the simplest (“House”, “Tree”, “Cat”) - to absolutely insane, which are already more suitable for an adult party (“Audit”, “Invasiveness”, “Allegory”) ... The main thing is to draw the word cards beautifully.

For convenience, you can draw a playing field with cells, each of which will have the number of a card that the participant must take. To move the figures, you can again roll the dice.

"Marrakesh"

Another great DIY board game. It is somewhat reminiscent of "Monopoly", but much more fun and dynamic. The plot develops in the Turkish carpet market (try to find the brightest multicolored fabrics as possible to make shreds).

Board game "Marrakesh" | LiveJournal

You need to play three or four. Each player owns 15 or 12 rugs of a certain color. You also need to prepare coins - you can take ordinary 10- and 1-kopeck coins, 20 pieces each, a large wooden cube with sides 1-2-2-3-3-4 (as an option, stick the necessary numbers on a regular dice) and any a toy figure - this will be our master of the market, Assam.

The players take turns throwing a die and move Assam to the required number of cells directly, to the right or to the left (you cannot go back!). If you are settling on someone else's carpet, you must pay the owner.

DIY board games: the best party ideas

For a truly unforgettable party, invite your guests to play some of the most popular board games. A sea of ​​impressions, laughter and vivid emotions are guaranteed!

"Monopoly"

Timeless classics. Adults and children all over the world enjoy playing Monopoly. Having decided to make this game with your own hands, you can use the districts and streets of your city - it will be even more interesting.

Do-it-yourself board game "Monopoly" | Tips. No

Choose a bright color for each area and figure out how to arrange the streets in the field. Try to keep real estate prices in line with real prices (more expensive in the center than in sleeping areas, etc.). Some rules can be changed (for example, it is possible to prohibit taking loans from the bank), but it is better not to get carried away and keep the flavor of the original game to the maximum.

The most interesting thing is to come up with tasks, cards of Chances and the Public Treasury. The closer they are to reality (for example, “pay Beeline for using a mobile phone”), the cooler. It is most convenient to print money on a computer, and figures of hotels and houses can be made from polymer clay or a designer. It is in your power to make your board game "Monopoly" with your own hands even more exciting than the original.

On special sites you can find and download many variations on the theme of "Monopoly" - for example, in the style of the distant future or based on the world of "Harry Potter".

"Colonizers"

It is always interesting to create board games with your own hands at home, but in the case of the Colonizers, this is generally something fantastic!

The Colonizers Board Game You Can Make Your Own | Tavika

To start playing, you need hexagons with the image of the terrain (forest, desert, sea, etc. - they make up the island), resource cards, development and construction costs, tokens to indicate cities and roads, tokens, cubes and a figurine. All this can be done with your own hands from paper and cardboard. You can even add new types of resources or development options.

"Mafia"

Strictly speaking, this is more of a psychological than an entertaining game. But this does not cease to be less exciting - especially if you are gathering in a large company.

DIY game "Mafia" | "Miraya"

All you need to do is draw the character cards. There are several main types of roles in the game:

• civilians;
• members of the mafia;
• sheriff;
• don of the mafia.

These are basic roles, but you can also introduce other characters: for example, a doctor or a maniac. At the beginning of the game, each participant learns his role, the mafia plans murders with “their own”, and then, during the discussions, civilians try to figure out which of those present at the table is the mafia.

Print & Play

If you don't have time to draw the field and make cards, you can just print the board games with your own hands. Ready-made sets of cards and other materials can be found on special resources.

The Province

PrintGames.ru - a large selection of stories for children and adults. Basically, these are popular games such as "Munchkin" or "Monopoly", as well as their variations - for example, "Vampire Munchkin". All materials are downloaded in a convenient PDF format - you can immediately print them on your computer.

PrintPlay.ru - convenient navigation through the categories will allow you to easily find suitable games. The section with educational board games for toddlers is excellently presented - in the large collection you will surely find something that your child will like.

Atyrgul Kalilova

I have been working with young children for over 10 years. The main task of the early development of a child at 2-3 years old is the development of sensorics, fine motor skills and coordination of movements. In the work of preschool educational institutions, a large and important place is occupied by DIY games... They are used both in joint and independent activities of children. Play in preschool age is the leading activity for children. The game is a source of extensive information, a method of teaching and educating children. With its help, conditions are created for the development of creative abilities, the all-round development of the child.

The neoplasms of modern life confront us as teachers with the search for new methods and techniques for working with children. In order to awaken children's interest in the game, I have prepared a teaching aid in the form of didactic games for young children. There is a games file in the touch corner do it yourself... As far as possible, we invent and regularly replenish our favorite corner with new didactic games.

A good helper in the development of fine motor skills in our group are various educational toys that we made ourselves.

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