Tutorial ~ Make your own Board Game for Kids

This month I have been preparing a Moses / God’s Top 10 package for my sponsored children and I thought it would be fun to make a Moses free printable board game to go with it, and this is how I did it. Plus there are a range of other free printable board game templates for you… enjoy!

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DIY PRINTABLE GAME BOARD FOR KIDS – FIRST, THINK ABOUT YOUR LAYOUT

• First, think about the overall theme / layout of your board game. What theme will you choose? What overall shape and size do you want to make your game? Square, oval, circle, rectangle, s-shaped, heart-shaped, star-shaped or something special to suit your theme? A basket shape would have worked well for this theme or a 10 commandment stone tablet shape, but for this one I decided to keep it pretty simple and chose A4 size (anything over that would have to be folded) and to just completely fill in my blank page with counter steps. I decided to start from when Moses was born, up until the time God delivers the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt and they cross the Red Sea.
• Choose your individual game steps. Do you want squares, ovals, circles, rectangles, hearts, stars or something special to suit your theme? How big do you want each step? Again, I decided to keep this one pretty simple and went for squares. Okay, that’s pretty much enough for now. So let’s get started…

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DIY PRINTABLE BOARD GAME FOR KIDS – HOW TO

1. SET PAGE SIZE:  You can use any program that enables you to insert shapes, text boxes and pictures. Open a blank document and set your page size. In this case, I used MS Publisher and set it to A4 landscape.

2. INSERT GAME STEPS:  Click ‘insert’ – ‘shape’ and draw it. This will be your first step. I chose a white square and a coloured border for it, then copied and pasted it across my whole document to fill my page, to make each step identical. Most of the squares were left white, but I added colour (click ‘insert’ – ‘fill’) to some of them to make the game board look more interesting.

3. INSERT GAME HEADER:  I removed 6 squares – 3 each, on line 2 and 3 – to put my header in. I actually used one of these images for my board game header and added these words over it as a title (‘insert’ – ‘text box’ – ‘bring to front’): God sends Moses with a message to Pharaoh, ‘Let my People Go’. And that became my theme running through this game.

4. INSERT START / END BUTTONS:  Where do you want them? Which direction do you want your game to run in? Insert a text box at the start of your game and another one at the end of your game. You can also use Word Art (‘insert’ – ‘Word Art’) if you want to add a bit more texture rather than just a plain text box. Select your colours and add a border if you wish.

5. ARROWS TO SHOW DIRECTION:  I included some arrows (‘insert’ – ‘shape’ – ‘arrow’) to show which direction the game was to move in, and coloured them in (‘insert’ – ‘fill’). You can add a border if you wish. Whatever I am making for my sponsored children, I try to use symbols wherever I can (e.g. clip art, scissors, arrows) rather than words to make it more multilingual for my children who don’t speak English. There were a lot of words for this game, but each one of those blank squares had a picture in it on my original, which will help them get the general idea. Eh… they can make up their own rules! :)

6. INSERT TEXT BOXES:  I added individual text boxes (‘insert’ – ‘text box’) over each individual square throughout the game board as instructions or information. This can include things like:

• relevant Bible verses
• information they need for the game
• instructions like: move forward…spaces; go back…spaces; lose a turn; have an extra bonus turn; etc. I didn’t think of the last two until just now… next time.  :)

7. ADD CLIP ART / IMAGES:  As I mentioned earlier, I filled my game board with Moses related images, clip art, and also tiny colouring pages (shrunk down). I’d also like to send it to my non-English speaking children and pictures will help them get the gist of what is going on. Any text that really needs to be translated, I will make sure to include in their letter. On all of the blank squares, I shrunk down colouring pages (or parts of them) related to the squares around it. This is easy enough to do – just follow this tutorial. If you are good at drawing or doodling, you could also add your own by doing that. Or if you prefer, ask your child to decorate their own game board to make it ‘theirs’. As you can see, I added a few extra shapes (‘insert’ – ‘shapes’) for some of the Pharaoh and the Red Sea squares. I also found some cute and colourful stick figure children having fun to add onto the last 3 lines. I haven’t been able to find the originals – but they looked a bit like these. Congratulations, your masterpiece is now ready for printing!

8. LAMINATE OR NOT TO LAMINATE?  Normally, I would definitely recommend to laminate a printable board game going to a sponsored child in a developing country, but this time, because I filled it with tiny colouring pages I decided not to. That way, they could have fun adding their own creative touch.

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DOWNLOAD

This was my original game board as per this tutorial, and you can see how basic it was, but since then it has been updated with some cool images that I found and was able to share with you, so the link for the original version has been removed. You are more than welcome to download the updated version for your own personal use.

• Original version

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• Updated version:  Download

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BOARD GAME COUNTERS / DICE FOR KIDS ~ FREE PRINTABLE

I also made up some free printable game counters and dice to go with it. There is also a blank version if you prefer to decorate your own. I added the same stick figure children that I used in the board game to the round game counters as tiny images. I also added a couple of tiny colouring pages (parts of them anyway) which worked really well, too. Once again, use this tutorial as a guide and shrink any images right down so they fit neatly inside the counters. If you are adding colouring pages, you may like to take out the white background of the colouring page first. Left click on your colouring page – then select the ‘set transparent color’ tool – then left click on the white background of the colouring page. Your colouring page should now be transparent and have no background.

DOWNLOAD:  Colour | Blank

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CREATION BIBLE BOARD GAME TEMPLATE FOR KIDS ~ FREE PRINTABLE

Here is a different shaped board game that I made up for my sponsored children as part of a Creation Week theme using the same techniques. The whole page was filled with tiny colourful images relating to what God created on each day of Creation Week, both inside and outside the oval shaped game board steps. You may like to doodle your own, or ask your child to decorate it and put their stamp of ownership on it. And I added a Bible verse from Genesis 1:31 along the bottom of the board – God saw all that He had made and it was VERY GOOD. You are welcome to download any of these FREE printable board game templates, counters and dice for your own personal use… enjoy!

• Colour | Blank
  

DOWNLOAD:  Colour | Blank

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BOARD GAME ~ DICE / COUNTERS FOR KIDS ~ FREE PRINTABLE

And here are the colourful counters and dice to go with the Creation week game.

DOWNLOAD:  Colour | Blank

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MORE FREE BOARD GAMES FOR KIDS ~ FREE PRINTABLE

• Ready to go

The Amazing Ace Dog Sled Race – FREE Bible Board Game  (answersingenesisvbs; download the board game at the bottom of the page below the final image; and there’s also some instructions and supplementary teaching materials that you can download at the bottom of the page above the final image) 2 page, fast-paced action Bible board game with a fun and exciting Arctic animal theme with polar bears, sled dogs, reindeer teaching children about the authority of God’s Word and it uses cool terms like: Snowfall Station checkpoint, Discovery Pass, Crystal Falls, Glacier Gap, Cold Feet Creek, Mosquito River, Treasure Point Finish. And it’s in black and white so your child can have extra fun colouring and decorating it; free printable

2 FREE Bible board games  (Biblecartoons; scroll down to ‘Free Bible Board Game’) Lost Sheep Chase; Fruit of the Spirit Race; both games are 2 pages each that you will need to join together; free printable

7 FREE Bible Board Games  (sundayschoolsources) one-page board games in colour – Creation; Joseph; Exodus; Moses and the Ten Commandments; Twelve Tribes of Israel; Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego; Jesus; and here’s some Bible Trading Cards to go with it and ideas of how to use them for the board games; free printable

FREE Bible Board Games  (richardgunther) a few one-page board games to choose from: Creation to Noah with Bible verse written on the arrows from John 14:6 (click on ’10’) or Genesis 7:1 (click on ’08’); Birth of Jesus (click on ’09’) and there is also a blank, black and white version (click on ’24’); Life of Jesus (click on ’14’) and there is also a black and white version (click on ’28’); Easter Week Game from the Lord Jesus’ arrest to His resurrection (click on ’12’), and there is also a blank version in colour (click on ’11’) or black and white (click on ’26’); The Promise Game – Living everyday with Jesus (click on ’20’) and there is also a blank, black and white version (click on ’30’); free printable

Rain and Rainbows – FREE board game  (mrprintables) a fun version of Snakes and Ladders; the rainbows take you up to higher numbers (like ladders) and black clouds and rain bring you back down to lower numbers (like snakes); a fun game for a Noah’s Ark or ‘learning about the weather’ theme; free printable

Shipwreck Treasure – FREE board game  (supercoloring) a fun and colourful S-shaped board game; Camping in the Woods – FREE board game; Dinosaur – FREE board game; Zoo – FREE board game; Circus Clowns – FREE board game; City in Summer – FREE board game using little fold-up paper cars as tokens; City in Winter – FREE board game using little fold-up paper cars as tokens; Road Trip – FREE board game; Snakes and Ladders; Chess: green & white | black & beige | dark blue & white | violet & white | grey & white | black & white; Draughts; Dominoes; Tic Tac Toe; Monopoly; Backgammon; Parchis for 4 players; Parchis for 6 players; Dice | B&W | B&W; free printable

FREE Board Games  (mondedestitounis) decorated with cute and colourful animals; free printable

Spelling – FREE board game  (themeasuredmom) a fun, detective-style board game that can be used with any spelling list; free printable

Addition – FREE board game  (frompond) have fun while improving your maths; to colour; for younger children; free printable

Math – FREE board games  (homemade-preschool) various fun templates; to colour; free printable

Battleship – FREE board game  (familystyleschooling) with ships; to colour; free printable

Battleship – FREE board game  (printableboardgames) with ships; Chess; Checkers; Snakes and Ladders; Dominoes; Dice | Blank; free printable

Battleship – FREE board game  (printablepaper) printable blank grid template to use with your own ships; Checkerboard – FREE board game black and red; use your own counters; free printable

Snakes and Ladders – FREE board game  (itsybitsyfun) 10×10 grid; pink version; Petopoly – FREE Board Game a coloured Monopoly-style board game about pets; free printable

Solitaire – Triangle Board  (auntannie) a checkers-style board game with various templates to choose from; Solitaire – English Board  a cross-shaped checkers-style board game; Solitaire – French Board various templates to choose from; free printable

Tic Tac Toe  (printablesfree) with zebras and ducks counters; Tic Tac Toe with elephants and ducks counters; free printable

Sugoroku Adventure – board game  (canon) adventure through the woods; Chess – board game  3D paper craft with chess pieces to print and assemble; Maze Game – 3D paper craft colourful three-dimensional maze game to make; Star Maze – 3D paper craft; Colours – bingo game with spinner to make; Shapes – bingo game; free printable (via sign-in)

• DIY

DIY Bible Board Game  (ministryark) 3 fun, colourful and creative board game templates ready for any Bible theme of your choice; free printable

DIY Bible Board Game  (livingwaterBiblegames) a blank board game template ready to go; simply choose your theme, paste in your questions, then print; free printable

DIY Bible Board Game  (jennylovescrafts) design, print and decorate your own board game using this free template; free printable

DIY Bible Board Game  (fellowes) a black and white template in a curvy ‘S’ shape with printable dice and blank cards ready for any theme of your choice; free printable

DIY Bible Board Game | blank  (printablesfree) design, print and decorate your own board game using this board game template; DIY Board Game | blank monopoly-style template; DIY Bingo blank template; free printable

DIY Board Games  (hubpages; scroll down) various templates to choose from with ‘hazards’ to get around, and distractions to steer clear of, in order to get to the ‘prize’; some of the download links no longer seem to be available, but these are great ideas if you would like to make up your own board game; free printable

DIY Bible Board Game  (supercoloring) design, print and decorate your own board game using this oval shaped board game template; DIY Bible Board Game 13×13 blank grid template; DIY Bible Board Game 19×19 blank grid template; free printable

DIY Bible Board Games  (amysfreeideas) various ideas on how to make your own board game; and tips for making homemade game boards more durable; DIY Dice, Spinners and Counters

Snakes and Ladders – DIY Board Game  (itsybitsyfun) 10×10 grid with or without numbers so children can design their own snakes and ladders board game, or use the blank grid template to make up their own game; Monopoly – DIY board game a blank template so children can design their own Monopoly-style board game; free printable

Racetrack – DIY board game  (auntannie; scroll down) choose your board game template, stickers, and storage envelope; one-page or two-page templates; free printable

Bingo – card maker  (teach-nology) a generator to make bingo cards with the words of your choice (3×3, 5×5); free printable

DIY Giant Board Game  (kidsbibleteacher) turn your classroom, home, church hallway, or even a gym into a huge, life-size board game. Your students will become the pawns and walk around the board game, following the path, rolling the dice, answering questions, and completing the challenges along the way. Best part? The work is already done for you! All you have to do is come up with a list of questions that corresponds to your lesson, print and cut the board “space” pages apart, set up the challenge stations with common items that you probably already have on hand, and show your kids how to play; free printable

DIY Outdoor Board Games  (kojo-designs) take your classic board games outdoors for your homeschool or Sunday school students with some of these fun ideas.

DIY Personalised Game Pieces  (kidsactivitiesblog) a terrific idea using photos of your child so they can become their own character in the game

DIY Giant Dice  (kidsBibleteacher) to make using cardboard; take a game from blah to super-fun with this giant dice.

DIY Board Games  (duckduckgo) more creative ideas for your inspiration

DIY Board Games and Dice Templates  (timvandevall) various templates in cool designs ready for any theme of your choice; in colour or to colour; for purchase

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RELATED LINKS

Tutorial: DIY Stickers
Tutorial: DIY Wallet Cards
Tutorial: DIY Stationery
Tutorial: DIY Bookmark
Tutorial: DIY Poster / Postcard
Tutorial: DIY Note Cards
Tutorial: DIY Puzzles
Tutorial: Jazz up your Colouring Pages
Tutorial: Jazz up your Envelopes
Tutorial: Jazz up your Bible Verses  (typography tutorial)
Tutorial: Adding photos to Articles  (this is also how you add your own images to a printable game board)

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NOW IT’S YOUR TURN… 

Have you ever made up a printable board game? How did it turn out? What theme/shape did you use? Share your ideas with us!

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