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Make Your Own Board Game

A companion sheet — print it, scribble on it, keep it or recycle it

Voleio

What we're doing

Design the board, write the rules, playtest, then fix what's broken.

  • About 120 minutes
  • Cross-curricular
  • Project

Gather these

  • Card
  • Pens
  • Dice
  • Counters

Step by step

  • Decide the goal of the game in one sentence.
  • Sketch the board and the route.
  • Write the rules so a stranger could play.
  • Playtest with someone and change one thing.

Worth talking about

Probability
Writing clear instructions
Iterative design
VOLEIOMake Your Own Board GamePage 1 of 3

Record what happened

There's no wrong way to fill this in

Voleio

What we did

Write, list or draw — whatever suits today.

Skills we touched on

SkillHow it showed up

Reflect together

What surprised you about make your own board game?
What was the easiest part? What was the fiddliest?
What would you change if you did it again tomorrow?
VOLEIOMake Your Own Board GamePage 2 of 3

Take it further

Three doors out of the same activity

Voleio

If it felt tricky

Adapt a game you already own by changing three rules.

If it felt easy

Balance the game using probability — test each dice outcome.

If you'd rather do it differently

Make it a garden-sized game with chalk and beanbags.

Next time, we could

  • Try it outdoors
  • Invite a friend or sibling
  • Stretch it over a whole week

Our own ideas