Activities > Gameboard Creation

Paths: Circular Rectangular Spiral path Wavy path

It is better to read these instructions first, in their entirety, then make a list of the tools you'll need. Each of these can be played with or without cards. If you need any help at all, contact us. Step 1: Decide on what you want the game to be about, and what you want players to get out of it (besides fun). For example, do you want it to be a grammar game? A geography game? A cross-curriculum game? Is it to be competitive or non-competitive? Step 2: Decide on what you want to use for the game. Do you want to use a spinner? Dice? Cards? A timer? All of them? You can buy or make your game pieces. Even items such as stones can be used (as pawns ... mark each one differently) Step 3: Draw your game's path. You can do it by hand, with no tools, such as this one and this one. You don't have to worry about neatness nor evenness, because uneven waves add character to the appearance. If you want the lines to be neatly parallel, read the instructions here. It would be better to outline the path on a sheet of paper. Planning the appearance of the game first may save you time and resources. If you want to use dice, make sure there is enough room on the board to throw dice without knocking pieces over. In general, make sure there is space for everything that you decide to use. You can draw straight lines across the path to mark the spaces, or you can draw wavy or zigzag lines. Or, use no lines at all. Instead, you can draw shapes or African symbols along the path, from start to finish, to represent each space. Make sure each space is large enough to fit all of the pawns at once. If you will be using African symbols, it would be more convenient to make a stencil first. To make the game longer, create more spaces. To make it shorter, create less spaces. Step 4: Make rules. (It is better to do this step before filling in the spaces with instructions, because it makes charting the game easier and faster). Tip: attach a magnetic sheet to the bottom of your paper gameboard and use metal game pawns (or glue/tape small coins onto the bottoms of the pawns). This will help keep your pieces from toppling often. Possible game pieces: Pawns - stones, minature plastic figurines, coins, Where you can buy game pieces: TeachChildren.com, SkyBluPink.com Back to step 2