How to make a board game with your kids in one afternoon

Making a board game together is one of the best rainy-day projects there is. Kids get to be in charge, practise maths and writing without noticing, and finish the day with something they made that the whole family can play.

Here’s a plan that works in a single afternoon.

What you need

• Paper or card (cereal boxes are perfect)
• Pencils, markers and scissors
• Something for playing pieces: coins, buttons, LEGO figures, bottle caps
• A die from another game, or six slips of paper numbered 1 to 6 in a cup

Step 1: Start with a goal, not a theme (10 minutes)

Kids usually want to start with the theme: dragons, space, cats. That’s great, but first ask: how do you win?

Simple goals that work well:

• Be the first to reach the end of a path
• Collect a set of things (three gems, one of each colour)
• Have the most points when the cards run out
• Work together to escape before something bad happens

Once you have a goal, then pick the theme. “Race to the end” becomes “escape the volcano before the lava catches you”.

Step 2: Decide what you do on your turn (15 minutes)

This is the heart of the game. Keep it to one or two actions. For example:

Roll the die and move that many spaces. If you land on a star, draw a card.

That’s a complete game! Now ask the most important design question: is there a choice? Rolling and moving has no decisions. Small changes add them:

• “Roll two dice and choose which one to use.”
• “You can move, or you can skip moving to draw a card.”
• “Cards can be kept for later or played right away.”

Choices are what make a game feel like yours.

Step 3: Make it, roughly (30 minutes)

Draw the board. Write the cards. Don’t make it pretty yet; you’ll change things after the first game, and it’s painful to redo careful artwork.

A good rule of thumb for younger kids: 15 to 25 spaces on a race track, and 10 to 20 cards.

Step 4: Play it and expect it to be broken (20 minutes)

The first game will have problems. That’s the point! Watch for:

• Is it too long? Cut the board in half.
• Does one strategy always win? Make it cost something.
• Is anyone bored waiting? Make turns faster, or give people something to do on other players’ turns.
• Did someone get stuck? Add a way to catch up, like a “jump forward” space near the start.

Let your child decide what to change. Ask questions rather than giving answers: “What would make that part more exciting?”

Step 5: Fix one thing and play again (20 minutes)

Change one rule at a time, then play again. Designers call this iteration, and it’s the most important skill in game design. Kids are often brilliant at it, because they have no attachment to “the way it’s supposed to be”.

Step 6: Make the final version

Once everyone’s happy, it’s time for proper artwork, a name and a box. Write the rules down together. Explaining rules clearly is surprisingly hard, and great practice for writing.

Tips from the trenches

• The kid is the lead designer. Your job is to ask questions and handle the scissors.
• Steal from games you know. Combining “Snakes and Ladders” with “Go Fish” is a perfectly good start.
• Stop while it’s fun. You can always pick it up next weekend.
• Invite a playtester. Teaching the game to a grandparent or friend shows instantly which rules are confusing.

Want better supplies for next time? Blank cards and wooden pieces make prototypes feel real. See the toolkit.