2 ways to make board games for rainy days

If you're stuck at home on a rainy day, make the best of it with some board games you can make yourself! This article will teach you two interactive homemade board game ideas to shake off the rainy-day boredom. Using Cushelle tissue boxes and toilet roll tubes, we’ll show you how to make a board game with these two easy ideas. Read on to start the fun!

We recommend adult supervision when using scissors to make your own board games. It’s always more fun making things together! Ready to learn how to make a board game for kids? Let’s begin!

Memory game | Dinosaur shoot

Matching pairs memory game

Test your memory with the eye-popping designs in this matching pairs memory game. Homemade board game ideas don’t have to look traditional, and this one certainly doesn’t! Even better, you’re sure to have everything you need to make this lying around at home.

Takes about 3 hours

1. First thing’s first: make the game holder to store all of your pairs. Take the first empty tissue box and paint the surface. Leave to dry.
2. Next, make the die – carefully open and flatten the second empty Cushelle facial tissue box. Draw round the cube template on the cardboard and cut out. Have a family member or friend help hold down the template whilst you draw around it.
3. Score and fold the sections of the cube and side tabs, assemble and stick in place with glue.
4. Let your imagination run wild and draw any kind of pattern you wish on each side of the cube, and colour it in with pens.
5. Finally, make the game pieces – flatten the last empty tissue box and measure and cut into 16 squares measuring 5cm x 5cm. Draw and colour in pairs of patterned squares so that they match the same as the die.

Now that we’ve shown you how to create a board game of matching pairs, you’re ready to play!

To play, mix up the patterned squares and lay them face down. The first player rolls the die, and then has a turn to find the first matching piece. If they’re successful, they then have another chance to find the second piece. If unsuccessful, both pieces are turned over and the next player can have a turn at finding the pieces. When a matching pair is found, the player can then roll the die again. The winner is the player to find the most matching pairs.

Dinosaur shoot

As you’ve got the taste for board games you can make yourself, here’s another one to create. Sure to be a roaring success, this dinousaur shoot game is one for the whole family. Want to know how to make a board game for foolproof fun? Read on to get started!

Takes about 3 hours

1. First, draw the outline and mouth of the first dinosaur on a toilet roll tube. Carefully cut out with scissors. Take another three tubes and press and flatten the top sections down with your fingers to create different dinosaur head shapes.
2. Cut open the remaining tube and use the templates to draw spikes, wings and tails. Then cut them out with scissors.
3. Now, stick the dinosaur body parts together with glue.
4. Next, paint each dinosaur in a different colour, and leave to dry.
5. Bring your dinosaurs to life by adding some eyes with a black pen.
6. Then cut out some small circles of white paper and add a number to each with coloured pens. Stick a number to each dinosaur.
7. Finally, tear a facial tissue into small pieces and scrunch into little balls. Colour with a pen.

Now you’re ready to play!

To play, stand the dinosaurs upright about half a metre away from the players. Take it in turns to blow the balls through a paper straw (or flick with their fingers) aiming at the dinosaurs’ mouths. If a ball goes in, the player collects the number of points on that dinosaur. Play continues until the first player reaches 10 points.

Having learned how to make a board game for kids, you can put your thinking cap on for how to create a board game for adults too. When you have a good stock of empty tissue boxes and toilet roll tubes, the only limit is your imagination!