Make a DIY board game for your next family game night! Includes a Cricut Design Space template to draw and color.
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Staying at home over the past few months has made family game night one of the highlights of our week. Which makes me even more excited that this month's Family Dinner Book Club book and movie is Jumanji, the classic about a board game come to life.
As much as my kids might want to have a board game that transports them to the jungle, that's unfortunately only in the book (and movie!). So we are trying the next best thing for our Family Dinner Book Club night and making our own DIY board game. It's a super fun project for all ages, and I'll show you how easy it is too!
PS - this anniversary copy of Jumanji includes an audio version narrated by Robin Williams. How awesome is that?!
How to Make Your Own Board Game
You can create a DIY board game with things that you probably already have around the house. You'll need:
- Square of card stock, cardboard, or heavy paper. A 12"x12" of craft paper works great!
- Markers
- Game pieces. You can borrow some from a game you have, or get creative with coins, LEGO figures, or even candy.
- Optional: dice, spinner, or cards. Index cards work great for creating your own deck of cards.
Start by deciding on your game theme and brainstorm the rules. You can mimic a game that you already play or come up with something totally new! Include everyone in the family, and be sure to write them down so there is no confusion during game play.
Then, design your game board. You may want to sketch it out with paper and pencil before putting down your final design in marker.
If you have a Cricut Explore Air 2 or Maker, creating your game board is super easy because I've made a game board template available in Design Space! You can find it here.
Once you open the template in Design Space, you can click "Make It" and follow the prompts to draw the design directly onto your card stock. Or, click "Customize" to add in your own elements.
I created this template to be something the whole family can help decorate. Grab your markers or crayons to color in the spaces and add your own design!
Once your game board is complete, it's time to play! Grab your game pieces and enjoy your unique board game for your next family game night.
Complete Your Family Dinner Book Club Experience
You can complete your Family Dinner Book Club experience with a game night themed menu from my co-host, Chef Sarah Elizabeth and more ideas for children's books and movies from Growing Book by Book.
Be sure to share your Family Dinner Book Club photos with us on Facebook, we love to see them!
Check out these FREE printable board games inspired by past Family Dinner Book Club books!
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