10 DIY Board Game Ideas For All Ages
Board games are the best way to liven those idle nights with joy and laughter. Besides strengthening family bonds and enhancing social connections, these games ignite excitement and inspire creativity. Purchasing board games may be costly and not always align with your preferences. The ideal solution is to craft them with your own hands. Doing so allows you to customize every detail and fuels your creativity. You can get inspiration from 10 DIY board game ideas and choose the best one that suits your needs and budget.
10 DIY Board Game Ideas
Playing board games not only brings joy and strengthens bonds but also builds brain power and critical thinking. Whether you want a board game for two people or for multiple players, our DIY collection of indoor gaming has it all. Some of these DIY ideas are easy to play while others are more challenging; however, creating them is always straightforward. So, never get bored with your partner. Try these DIY game board ideas and elevate your connection to the next level.
What are some good board games to make?
- DIY Chess: Customize pieces using small items or create your own unique chess board that represents your style.
- Memory Game: A game where you create pairs of matching cards that can be fun and educational, especially for young children.
- Snakes and Ladders: Customize your own snakes and ladders game to suit a theme of choice or to cater to different difficulty levels.
- DIY Scrabble: You can create a personalized Scrabble board and pieces to match your preferences.
- Homemade Pictionary: Like regular Pictionary, you create the cards with your favorite words or phrases.
- Checkers/Draughts: A classic board game that can be easily made by hand and customized.
- Homemade Clue: This could be fun and creative, as you can customize the characters, weapons, and rooms.
- DIY Tic Tac Toe: A simple game that’s easy to make, and you can experiment with different designs and materials.
DIY Kalaha Board Game
Originating from Africa, Kalaha is a game of strategy that requires minimal equipment. It keeps you engaged for a long time while improving your brain power and critical thinking. With this DIY guide, this interesting game is fun and easy that even beginner crafters can easily complete!
Begin by designing the Kalaha board and familiarizing yourself with the required tools. Cut the wood into a plank and carve out the holes for the “ambons” and “homes.” Flatten the bottoms of these holes and shape the edges for a professional look. Sand the board for a smooth finish. Attach hinges to make the board foldable. Apply a surface coat for protection and a visually appealing finish. Now, your handmade Kalaha board is ready to play!
Materials:
- Wood
- Hinges and Screws
- Wax
- Stones for the game
DIY Obelisk Board Game
Play the Obelisk game, where you’ll guard your area with the help of others. It’s made for 2 to 5 people, and you need to stop monsters coming from a closed portal. Show your smarts and strategy to stop monsters by using signs, catching them, and improving your protection. This game is equally fun to craft and play!
You’ll start by laser cutting the board and monster pieces. Next, color-code the monsters and optional dice. To make the towers, they must be laser-cut, assembled, and color-coded. The making of obelisks is similar but with an added dome. Trail signs are made, color-coded, and embedded in bases for stability. For the bag, find something suitable or repurpose an old sock. Dice are optional; you can use color-coded monsters as substitutes. Box everything for storage.
Tools:
- Laser Cutter that can cut 1 foot x 2 foot plywood that is 1/8 inch thick
- Printer
- Scissors
- USB Stick
- (Optional) Masking Tape
- (Optional) Colored Pencils
DIY Backgammon Board Games
This DIY project presents a playful blend of art and gaming. The game is fun to play, and because of the nice color combinations and elegant design, it serves as an aesthetic addition to your wall decor after being played. This DIY guide provides all sorts of information about how to play and make it with the simplest method.
For the DIY Backgammon Game, paint a canvas and let it dry. Create two sets of triangular design vinyls (12 each) and attach them to the canvas, leaving a space in the center. Add wash tape around the four edges of the canvas. Create the backgammon pieces by following the DIY checkers tutorial. You’ll need 30 game pieces in total. Paint and finish up the game pieces. Lastly, spray paint the dice and double the cube.
Materials:
- 11″ x 14″ canvas
- Gold adhesive vinyl
- White adhesive vinyl
- Craft paint in three colors
- Paintbrush
- Small hexagon ice cube tray
- Cement all
- Mixing cup
- Popsicle stick
- Washi tape
- Scissors
- Four dice and a backgammon doubling cube
- Gold spray paint
Basketball Board Game
This is the best DIY Basketball Board Game! If you want to challenge your friends, make this basketball board game at home. It is easy to make, and you can save a lot of money. You can play this game with your family members or students. You only need a few leftover cardboard, toothpicks, an empty bottle cap, and a popsicle stick. This DIY basketball board game can be much fun in your leisure time. The game is simple, but you will love and pick it up easily.
DIY Magnetic Hnefatafl Board Game
Step back to the Viking era with this DIY Magnetic Hnefatafl Board Game. The modern touch is the exquisite use of magnets to lock pieces in their square without any annoyance of misalignment. Each detail contributes to the visual ergonomics, making it a perfect game and a conversation starter when displayed as a piece of craftsmanship.
Bring this board game to life by cutting out the board’s components by laser or hand cutting. Assemble the board and pieces. Then, add a layer of magnetic material to the bottoms, paint each piece, and allow them to dry. Wrap the fabric material edges around the board and sew them together. Attach the pieces magnetically to the board to complete your Magnetic Hnefatafl Board Game.
Materials:
- 1/8″ Birch Plywood
- 1/2″ Birch Plywood
- Hardwood
- 1/4″ Birch Plywood
- Polyester felt
- Neodymium magnets
- 20 gauge copper wire (optional)
- Polyurethane varnish
DIY Giant Word Game
Bring the excitement of word games into your home with this DIY Giant Word Game. The game features wooden squares for tiles, round magnets to attach them, letter and number stickers to create the tiles, and a 48×36 magnetic dry-erase board as the game board. So, make this an interesting game and unlock lots of laughter and memory challenges.
Start by choosing a large board and making letter tiles. Apply stickers to mark letters and values on tiles, then attach magnets. Download and print the game board and mount it onto a larger magnetic surface. Add a chalkboard section to the board, then cut and attach trim pieces for the game board edges. Also, create holders for the tiles, paint them, and add magnetic tape to make them stick to the board. Prepare a chalk holder, eraser, and container for the tiles. Then you’re ready to play!
Materials:
- Wood squares – 2 pkg
- Round magnets – 1 pkg
- Letter stickers 1 inch – 3 pkg
- Number stickers 1/4 inch – 3 pkg
- 48×36 magnetic dry-erase board
- Gorilla glue
- Chalkboard contact paper
- Magnetic tape
- Cup for chalk
- Double-sided tape
- 30×30 board game download
- Engineer print
1DIY Pucket Board Game
ISO-Path Board Game
Iso-Path is a 2-player strategy game modeled on a custom board, having interlocking hexagonal cells. Players move tokens from corner to corner while blocking opponents. The first player to reach the opposing starting point wins. It’s great for players of all ages and can be played by two or four people.
First, cut out the board and pieces with a tool like a CNC router. Make sure the side bits are taller for the second layer. Smoothen the pieces next. Check all pieces to ensure proper fit. Next, cover the board with urethane. After that, use a paint pen to add lines, and do some sanding and cleaning as needed. Apply more urethane to lock in the paint. Now, color the edges as you like, then stick the side bits, using the hexagon lines for direction. Let it dry with clamps on. After it’s dry, have fun!
Materials:
- 1/4 inch plywood
- Urethane
- Paint Pen
- Stain
- Glue
- Sandpaper or file
DIY Guess Who Board Game
Spice up those memorable game nights with this handmade, personalized version of the classic board game. Designed with an array of friends and family faces in funny hairstyles and even a man crush, this DIY game will create a warm and joyous playtime!
For the DIY Guess Who Game, start by selecting various photos and print them out in a size that fits your board. Create the player’s name cards and the individual picture cards. Make the frames by creating a flip mechanism. Assemble where the cards go on the board, lay out all the picture cards, place your frames, and you’re done!
- Craft plywood for the bases
- Wood rectangles for the pieces
- Dollhouse hinges and screws
- Permanent double-stick tape
- Super glue
- Craft paint (optional)
- A thin wood dowel
- Muslin bag
- Thick cardstock
DIY Tetris Board Game
The Tetris Board Game is a creative project that brings the classic video game to life in a physical form. This quick and competitive game can be played solo or against others and allows for adaptation in the number of pieces and the board’s size. The best part? It is simple enough to be made by a child.
In making the Tetris Board Game, initially grid your colored papers into square shapes. Create the Tetris pieces, ensuring each piece has 4 squares and each color represents a different shape. Make your game board using a white sheet of paper with grid lines drawn on it, then cut out your pieces and start playing!
- Colored Paper
- White Paper
- Scissors
- Marker
- Ruler
