Make a board game
Design and build a custom board game using cardboard, markers, dice, and tokens; create rules, test gameplay, and refine for friends or family.
About this tutorial
Design and build a custom board game using cardboard, markers, dice, and tokens; create rules, test gameplay, and refine for friends or family.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Pick a fun theme and decide the winning goal for your game.
- 2
Step 2
Decide how many players can play and how many tokens each player needs.
- 3
Step 3
Cut the cardboard to the size you want for your board.
- 4
Step 4
Use the ruler to draw a path or grid of spaces on the cardboard.
- 5
Step 5
Mark a clear Start space and a Finish space and choose any special spaces.
- 6
Step 6
Color and decorate each space with markers and colouring materials.
- 7
Step 7
Cut small cards and write an action or instruction on each card for special spaces.
- 8
Step 8
Write a short rule sheet that explains setup turn order how to win and what special spaces do.
- 9
Step 9
Make or pick tokens for each player and decorate them if you like.
- 10
Step 10
Play a test game with at least one friend or family member following your rules.
- 11
Step 11
Ask players for one thing to improve about the game.
- 12
Step 12
Change the board or rule sheet to fix that one improvement and tidy your artwork.
- 13
Step 13
Share your finished board game on DIY.org
Fun facts
How do I make a custom cardboard board game with my child step by step?
Start by picking a theme and goal (race to finish, collect items, etc.). Sketch a board layout and decide special spaces. Cut a sturdy piece of cardboard to size and draw or paint the board, adding numbered or named spaces. Create rules on index cards: turn order, movement (dice or spinner), special actions, and win condition. Make tokens and any cards, then playtest together, note problems, tweak rules, and repeat until the game is fun and balanced.
What materials do I need to build a homemade board game?
Gather cardboard or poster board for the board, pencils and rulers for planning, markers or paints for decorating, scissors and (adult-used) craft knife, glue or tape, index cards for rule or event cards, dice or a spinner, and tokens like buttons, coins, or small toys. Optional supplies include stickers, colored paper, laminating film, and a timer. Keep small parts and sharp tools supervised for safety.
What ages is making a board game suitable for?
This activity works for many ages: preschoolers (4–6) can help with simple themes, coloring, and choosing rules with adult assistance. Elementary kids (7–10) can design layouts, write basic rules, and playtest independently. Tweens and teens (11+) can create complex mechanics, balance gameplay, and produce polished components. Adjust difficulty, cutting tasks, and rule complexity to match your child’s reading and fine-motor skills.
What are the benefits of designing board games with kids?
Designing board games builds creativity, storytelling, and planning skills. It strengthens math (scoring, probability), reading and writing (rules and cards), problem-solving through playtesting, and social skills like turn-taking and negotiation. Collaborative design boosts communication and confidence as kids see ideas become a playable game. It’s also a low-cost STEAM activity that encourages iteration — try changes, test again, and improve based on feedback.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can we use instead of cardboard, a ruler, or store-bought tokens if we can't find them?
Swap the cardboard for a flattened cereal box or poster board, use a straight book edge instead of the ruler from the Use the ruler step, and make tokens from coins, buttons, or folded paper as in the Make or pick tokens step.
How do we fix crooked paths, smudged colors, or confusing rules during the test play?
If the path is crooked or colors smudge, redraw faint pencil lines with the ruler, let markers dry before decorating, enlarge the small cards so players can read actions during Play a test game, and rewrite unclear points in the rule sheet as part of Change the board or rule sheet.
How can we change the game's difficulty for younger children or older kids?
For younger players make bigger spaces on the cardboard, use picture-only small cards and very short rules, and for older kids add more spaces, strategic action cards, and extra rules or scoring on the rule sheet.
What are fun ways to extend or personalize the board game before sharing it on DIY.org?
Add a homemade spinner glued to the board, build 3D landmarks from clay for special spaces, laminate the small cards for durability, let each player decorate their token, and implement the one improvement you discovered during Play a test game before you Share your finished board game on DIY.org.