Make Your Own Family Board Game (Memory Lane)

This is such a fun way to celebrate your unique family. Have fun remembering your family’s past up’s and downs with this do-it-yourself board game made from a bit of fabric and some iron on computer paper. You can make your board game as unique as your family is.

Need:

1 yard of a light colored fabric

3 sheets of iron on computer paper

4 sheets of card stock paper

Card board- A paper size cut out

Hot glue stick w/glue gun

Fabric Paint (optional)

Felt (optional)

1.COMPUTER IRON ON’S- With your computer your going to design your board squares. You can use all sorts of different programs including Microsoft Word by inserting four columns and adding pictures behind your text.

Your going to need about 36 little iron on square images. You can get about 16 a page. So you will use 2 1/2 iron on computer papers just for the board spaces. With the remaining 1/2 of paper you can use that space for your Game Title and the “Your Grounded” square. You should make something that looks like this on your computer.

You need to come up with some fun memories when creating these squares.( For example: You wrecked your dodge intrepid without insurance lose a token.) Then you can put a picture of a car or something behind the text. Its fun to sit down as a family and write these all down your family’s most memorable moments on a notebook before printing it all up. When creating a good experience or accomplishment square tell the player they should get a token or move ahead one space. If it’s a negative memory have them lose a token or a turn. Get creative and have fun. (TIP: Don’t forget to print out your iron-ons backwards. So then when you iron them on you won’t be reading your text backwards.)

3. Fold your fabric in half evenly, then sew all around the edges to make your fabric board durable.

4. “?” SPACES- Your going to need about 12 question mark square spaces. You can do this my drawing them on your board with fabric paint or you could add a little extra cuteness by sewing on little felt squares on to your fabric board game.

4. Misc. Spaces and Squares- There are several ways you can add a “card”, “token” and “home” space to your board: Sew on felt squares, Paint them on with fabric paint, or use an iron on image.

5. When you have all your elements cut out. Arrange them on your fabric board just they way you want. This is the time to make adjustments. Every game is different so if you see something you need to fix this is the time to do it. When you have everything right where you want it go ahead and apply your elements to your fabric.

6. Making “?” Cards- What’s great about these cards is that as your family grows and has new accomplishments and experiences you can just add them to this deck. So this game in a way grows with your family.

You can make these cards out of any card stock. Just fold the paper several times evenly and cut on the folded lines. You can add a cute little stamp on the back of each card. I great idea is to split these up as a family and hand write them up. Its fun to see what each member of the family comes up with. You can make as many of these cards as you want.

7. Make Tokens- Just cut out a bunch of circles out of cards stock. To add a little bling glue tin foil or shiny wrapping paper to the paper tokens.

8. PAWNS- What’s fun about these is even the little kids can make their own. Just cut small squares out of cardboard for each family member. Add 2-3 more for when you play with guest. You can use scrapbook paper, wrapping paper or stickers for the background or find images in a magazine to glue to the top of your pawns. Glue beads, ribbon, or any little trinket to add character to your pawn.

9. GAME BOX- You can just make this out of a sturdy shoe box and some scrapbook paper. I love that making the board game out of fabric makes it so that it can just roll up when your done for easy clean up.

(You can buy dice for cheap at any grocery store or just borrow some from another game)

How To Play:

1.Set up: Place cards and tokens on their squares. Everyone starts at home.

2.Each player takes a turn to roll the dice. Youngest goes first. Play counter clockwise.

3. Roll the dice and proceed to that space determined my the number rolled.

4.Read the square’s text out loud and do accordingly. If you land on a “?” space draw a card, read it out loud and do accordingly.

Object Of The Game– Continue to go around the board until you have collected 5 tokens. Once you’ve received 5 tokens make your way back home. The first person to reach home with 5 tokens wins.

email me pictures of your “Memory Lane” game and I will post here at Everyday Mom Ideas with a link to your site. I would love to see what you come up with.