Remember as a kid we learnt so much from board games? Turn taking, winning or losing, counting etc. I still connect a lot of board games with family time back in those days. For a long time it was a “family thing” for us to be engaged in some kind of board game post dinner and that was the source of entertainment in our childhood. I am sure a lot of you can resonate with those cherished memories.

Now, for past few weeks I have been seriously working on getting kids used to playing with numbers. I believe that’s the first step towards loving the whole concept of “Maths”- to just be comfortable with numbers.

You must read my post “5 ways to encourage Mathematical Thinking in your child beyond the classroom“.

So I thought of combining the two concepts and rolling in a dice as well to kick start another step in our learning process through some quick, easy yet interesting DIY Board Games for Toddlers.

So here I am sharing 3 ideas of DIY Board Games for Toddlers starting from 3 years +age. These board games do not require any special materials. You just need a paper, few colour pens and as I mentioned earlier, a dice.

DIY Board Games for Toddlers

1. Colour Match

Number of players required– 2

How to play– On an A4 sheet, draw a Butterfly template and make same pattern on each side.  Each player chooses one side of the butterfly.

Player 1 rolls the dice. If, for example, it is 3 on the dice, they will colour three dots on their side of the butterfly with 3 different colours.

Player 2 colours the dots in the same position on their side with the same colours as used by Player 1.

Players take turns and colour until all the dots are covered.

Skills being practiced-

• Understanding Symmetry (early Numeracy concept)
• Colouring
• Counting
• Matching
• Comparing

This is a great introduction to using dice for older toddlers and young preschoolers.

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For kids above 4 years of age, you can enhance the challenge by providing a blank template of the picture and let each player draw the pattern on each wing- by ensuring there’s symmetry in the picture.

Player 1 rolls the dice. If, for example, it is 3 on the dice, they will draw 3 shapes (as per their choice) on their side of the butterfly. Player 2 draws the same shapes in the same position on their side with the same colours as used by Player 1.

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2. Stripe the Bumble Bee

This one is our current favourite!

Number of players required– 1 or more

How to play– On an A4 sheet, draw several bumble bees (only the outline) as shown in image above. Keep Yellow & Black sketch pens handy.

Player rolls the dice and makes equal number of stripes on each picture of the bee.

For example, if it shows number 5, the player makes 5 stripes on any 1 bee image. Stripes are to be made in alternate colours- yellow & black. Same goes on for each player turn by turn until all images are done.

Skills being practiced-

• Subitizing
• Colouring
• Counting
• Pattern making

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3. Snakes & Ladders

This one is our very own gem from childhood days, but with a little twist. You can design one as per child’s age and laminate the same for use anytime.

Number of players required– 2 or more

How to play– Player 1 rolls the dice, moves the peg with equal number of steps as the number that appears on dice and performs the activity mentioned. I have added topics relevant to 4-5 year old. Game closes with a victory dance by each player as they reach “Finish” point.

Skills being practiced-

• Subitizing
• Counting
• Challenge taking

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There’s a plethora of options available in the market for Board games, but for getting started with board games for Toddlers, these DIY options would surely be a better bet.

Are you playing any similar or different board game with your preschooler/ toddler? I would love to hear more ideas. Do share in comments below!

Go Mommy!