KIDS CRAFT GAMES

Here's an opportunity to combine children's art and craft activities with playing simple games.

Some games have been around for many years and the simple games are usually the ones that capture children's imaginations, but with a little craft 'twist' there are even more fun ways for children to enjoy these simple games.

PICTURE DOMINOES FOR KIDS

• White card
• 56 Assorted foam or paper shapes (8 each of 7 designs - see picture below)
• Pencil, ruler, scissors and glue

To make the dominoes:

1. Cut 28 card rectangles approximately 10cm x 5cm.
2. Draw a line down the centre of each card so that it is divided into two 5cm squares.
3. Glue on foam or paper shapes to make a set of dominoes. Follow the picture below so that you have enough different dominoes for a successful game.

How to play (2 or more players):

The winner will be the first player to run out of dominoes.

1. Place the dominoes face down and take 7 dominoes each. Make sure the other player(s) cannot see which dominoes you have.
2. Keep the rest of the dominoes face down in the middle of the table.
3. Turn over one domino from the centre and leave face up in the middle of the table.
4. The first player then chooses a domino with a matching picture and places it face up next to the first domino on the table to start a chain.
5. The next player can then add one other domino to either end of the chain, matching a picture to one already in place.
6. If a player cannot match a picture, he or she must pick up another domino from the centre of the table and miss a go.
7. The game continues in this way, with each player taking a turn, until one player has placed all of his or her dominoes.

NOUGHTS AND CROSSES

You will need:

• Thin card in 3 colours
• Pencil, scissors and a ruler
• Pair of compasses or circular object to draw round

1. To make the grid, cut 4 strips of card in one colour approximately 2cm x 30cm.
2. Cut 5 crosses from 5 pieces of card in a second colour, approximately 7cm square, as shown:



 

3. Cut 5 circles, approximately 7cm diameter, from a different coloured card.
4. Now you are ready to play:

• Lay out the strips to form a grid of 9 squares.
• Ask a friend to play the game with you. Take turns to place your noughts or crosses on the grid. The first person to get 3 in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally wins.

Instead of making noughts and crosses, use foam or paper shapes - eg flowers and butterflies, squares and triangles, moons and stars etc.