This easy to make craft for kids becomes the perfect game to take along during car, plane, and train trips. With three different games to play, kids can use this set at the beach, while on vacation, at restaurants, or at home. The project should take under an hour to create. Kids can use either pre-cut foam shapes for game pieces or they can cut their own fun shapes.
Craft Materials
- Three 9” x 12” sheets of foam in three different colors
- Twenty four game pieces (two shapes or two colors to create distinction between players)
- Glue for craft foam
- Ruler, pencil, scissors
Since the game Connect Four isn’t played on an 8 x 8 grid, you may also want to cut strips of foam that will cover or fill in the extra spaces for this game. Connect Four is often played on a 7 x 6 or 8 x 6 grid.
Construct the Game Board
- Cut two sheets of foam so you have 32 one-inch squares of each color.
- Alternate the two colors of squares over the third sheet of craft foam so you create an 8 x 8 grid. You can either cut the sheet of craft foam to 8” x 8” or simply center the game board on the larger piece of foam.
- Glue the squares in place. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly before moving the game around.
- Repeat so you have a total of eight rows.
- While you’re waiting for the glue to dry, cut twenty-four one-inch shapes for your checker pieces. Half should be one color and the other half a second color. You can also use purchased foam shapes.
- Flip over the dry fabric and paint a tic tac toe board on the other side. You can use the checkerboard pieces to play the game.
- Cut four 6” x ½” strips of the craft foam leftover from the checkerboard.
- When the checkerboard is dry, flip the board over and glue the four strips into a tic tac toe board. You can cut the foam to avoid having double layers where the pieces cross one another.
If you don't know how to play checkers, Connect Four, or tic tac toe, you'll be able to find directions at many online sites. Kids can also create their own games using fun craft foam shapes and the game grid. Kids can Make a Pouch for their game pieces or keep them in any type of small bag. Make a Travel Game Book or Make a Fingertip Pool Travel Game for more ways kids can create games that they can take with them wherever they go.
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