I’m forever trying to think up new uses for broken, outdated, or useless items. It’s a blessing and a curse. So when I found out my old bestie Scrabble game was a few pieces short of a full alphabet I was more than a little bummed out.
Instead of throwing it into the trash I’ve decided to turn it into a new game for my toddler.
We’ve got numbers down really good so far but letters have been a tougher grasp it seems. This is an easy way to customize any old game board into an ongoing board of fun.
You’ll need:
- A board game (or two) preferably something with missing pieces. If you don’t have one shoved to the back of your closet a yard sale or thrift store will have plenty of options.
- Chalk board paint
- Chalk- multi-colors are great
- Game Pieces of your choosing or invention
- About 2 hours
I took my game board and painted the whole thing with the chalk board paint. Follow the directions on your can to get the best results.
What you decide to do next is up to you. I’m trying to make letters and numbers fun for a toddler. I traced my Scrabble tiles and copied out the letters onto the board in a random assortment, including the number values. I snagged a timer hourglass from another game gone bad and hashed out the rules with my toddler.
Match the most letters on the board within the time amount and you get the point value listed. Try to keep beating your own score, or mom’s!
This teaches letter recognition, matching, addition, time management, and concentration. Does my toddler know she’s learning all that? Nope, she just wants to beat mom’s number. Better yet, when’s she’s mastered this version of the game I’ll clean off the chalk board and make a new game.
I added ribbon handles to one board for fun on the go.
What game would you make? You could take several of these boards and make an epic Dungeon’s and Dragons playing field or a custom version of monopoly. Whatever you want and if it doesn’t work try something else. You could be the next Parker Brother’s hit!
Happy Questing!
Quest Type 
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