I LOVE me some poster board games! They are frugal, easy to make and encourage hours of family fun!Â
What I secretly love most about poster board games is…my children don’t realize that I’m tricking them into learning!
Not that they make a habit of {whining and complaining…ahem} about academics but they most certainly do complain about memory work. Flashcards for math, flashcards for spelling words, you get the point.
This Christmas Tree Race Poster Board Game will have them practicing a variety of academics for fun! It’s a win-win for mom, kids and report cards!
Christmas Tree Race Poster Board Assembly:
Supplies:
- Poster board (any color, any size)
- Christmas stickers
- Glue
- Christmas tree shaped die-cuts or calendar cut-outs
- Sharpie marker
Steps for Assembling the Game Board:
- Glue Christmas tree shaped die-cuts or calendar cut-outs to the poster board by creating your own game board path, with a start and a finish.
- Write the words, “start” and “finish” using a sharpie marker on 2 of the Christmas trees.
- Decorate game board with Christmas stickers
- Take your game board to your local copy shop to have it laminated so that you can use it year after year.
Supplies Needed for Play:
- Dice or Spinners
- Player Game Pieces
- ABC, number, color, shape or word flashcards
Ways to Play:
1. Players place their game pieces on “start.”
2. Player #1 rolls the die or spins the spinner.
3. That player then chooses a flash card and has to correctly say what’s on the flash card before he/she can move their game piece as many spaces as they rolled. If player #1 doesn’t correctly name their flash card then they miss their turn.
4. Player #2 proceeds as player #1 did.
The game continues until the first player reaches the finish line.
Tips for older children:
- Practice addition/subtraction by rolling 2 die
- Use multiplication/division flash cards
- Geography flash cards for social studies skills
- Science skills can be practiced using home-made flash cards
- Study for any upcoming test by focusing on your test content
I hope that you and your children enjoy this easy, DIY poster board game this holiday season!
Written by About a Mom contributor, Mandy Mae. Mandy is a wife, mother, teacher, and frugal-DIY-enthusiast. Hoping to inspire mothers to take action in making a positive influence in the lives of their children with simple DIY, crafting, thrifting, and teaching projects. You can see more from Mandy Mae on her blog MissMaesDays.com.
What a clever idea! Very sneaky…
Thank you, Sarah! Us mamas gotta be sneaky every now and then. 😉
This is a super cute idea–I love how you can do something similar for most holidays!
Exactly, Ellie! I have a bunch of these poster board games that I’ve made through the years so we can use them year after year for every season and holiday! I just love how simple and thrifty they are! 😉
That’s a really nice DIY board, looks fun for kids.
Thank you! All of my kids love it. Even my “big kids!”
That is too adorable…Creative, easy to make (you don’t have to be Martha Stewart)… So cool and motivating. Thanks.
My pleasure! That’s a rule I live by…you don’t have to be Martha Stewart! 😉 My favorite kid activities are those that you can do on-the-fly with supplies you already have!
This is a fun way to learn math! I think it is such a cute idea to do over the Christmas break!
Oh good! I’m glad you find it useful! Have fun. 🙂