5 Easy and Fun DIY Board Game Ideas for Nannies on the Job
Board games are one of the most diverse and entertaining forms of play. In recent years, board games have made quite a comeback, with new titles released every year. The one thing that sets out board games from other learning tools is that they not only help entertain people; they also develop skills that can be used in everyday life.
What are the benefits of playing board games?
Playing board games is known to bring people closer together. It helps strengthen the relationship between players through cooperation and competition. Whether you’re working together as a team or battling it out against each other, board games force social interaction. These interactions help develop a unique set of social skills.
Board games also require people to roleplay, which helps develop emotional maturity. Players are forced to use their empathy and thinking to assess how other players would react in certain situations.
Aside from social skills, board games also have other benefits listed below:
- Board games help maintain mental health. According to a published study, playing helps improve a person’s anxiety, cognitive impairment, depression.
- For children, playing board games develop their puzzle-solving skills. Games that require players to take turns also teaches young children the skills of patience and responsibility.
- Some board games can teach children abstract thinking, mathematical skills, pattern recognition, strategic thinking.
- Board games also aid in developing a young child’s life skills. For example, Monopoly teaches people to pay tax and to pay the money they borrowed. The game also helps kids learn how to manage their money.
- For children who are shy or timid, board games help in developing a stronger sense of individuality. Playing allows them the opportunity to connect with other people, which leads to greater self-esteem.
What are some easy and fun DIY board games?
At times, nannies may find their charges getting tired of playing the board games lying on their shelves every day. Hundreds of DIY board game ideas can be made at home. We curated a list of five board games that are very easy to make and extremely fun to play.
The Tallest Giant Game
The Tallest Giant Board Game from Ryan’s World is a fun way for younger children to learn how to count. Additionally, nannies can teach their charges how to draw and colour a character. It also gives both the babysitters and charges an opportunity to engage in healthy competition.
Materials Needed: Paper, Colouring Materials, Glue, Dice
Literacy: Board Game
This DIY board game from Plano Public Library can help young children develop their literacy skills. Rolling the die and moving the game pieces can also help nannies develop their charges’ basic mathematical skills. Babysitters who are watching over older kids can also write questions on the index cards to train their charges’ problem-solving skills.
Materials: Cereal Box, Die, Markers, Scissors, Index Cards, and Small Objects (to use as game pieces)
DIY Math Board Game
The DIY Math Board Game offers nannies and charges a lot of versatility and different ways to play the game. This video from HomeSchoolie HQ teaches babysitters and tutors how to create their own board game using any template they prefer. The game’s rules can also change depending on the age of the children playing.
Kids ages two to five can play a fun Addition-Subtraction game, while children older than five can learn Multiplication and Division.
Materials: A large sheet of paper, cut-out coloured paper, markers, game pieces, die
The Marble Labyrinth
Cardboard boxes are excellent materials to create mazes, such as this activity. Nannies can transform cardboard into a challenging labyrinth that is designed to develop their charges’ motor and problem-solving skills as well as the children’s hand-eye coordination.
Materials Needed: Cardboard, Scissors, Marble, Markers, Glue
DIY Monopoly at Home
Monopoly is the most famous board game in the world. This game helps children learn how to bargain to get lower prices and manage their money. It also teaches kids the importance of saving money and knowing what things are worth spending on.
Materials Needed: Cardboard, Paper, Colouring Materials, Index Cards, Glue, and Tape
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