Turkey Tic-tac-toe
Difficulty: Easy
Parental supervision is recommended
Craft a fun Thanksgiving game with turkey tic-tac-toe. The perfect game for kids to play while the turkey is cooking.
What you'll need:
- Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
- Computer paper
- Scissors
- Cardboard to make your board and pieces sturdier (cereal boxes work well), optional
- Clay to make a 3-D version (optional)
How to make it:
Before you start
- Find a place to work, and protect it with a large sheet of paper.
- Gather all your materials.
- Read all the directions.
Making the Game
Read all the directions before starting. This project is simple enough that you might not need directions, but check them once anyway.
Step 1 - Print Patterns
Print out the board. You might want to print it on tan paper to reduce the amount of coloring necessary. [Mac Board -- PC Board]
Print out the paper pieces - you might also want to design you own. [Mac Pieces—PC Pieces]
Step 2 - Color and make game pieces
Color the game board and pieces as you wish.
Other ideas for game pieces include:
- Use clay, make five each of two different kinds of pieces. I used pilgrim hats and Indian corn, but you can also make pumpkins, squash, small turkeys, or acorns. Be sure to compare your pieces to the board, to make them a good size to fit in the spaces, and flatten the bottoms of the pieces so that they don't roll away from where you placed them. Note: We made the playing pieces with Sculpey (tm), which is a clay that needs to be baked in the oven and then becomes hard. It is available in many colors.
- Use real acorns and paint the caps—five each in the two colors. Stick the acorns to small clay bases or glue them to small cardboard bases to keep them from rolling off the board.
- Cut simple shapes out of craft foam.
- Use candies or any other small objects (five of each kind).
Step 3 - Cut Out
You can either leave the board as a large square or rectangle, or you can cut it out around the edges.
If you made paper game pieces, cut them out as well. Very young children might need help with this.
Step 4 - Reinforce the game with cardboard
If you want your game to last for a long time, glue the board and pieces to some cardboard. Let the glue dry, then cut out the pieces again. It is a bit difficult to cut cardboard, be sure to use good scissors, and get an adult to help if needed.
Step 5 - Play!
Take turns with a friend putting the pieces on the board. Can you get three in a row?
You're Done!
Enjoy your new game. You can also use it as a Thanksgiving decoration when you are not playing with it.
