10 Clever Uses for Old Board Games

We all have games with missing pieces, right?  Or games with a broken board or games we simply don’t play anymore.  If they’re too grungy to pass along or donate, look no further.  Here are some fun ways to use them around your house…

TWISTER:

Use an old Twister mat as a tablecloth for a kid’s birthday party.  It’s fun, colorful, and spills wipe right off.

Write chores on each dot on the Twister mat and write your kids’ names on the spinner.  Have them spin the dial and find out what chore they are responsible for that week.  This method can also be used in choosing Secret Santas!

MONOPOLY:

Set up some food items and tape prices to each one.  Use the money from Monopoly to teach your kids about addition and subtraction.

SCRABBLE:

The letters in Scrabble can be a crafter’s best friend.  Use them to create charms for your friends.  Glue letters on a frame, journal, or scrapbook.  Make personalized monogram jewelry.  Make gift tags.  With this game, the possibilities are endless…

CONNECT FOUR:

If you’re done with this game, use the main structure to keep ribbon and yarn from getting tangled.

CHESS/CHECKERS:

Missing chessmen or those pesky little circular game pieces?  No prob.  Keep the board and make your own pieces.  Theme your chess set by creating little characters out of clay or fabric.  We have an Alice in Wonderland chess set at home, and I’m actually in the process of creating a Harry Potter one!

You can do the same thing with checkers.  Use milk lids, bottle caps, buttons, Pogs (remember those!?!?), or poker chips.  Glue some googly eyes on them to make the game a little more fun!

DAMAGED BOARD GAMES:

If the board itself is damaged, don’t toss it quite yet!  Cover the board with paper and create your own board game!  Keep it for family time or give it as a gift.

If you’d rather toss the board, save the little pieces and make mini ornaments out of them…or place them in handmade crackers and give them out to little kids during Halloween or Christmas.

If you’re super artsy you could turn board game pieces into unique jewelry.

Knowledge is power!  Learn fun facts, hints and tips, and creative ways to use every day items with “The Buzz” posts on Thursday.