Making a Card Game

From LoveToKnow Crafts

If you're looking for a fun handmade gift idea, consider making a card game. Handmade card games are easy and inexpensive presents that are great for almost any occasion.

Making a card game is a great way to express your creativity.

Handmade Memory Game

The rules of a memory game are very simple.

Place the cards face down on a flat surface.
Choose a player to go first. He/she should pick two cards to show the group. If they match, he/she can keep the pair.
If the cards don't match, he/she flips them over and allows the next player to take a turn.
When all the cards are gone, the player with the most pairs is the winner.

Memory games are widely available for purchase, but making a card game is a fun activity. You can even create a theme for your game by selecting stickers showcasing favorite cartoon characters or photos of family members.

Supplies:

Index cards or pieces of cardstock cut to a uniform size
Stickers, clip art images, or photos sharing a common theme--with two copies of each design
Large rubber stamp or patterned paper to decorate the back of the cards
Glue stick
Clear contact paper
Cardboard box or storage tin
Paint, markers, and embellishments to decorate box or tin

Instructions:

Decide how many pairs you want to make for your game. If the game is for a toddler with a short attention span, as few as five pairs may be sufficient. For an older child, you'll probably want to create between 15 and 25 pairs. A game for adults may require even more cards.
Add stickers, clip art, or photos to the cards to create pairs of each image. Write small captions for each card if you're trying to teach your child how to read or reinforce key vocabulary words.
Decorate the backs of the cards with patterned paper or a large rubber stamp.
Laminate the cards for extra durability by covering them in clear contact paper.
Decorate a small cardboard box or tin to use as a storage container for your card game. If desired, include a printed copy of the memory game instructions.

Don't have time to make a memory game from scratch? You can find printable memory cards on the DLTK Kids Web site. Choose from a variety of different educational themes, including seasons, holidays, animals, flowers, music, body parts, and nutrition. For fun, there are also cards featuring characters from Blue's Clues, Veggie Tales, and Pokemon.

Personalized Photo Playing Cards

Why play games with an ordinary deck of cards? HP has a fun printable craft project that allows you to use your own photos to create a "King of Cool" card deck. The colorful graphics on this project make it a wonderful gift.

Solitaire, Go Fish, and Blackjack are three of the most popular games to play with a deck of personalized photo playing cards, but there are many other options available as well. The Alphabetical Index of Card Games has instructions for unique and unusual games to play.

Making a Card Game with Collectible Trading Cards

If you know someone who enjoys playing collectible trading card games such as the Magic: The Gathering, a deck of handmade trading cards can be a fun gift. Big Huge Labs has an easy-to-use online tool that lets you design personalized trading cards. Upload a photo, choose a background, and enter your text to make a one-of-a-kind card.

Additional Resources

Look for more handmade game ideas? The Game-it-Yourself Canonical List of Free Print-and-Play Games provides an extensive listing of printable game crafts you can make yourself, including activities for both children and adults. If you're feeling extremely creative, you can even combine elements of several different games to invent your own card game.

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