These game designer crafts invite kids to invent the parts that make a game work: its board, characters, levels, objects, and rules. Each project uses familiar materials such as paper, cardboard, markers, and modeling clay, and can become a starting point for a game to play with family or friends. The ideas suit curious makers who enjoy drawing, building, storytelling, or figuring out how a game should work.
1. Make a Paper Board Game
Fold or tape paper into a simple board, then draw a route of spaces leading from a start point to a clear goal. Kids can add a few special spaces—such as a shortcut, a muddy patch that sends a player backward, or a bridge that requires a token—to make movement part of the game rather than mere decoration. Use coins or small paper shapes as temporary player pieces, and write the movement rules on a separate sheet so they can be changed easily.
The design challenge is to make a route that offers interesting choices without confusing players. Ask the designer to explain what happens on each marked space, then have someone unfamiliar with the idea try a round using only the written directions. If a player gets stuck or asks what a symbol means, revise the board or rules; that practical test teaches why clarity is part of game design.
For a stronger theme, connect the route to a setting the child invents: a garden expedition, a trip through a castle, or a journey across a moonlit island. Keep the first version short and sketchy instead of spending a long time decorating a board whose rules have not been tested. Once the movement feels enjoyable, the maker can add color, a title, and a small legend explaining the symbols.
2. Draw a Video Game Level Map
Give kids graph paper and ask them to design a top-down level, with each square standing for a patch of floor, a wall, water, or another feature. They can make a legend using simple marks, then draw a start point, an exit, and obstacles that shape the route between them. A level might include a locked door, a key placed in a side room, and a safe path that loops back toward the entrance.
Unlike a decorative map, a level map should communicate where a player can go and what the player must do. Invite the designer to trace a possible route with a finger and explain how every barrier can be passed; if a wall blocks the only exit or the key is unreachable, the map needs a change. This turns spatial reasoning into a practical design exercise and helps kids see how obstacles can guide a player without a long explanation.
After the first map works on paper, make a physical version with folded card walls or building blocks and move a small toy through it. The child can check whether a narrow passage is genuinely passable and whether the route feels too easy or frustrating. Keep the paper map beside the model so edits are easy to record, and let the designer add optional areas for a hidden object or a different route.
3. Create Character Design Cards
Cut rectangles from card or reuse clean pieces of packaging, then give each one a space for a character drawing, a name, and a short role in the game. Instead of stopping at appearance, ask the designer to choose one useful ability and one limitation: a small explorer might fit through narrow tunnels but have trouble moving heavy objects. These details give the character a purpose and suggest situations the game can build around.
Make a small cast whose abilities are meaningfully different, rather than giving every character the same strengths with a different color. To check whether a design matters, pose a simple challenge—cross a river, reach a high ledge, or open a stuck gate—and ask which character could help and why. If no ability affects a decision, revise it until the choice has a clear consequence in play.
On the back of each card, children can note a personality trait, a goal, or a line of dialogue, keeping the story detail separate from the playable ability. The cards can then be shuffled, chosen by players, or used as prompts for a story-based board game. This is a useful craft for kids who love drawing because it connects visual choices to a character’s role, rather than treating the illustration as the entire design.
4. Build a Cardboard Game Controller
Use a small, clean piece of cardboard as the controller body, and add paper circles or bottle-cap shapes to represent buttons and a directional pad. Kids can label the controls with actions such as jump, move, or interact, then draw a simple screen on a separate sheet showing what a character does when a button is pressed. This is a pretend controller, not an electronic device, so it offers a safe way to explore how control layouts communicate actions.
Ask the designer to arrange the buttons so a player can understand their purpose at a glance. A color key or tiny icon can help, but the labels should remain consistent with the actions shown on the paper screen. Have another person choose a button and describe what they expect it to do before the maker explains the design; different expectations are a clue that a symbol or label may need to be clearer.
To make the craft part of a larger project, draw a short sequence of game scenes and use the cardboard controller to act them out. The child can test whether the controls offer all the actions needed to finish the scene, then move or rename buttons as needed. Avoid sharp tools and small loose pieces for very young makers; an adult can prepare the cardboard, while the child handles decorating and paper parts.
5. Invent a Dice-and-Action System
Make a large paper die by copying a cube template onto cardstock, folding the flaps, and securing them with tape, or use an ordinary die if one is available. Assign each face an action that fits a game idea: move, collect, swap, pause, or choose a direction, for example. Then draw a simple path or set of object cards so the die has a purpose and each roll changes what the player can do.
The design question is whether chance creates suspense while leaving players with decisions. If every roll decides everything, the game may feel like watching luck unfold; let a player choose between two actions after rolling, or decide which route to take with the result. Play a short test and note whether a face has an unclear effect or appears to end a turn without adding anything useful.
Use symbols as well as words so younger players can recognize the actions, and keep a written key nearby while the rules are still changing. Kids can redraw a face or swap an action after each test instead of rebuilding the whole die. This craft offers a concrete introduction to randomness: a die can make outcomes less predictable, but the designer still chooses what those outcomes mean and how much control players retain.
6. Sculpt Reusable Game Tokens
Shape small tokens from air-dry modeling clay, or cut simple pieces from thick card if a mess-free option is preferable. Make each token easy to tell apart by giving it a distinct silhouette, pattern, or color, then decide what it represents: a player, a key, a supply, or a creature on the board. If using clay, follow the product’s own handling and drying directions, and keep the pieces large enough for the intended players to handle comfortably.
Designing a token is more than decorating a tiny figure; its shape should help players understand its job during a game. A flat key shape is easy to distinguish from a round player marker, while a repeated pattern can identify pieces that belong to the same team. Set the pieces on the board and check whether they remain recognizable when several are close together or viewed from across the table.
Once dry, tokens can be reused in different paper prototypes, which makes them handy components for a growing game-design kit. Let the child make a small set that works with the board game or level map, rather than crafting many pieces before knowing what the game needs. If a token’s role changes during testing, a simple sticker or paper label can update it without requiring a new sculpt.
7. Make Pixel-Art Game Sprites
Draw a grid on paper or use graph paper, then color one square at a time to create a character, object, or simple animation frame. Pixel art is useful for game design because the grid encourages kids to think about readable shapes and limited detail: a character should still be recognizable when represented by a compact block of color. Start with a clear outline and a small palette, then add a feature that helps distinguish the sprite from other figures.
For an animation, draw the same character in a few poses on separate grid squares or small cards—for example, standing, taking a step, and jumping. Keep the basic body shape consistent while changing only the parts that need to move, such as an arm or leg. Place the drawings in sequence and flip through them to see whether the action reads clearly; if the pose changes too much, the character may seem to become someone else.
Kids can also create matching sprites for an obstacle, collectible, and background tile, then arrange them into a paper scene. Ask which objects need to stand out and which should recede, since a player needs to notice important items quickly. This craft rewards careful observation and gives young artists a way to connect visual style with function, even when the finished game exists only on paper.
8. Design Quest and Item Cards
Cut a stack of similarly sized cards from paper or light card, then make one set for quests and another for useful objects. A quest card might ask a player to find a lost map before reaching the exit; an item card could show a lantern that reveals a hidden passage. Give every card a short title, an illustration or icon, and a precise instruction so the player knows when it can be used and what changes afterward.
Try to make each card offer a meaningful choice rather than simply adding a sentence to the story. If a player can use a rope to cross a gap, decide whether the rope is used up, can be shared, or opens a route that would otherwise stay closed. Those small rule decisions help a child understand how objects affect the options available in a game, and they prevent card effects from being left to guesswork.
Sort the cards into piles and test them alongside a basic board or map. If one card is confusing, rewrite its instruction in everyday language; if several cards do the same thing, change one so each has a distinct role. A simple paper band or envelope can keep the finished sets together, and the cards can be revised whenever play reveals a better idea.
9. Make a Game-World Diorama
Use a shallow cardboard box or a folded sheet of card as a small stage, then build a scene from paper shapes, scrap card, and drawing materials. The child might create a forest clearing with a gate, a cave entrance, and a route between them, or a floating island with places a character could explore. Mark which parts are scenery and which parts affect play, such as a wall that blocks movement or a bridge that connects two areas.
A diorama helps a designer think about a game world from the player’s point of view. Ask where the player starts, what can be reached, and what visual clue suggests the next useful action; a bright doorway or a distinctive object can guide attention without a written instruction. Then move a small token through the scene and check that the model’s layout matches the rules the child wants to use.
Keep the model modular by attaching major features with folded paper tabs or removable tape, so a wall, bridge, or doorway can be moved during testing. A fixed, highly decorated scene may be attractive but difficult to revise, while a flexible one encourages experimenting with different routes. The finished diorama can serve as a setting for a board game, a story prompt, or a tabletop role-playing scene.
10. Create a Game Designer’s Test Notebook
Fold several sheets of paper in half and fasten them with a staple, a paper clip, or a piece of string to make a compact notebook. Add pages with headings such as idea, rules, what players tried, and what to change next, leaving room for sketches as well as writing. This craft gives kids a place to keep versions of their game instead of relying on memory when a rule or character changes.
After a playtest, record a specific moment rather than a general verdict: a player did not notice the key, the shortcut made the route too easy, or two people interpreted a symbol differently. Then write one possible change and test that change in the next round. The notebook is valuable because it separates an observation from a solution; a designer can compare options instead of making a quick adjustment that creates a new problem.
Encourage children to include dated sketches or simple version labels so they can see how the idea develops over time, without treating early drafts as failures. They might keep a small list of questions to investigate, such as whether the goal is obvious or whether each player has a useful choice. Pair the notebook with any of the other crafts here and it becomes a record of the design process, not just a scrapbook of finished pieces.
How to Choose
Start with the kind of making the child already enjoys. A keen drawer may be happiest with pixel sprites or character cards, while a builder may prefer a diorama, cardboard controller, or clay tokens; a child who likes puzzles may gravitate toward a level map or a board game with route choices. The best starting craft is one that offers an easy first step and a reason to keep experimenting, not necessarily the one with the most elaborate finished object.
Consider what the child can do independently and what needs adult help. Paper, markers, and folding are generally straightforward, while cutting thick cardboard, handling small pieces, or using materials with specific drying instructions may call for supervision or preparation. Choose pieces that are comfortable to hold and avoid small loose components for children who might put them in their mouths. The craft should fit the child’s abilities and the materials available at home.
Most importantly, choose a project that can be tested. A board, level map, controller mock-up, or set of cards gives the maker something to explain and revise; a purely decorative project may not reveal much about how games work. Keep the first version simple, try it with another person, and focus on one useful question at a time: Are the rules clear? Can the player reach the goal? Does an ability change a decision? A small prototype that gets played can teach more than a polished object that never leaves the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a game designer do?
A game designer plans how a game works, including its goals, rules, player choices, challenges, and feedback. Designers may also work with artists and programmers, but these crafts focus on the ideas kids can explore with paper and simple materials.
Do kids need to know how to code?
No. Every project here can be made and tested without programming. Drawing a level map, writing a rule, or acting out a controller’s buttons helps children practice design thinking before they ever use a computer.
Which craft is best for a first game project?
A paper board game is a practical place to begin because its route, pieces, and rules are easy to change. A child who prefers drawing could start with character cards or pixel-art sprites and add a simple game challenge later.
How can I help without taking over?
Ask the child to explain the idea, play by the written rules, and describe what was confusing. Offer questions and help with tricky preparation, but let the young designer decide which rule, drawing, or layout to revise.
What if the first version is not fun?
Treat that as useful information, not a failed project. Ask where play slowed down or where a choice felt unclear, change one element, and try again; testing and revision are normal parts of designing games.
Final Thoughts
Game designer crafts work best when making leads to play: draw a world, build a rule, try it with someone, and adjust what does not make sense. Start with the materials and interests already at hand, and let the child’s questions guide the next version. Even a small paper prototype can grow into a memorable original game.