How to Make Folding Game Boards

Board games are a fun activity to play with friends or family. If one of those board games happen to break and you need a replacement, or if you simply want to create a new board game, a money-saving idea might be to make your own folding game boards.

Cut a piece of pressed cardboard into four equal square pieces (dependent on the size of the board game you are making), such as 7.5" x 7.5" (for this example). Make sure the edges are perfectly straight and the four pieces fit together into a perfect 15" x 15" game board.

Take two of the cardboard squares and place them side by side so that their edges are touching. Place them both face up (as they will likely be the same on each face, determine now which side you want to be the top, and which you want to be the bottom—this will come into play later).

Place a strip of duct tape along the crease where the two boards meet. Apply the tape to the top of the boards, as opposed to underneath.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the remaining two squares of cardboard. The tape will create a hinge that will allow you to bend the boards, but keep them in their right positions. You should now have two rectangle sections of two taped squares each.

Place the two taped sections next to each other face down. Place them so that you have created an exact square with your two sections of cardboard.

Place a length of tape along one of the squares between the two sections (the tape will only be 7.5" long, and will only go from the edge to the center of the game board). This will result in taping every square to one another except for two adjacent squares.

Tape all of the edges of the cardboard with duct tape, making sure that you don't cross a joint with the tape as this will hinder the folding of the board. This tape along the outside will help increase the longevity and durability of your game board.

Print your printable game board template out. You can find templates for game boards in Microsoft Office or online. This step will depend entirely on the type of game you want to create. Or, if you're very creative, you can make your own templates with Photoshop or some other creation program. Print it out on adhesive paper, one for each quardrant of the game. Avery full sheet labels work well for this. Break the template into four pieces, 7" x 7" each, and print them off.

Cut the printed template page so that it measures 7 1/4" x 7 1/4" (this will leave a small line—1/4"—of white on the outside edge of the game board).

Adhere the pages to each of the cardboard squares. Place them in the proper order so that the board isn't all jumbled up. Once that is completed, fold the board up to test it out. You will have a working, folding game board.