DIY Marble Roll Game from a Shoe Box

We’ve had the rainiest summer down here in Florida than any I can remember in recent history, and, while I am thankful for the water, it has surely spoiled many plans for parks and pools and general outdoor fun.  We’ve been relying on our fully stocked game closet to help keep us occupied, but as those games began to get a little old, I decided to load up on some “make your own fun” type of books from our library.

I found so many great books filled with ideas for using cardboard boxes and other household objects to make a menagerie of toys and games and general objects of interest. I immediately seized on one idea simply because it was so quick to make and I knew my girls would enjoy it.

Making it is very simple. In fact, for our first attempt we repurposed a cereal box and borrowed some marbles from our Hungry Hippos for instant entertainment. Once I saw how much everyone enjoyed the game, I went ahead and splurged on some “real” marbles ($1 for a pack of 50 at Walmart) and made a new game that would last us a little longer.

Although the chalkboard paint isn’t really necessary, I like being able to change the scores for practicing skip-counting, or I can erase the score numbers if competition is getting too intense and we an just play for fun!

You can play on a table or on the floor. We chose the table, but most of the marbles that didn’t make it into the box ended up on the floor anyway!

Have you had any success with homemade games for your kids? Any favorites…do share!