We’re taking family game night to a new level.
Pat and I absolutely love playing games with friends and family. Typically, we are the ones who bring games to parties. Over Thanksgiving, we played a game of jeopardy using a large whiteboard, but we hadn’t really fleshed out how we were going to play. I figured it would be better if we created an actual game board we could reuse time and time again.
The best part is that Jeopardy works for so many occasions: Game night, bridal showers, baby showers, studying for a big exam…the list can go on. It’s also something that can be played over a virtual gathering like Google Hangouts, Zoom, or FaceTime. I know with Coronavirus still looming over us, people are not able to be with their loved ones, so this is a fun way to have some laughs with family.
Things You’ll Need:
-
- Foam Tri-Fold Board – Target
- Envelopes – Dollar Store
- Dry-Erase Boards – Dollar Store
- Cardstock – Target
- Paper Cutter – Michaels
- Metallic Markers – Michaels
- Smokey Beige Spray Paint – Home Depot
- Skewers – Target
- Hot Glue & Glue Gun – Michaels & Michaels
- Rubber Cement – Michaels
Paint Game Board
I wanted the white envelopes to stand out against the board so I lightly spray painted my foam board with Rustoleum Smokey Beige paint. I let it dry for about an hour before gluing the envelopes. You can also paint your board with acrylic paint, but it may take longer to dry.
Envelopes
While the foam board was drying, I took gold and silver paint markers and labeled the envelopes with the corresponding points: 100-500. Typically, Jeopardy has 5 categories so I alternated columns leavins us with 3 gold sections and 2 silver. Don’t forget to make a ‘Final Jeopardy’ envelope!
Once you have all your envelopes ready, you can take rubber cement and glue them in place. First, I placed all the envelopes in the places I wanted them to go, organizing them as straight as possible. Then I started gluing by applying a generous amount of rubber cement all over the envelope. I glued the Final Jeopardy envelope to the back of the board.
Jeopardy Questions
I cut 25 cards out of cardstock that fit inside the envelopes. I used a couple different sites to find Jeopardy questions, but to make it more personal, Pat and I added questions that pertained to the family. For Jeopardy questions check out this site and this site. Write the question on one side and the answer in smaller print at the bottom. I labeled each one with points that corresponded to the envelope they will sit in, too. This will help you when you are playing the game so you don’t lose track of how many points to assign a team – or take away if they get the answer wrong. Now you have another side you can use for future questions and save paper!
Category Labels
While you are coming up with questions, pay attention to categories. You can use the website above and sort by category, or you can create your own category names! I sorted our questions by the following
Chop Chop! = Food
5 Letter Words = Exactly That
On Your Wedding Day = All wedding related questions
Potpourri = Random Questions
Recent Movies = Exactly That
I glued a piece of cardstock at the stop of each section but I wanted to make the labels changeable. Using a bit of scrap cardstock, I taped on the actual labels so I could change them out for a future game.
Final Jeopardy
Here is where the dry-erase boards come in handy. People can place their wagers on the boards, to be noted by the judges. Then they can write their final answers as well. No paper wasted!
Jeopardy Game Board Sign
I printed the words ‘Family Jeopardy’ on paper and glued it around 2 skewers with hot glue. Then I glued the skewers to the back keeping them taught while the hot glue dried.
_
We are going to have a lot of fun playing this game with family for Christmas. I hope that you guys get a chance to play too. Even if you are not able to spend the holiday together, try playing it over Zoom or FaceTime!
Have you ever made a board game? What game should I try next?
