DIY Fishing Game { Fun + Educational }

The fishing game is played in most foundation phase classrooms and chances are your kids have nagged you to get a game for the home as well. But before you hit the toy stores, have a look at this easy-peasy DIY version – even the kids can get involved with the making and creating!

You will need:

• Thick paper / felt in a variety of colours
• 10 (or more) paper clips
• 2 wooden dowel sticks – approximately 50cm long
• A roll of string
• 2 small magnets
• Decorative bits and bobs (optional)
• A large flat box
• Blue paint

Now to get started – the fish:

1. Using a pencil, draw 10 fish shapes (or as many as you want) on the coloured paper. (NOTE: If you’re a perfectionist, you can use thicker cardboard to make a traceable fish shape first, but then again – having various shapes and sizes add to the fun.)
2. Cut out the shapes and let the kiddies decorate them to their hearts’ content, though ensure that the decorations aren’t too heavy as that might make the magnet’s job difficult later on. If you’re using glue, leave the fish to dry before continuing.
3. As an optional extra, use a permanent marker to write point indicators on the fish – 5, 10, 25 and 50 – as this adds a bit of mathematical exercise to the game.
4. Slide a paperclip onto each fish, more or less where the mouth should be.

Next, let’s move onto the fishing rods:

1. Cut two lengths of string – approximately 50cm, but you might prefer a different length depending on the size of your kiddies.
2. Tie one end of each piece of string to the end of a dowel stick. If you’re scared that the string might slip off, secure it with a blob of glue.
3. Lastly, tie a magnet to the other end of each piece of string – this will be the “fish hook”.

Finally, make the pond by painting the inside of the box blue and decorating it with embellishments of your choice.

And there you have it! To play the game, place the fishies in the pond and let the kids take turns to fish. Alternatively, let both fish at the same time to see who can catch the most in the given time.