Discovery Space: Board games and battleships
Fun at home children’s activity inspired by board games in the Museum’s collection and the
exhibition Glorious Days: Australia 1913.
The National Museum of Australia has many board games in its collection. Some are 100 years old!
Two of these games, part of the Glorious Days: Australia 1913 exhibition, were produced to celebrate
exciting events of the time – the arrival of the Australian naval fleet and the exploration of Antarctica.
Board games often reflect events or trends in society. These games were popular as family
entertainment in 1913, when there was no television or computer games.
Left to right: ‘Commonwealth Navy’ and ‘Antarctica’ board games, 1913, made by National Games Company, Melbourne.
National Museum of Australia.
A few questions to start you thinking

Do you like to play board games?

Can you think of board games you have played that illustrate events or trends of the time?

What is it about these games that show they come from a particular time? (Hint: Compare an
old version of Monopoly with newer versions, which have electronic banking and credit cards).

What sort of board game would you design?
Children in the October 2013 Discovery Space at the National Museum made their own board games
about different themes of Australia in 2013. You might like to make your own board game at home.
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What you will need
You will need to get your thinking cap on to make your own board game. It’s lots of fun and you are
only limited by your imagination. You might like to check out our fun at home video for some
inspiration. Here are some things you might need to get started:

A3-size cardboard or paper that can go
through a printer

printer (optional)

spare items from the stationery drawer
such as paperclips, stickers, cardboard,
stamps, sticky notes, pens and pencils

anything you have around that could be
used as a game piece, such as buttons,
modelling clay, rocks or photos of you

a dice or spinner (or you could make
your own out of modelling clay or
cardboard).
What to do
You can draw your own board game on a piece of cardboard or you could print out one of the two
templates that we used in the holiday program. They are A3 size when printed.

Template 1 is a simple roll the dice game for younger children. Let your imagination run free and
decorate your board to match your theme.

Template 2 is aimed at older children. You can make your own game cards to place in the speech
bubble space in the middle of this board.
Template 1
Template 2
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Think of a theme
This might be the hardest part! Your theme can be about anything. We chose a ‘Summer Holiday in
Australia’ theme. Here are some suggestions if you are stuck:

Best Pets in Show

The Grand Final Game

A Healthy Eating Game

Rivers and Roads around Australia

Animals of Australia

Landmarks of your town

The School Excursion Game.
The possibilities are endless.
Make game pieces
You can make game pieces from objects such as buttons, coins, shells or small rocks. Or you could
make your own. Here’s some simple ideas.
A drawing or a photo of each of the players, cut out and mounted on a paper clip or bulldog clip.
Small cupcake paper or case + modelling clay + flag = game piece. Or model the clay to make your
own characters.
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Make your game rules
Now that you have a theme, you might like to decorate your board with textas or pencils. You will also
need to think of rewards or challenges in your game that fit with your theme. You can place these
rules or moves on your board using textas, stickers or sticky notes. Here are some examples of rules
from our ‘Summer Holidays in Australia’ game:

Ouch! You stayed out in the sun too long and are sunburnt. Go back to the start.

Stop! The ice cream van has arrived. Miss a turn.
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
Oh no, you forgot the insect repellent and were bitten by mozzies. Go back three spaces.

You won the sandcastle-building contest at the beach. Well done! Go forward.
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Play your game
When you have finished making your board game, challenge your friends or family to a game and
enjoy!
Share
Share your creation with us by sending a photo to: [email protected]
We will add your photo to the National Museum’s Flickr stream, where you can see other craft
creations from our Discovery Space.
More
Fun at home activities, videos and games on the Museum’s website
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