Begin by inviting a few quick examples of familiar games (e.g., Snakes & Ladders, Uno, etc.) and how pupils learned them—by watching, from friends, or by reading a rule card.

Prompt a short discussion on why games need clear rules: they keep play fair, predictable, and safe; they stop arguments; and they let everyone know what to do next. 

Ask pupils to recall a time a game felt confusing because a rule wasn’t clear.

On the board, create four headings: Setup, Turns, If → Then rules, and How to win.

Capture one simple example under each heading so everyone can see the structure of a game.

For example with Snakes and Ladders:

Setup — Use a simple path board with START and FINISH, one counter per player, and one die. All counters begin on START.

Turns — On your turn, roll the die and move your counter forward that number of squares. Play passes clockwise.

If → Then rules — If you land on the foot of a ladder, then move up to the top of that ladder. If a you land on the head of a snake, then move it down to the tail. 

How to win — The first player to reach the FINISH square wins.

Now we are going to play a game similar to snakes and ladders but the rules are slightly different. Read through these rules with your class and play this game below in the next step!

Setup — Use a 5×5 grid with a single path from START to FINISH at opposite ends (like Snakes & Ladders). Place two counters (Teacher, Class) and one die. Use the interactive board attached in the next step on your screen.

Turn order — Teacher and Class alternate. On your turn, roll the die and move that many squares along the path.

If → Then rules —

• If BLUE, then move forward +2.

• If RED, then move back −1.

• If GREEN, then move forward +5.

• If BLACK, then move back −3.

• Otherwise, no effect.

How to win — First counter to reach FINISH wins (no exact roll required).

Now it’s their turn to design.

Tell pupils they’ll make their own version of the colour-rules game using the downloadable board template (attached).

Put them in pairs or threes, give each group a template, a die, and counters, then ask them to customise the board with 3–4 colours and write a mini rule set using the same headings: Setup, Turn order, If → Then rules (colours map to in-game effects like move +2 / −1, roll again, swap), and How to win.