My daughter, who’s in kindergarten, loves playing tic-tac-toe, but we have to let her win sometimes otherwise she gets bored and really mad. She is our feisty one after all. After I created the Anthropologie inspired DIY trinket dishes using plastic zoo animal toys, I had several left over animal toys. I picked out four animals and cut them in half to create game pieces for this tic-tac-toe game. I wanted a magnetic game so that all the pieces stayed in place and so that my girls could play in the car. I used some black and white spray paint I had on hand and sprayed all the heads black and all the tails white. Once the paint was completely dry, I glued on magnets. I would have loved to have had a tic-tac-toe board on a metal tray, but to keep this DIY budget friendly, I just used this hanging galvanized metal sign to make my tic-tac-toe grid. You could also use a permanent Sharpie to draw your lines, but I just used some cute washi tape to create a grid. When they outgrow the game, I can remove the tape and use this metal sign for something else. These fun animal parts would also work on the fridge or filing cabinet – whatever works best for you. I think this DIY tic-tac-toe game is unique and different enough to refresh the game even for older kids and adults. Tic-Tac-Toe is one of those games that adults can play with kids and teach them a little strategy and have a little fun too. I think this could be a fun gift to give to a teacher or game-lover.

Here is a quick video to see the behind the scenes process of creating this fun little game. By the way, my girls love this version and play it often!