happy little dude’s 3rd birthday was this week. we had a party with three of his friends from daycare today and i created this game as a take-home party favor. it was inspired by the book freight train by donald crews (for the visuals) and by the math-at-play website (for game concept–it’s a combination of the short path game and the number line game. go read those links for an excellent explanation of why this simple game can be so helpful!)
i thought i’d share a little tutorial with you in case anyone would like to make their own version of this game!
although there are infinite variations of ways to make this game (felt! paper! stickers! two layers of fabric and forget the seam binding!), to make the version pictured above, i used a piece of canvas, seam binding, a velcro cable tie (one of my new favorite craft supplies!), one wooden cube, two wooden “gingerbread men,” fabric paint, brushes, scraps of foam sheets, a fine-tip permanent marker and gluestick.
first, cut a piece of canvas (mine was approximately 10′ x 15′) and finish all four sides with bias tape.
second, fold over one of the short edges to create a pocket deep enough to store the gingerbread men and sew along the sides. 
third, fold/roll the game the way you’d like to store it and figure out the best place to add the velcro cable tie. i recommend sewing it so that the soft side of the velcro is facing out when the game is rolled up.
using the #1 method described in this post, i created stamps for these trains (for some, i just used some cubes of sponge dipped directly into the paint). i used rainbow colors, but you could also paint them all the same color to save time, just make sure there are 10 cars total.
then i used paintbrushes to add wheels and to couple the cars together.
then, paint numbers on one set of the train cars.
and add dots (3 sides with one dot, 3 sides with two dots) with a permanent marker on the wooden cube.
each game (once the paint is dry) gets two “gingerbread men” and one die tucked into the pocket, then rolled so that the paint is on the inside.
click the link below to print off a copy of the instructions to tuck into the game (if desired)
this game made a fun birthday party favor (although we only had four little boys here, including the happy little dude. i might balk at making 15 of these…). it would also make good travel entertainment or restaurant distraction because it’s easy to tuck into your purse. i made this game with trains because a certain little someone is obsessed with trains, but you could easily personalize this for whatever kid you’re giving it to.
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