Design a Road to College Board Game!

Let's face it: high schoolers would do just about anything to avoid having to sit and ponder their path to college. But by the second half of high school, the questions will start pouring in: “What do you want to study?” “Where do you want to go?” “Small college or big university?” And sooner or later, teens need to do some serious thinking – before the college application deadline!

Want to help your teen start thinking about his options without the shrugs and vacant stares? Make thinking about college fun by working with your teen to design and plan a Road to College board game! Here's how to get started, whether your teen is a Freshman or a Senior.

What You Need:

• Large piece of white or light-colored poster board
• 2 pieces of construction paper or other sturdy paper
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Colored markers or pencils
• Dice

 What You Do:

1. Have your teen sketch out a game board with an erasable pencil. Using classic games like Candyland as an example, sketch a twisty path from a “Start” point at one corner of the “board” to a “College” point at another. Once your teen is satisfied with the shape of the path, have him segment it into squares that a piece can move along.
2. Now it's time to add some pizazz to the game board. Encourage your teen to color in each square with a different or alternating color. Mark every few squares with a star or other symbol to set that square apart. If your teen is artistically inclined, he can decorate the “board” with illustrations. If not, use cut-outs from the college admissions booklets you have probably already begun to receive to paste college-related imagery to the scene.
3. Next, make your game cards. These cards represent options and choices that your teen will need to begin considering as he thinks about where he would like to go to college, and what he wants to study once he gets there. Using a rule, divide one sheet of construction paper into quarters the long way, and sixths the short way, to make a grid of 24 rectangles. Line the other sheet of paper up behind this one and cut out the rectangles to make a total of 48 cards.
4. Brainstorm with your child about the different choices he may need to make while deciding which college is right for him. What kinds of different schools are there? What are the options in terms of size and distance from home? What sorts of subjects might he want to study? On each card, write one of the following terms, and add the other ideas that you come up with. When you are finished, stack the cards face down and shuffle them up a bit before placing them on the game board.
   • Close to home
   • In state
   • Out of state
   • Large University
   • Liberal Arts College
   • Trade School
   • Art/Music School
   • Sports
   • Anthropology
   • Art History
   • Astronomy
   • Biology
   • Chemistry
   • Cinema Studies
   • Creative Writing
   • Cultural Studies
   • Dance
   • Economics
   • English
   • Environmental Studies
   • Foreign Language
   • Geology
   • History
   • Law
   • Mathematics
   • Physics
   • Politics
   • Psychology
   • Religion
   • Sociology
   • Studio Art
   • Theater
5. Now it's time to play! Using any small object (such as a coin, safety pin, or game piece borrowed from another game), place your pieces at the “Start” marker. Each player takes turns to roll the die and advance that number of squares on the board. If you land on a square marked with a star, draw a card from your deck. Think about if the option presented on the card, whether it's an area of study or a type of school, is a possibility for you. For example, if you are planning on studying in a scientific field, and you draw an “English” card, replace the card in the bottom of the deck and stay put. If you draw a “Chemistry” card and you may consider studying Chemistry, keep the card in a personal pile, and roll again. (If you are a parent, you may only roll again if you draw a card that represents something that you actually did, such as being a History major or studying at an in-state university.)
6. If you do not land on a starred square, you may choose to retreat to the last star square that you passed and draw a card, or simply stay put until your next turn. The first person to reach the “College” area at the end of the game path “wins,” but by the end of the game your teen should have accumulated a small stack of possible options for his future. It could be an eclectic variety of possibilities, or only a few cards.

This game is no substitute for serious thought about the future on the part of your teen, but it will give him a chance to experiment with ideas in a low-pressure, fun environment. Hopefully, when it's time to make the final decision, your teen will be prepared to draw the right card that will take him on the road to college that's best for him.