April Showers Shrink with Ink Checkers

They say April showers bring May flowers, but right now those April showers just seem gloomy. That just wont do, so here’s a craft which pays homage to those April showers and is just cute enough to brighten up a rainy day! What’s even better is its fun to make and fun to play!

Let’s dive in!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 4 Sheets 8.5 x 11 in. Printer Paper
• A 12 x 12 in sturdy material to back the game board (I used two pieces of thin cardboard)
• 4 sheets of NuFun Activities Shrink with Ink
• Scissors
• Glue
• Tape
• Printer
• Toaster Oven or Conventional Over

Lets start making the game pieces.

1. Design your game pieces. I made mine triangles because lately I’m triangle obsessed but you can make yours whichever shape you want. You can find a printable version of the game pieces I used here: Green Checkers Pieces and Yellow Checkers Pieces.  I found the cute suns and umbrellas on All Free Downloads! As always with Nufun Activities Shrink with Ink, keep in mind that your pieces will get to be about 1/3 their size when they shrink.
2. Print your game pieces on the shrink sheets. Don’t forget to turn up the brightness before you print because the colors will get darker as they shrink!
3. Cut out your game pieces.

   

4. Shrink your game pieces in the oven/toaster oven.
5. Now you have adorable little checkers!

Okay, time for the game board!

1. Print your game board. If you’re designing your own, make sure that the spaces are big enough to fit your game pieces. You can also find a printable version of the game board I used here fitted to 8.5 x 11 in. paper.
2. Cut out your printed game board sections and place them together.
3. Glue your game board pieces onto whatever backing material you use. Because I used two pieces of thin cardboard, I taped the two pieces together in the back to create a board that could be folded.
4. Once your game board is glued together and dry, enjoy a fun game of checkers!

There, I feel better about the rain already! Do you have other Shrink with Ink craft ideas you’d like to share? Get in touch with us below. We would love to hear your ideas!