lot of us have played tic-tac-toe before, but have you ever played it using graham crackers and candy? In this activity today, we are going to make tic-tac-toe boards with graham crackers. This is a very fun and versatile project that kids of all ages can enjoy. Not only do you get a fun and stimulating game out of this activity, but all the materials are edible, so you get a tasty snack too! This can be done in just a few steps with less than 5 ingredients.
Materials Needed:
-Graham crackers, halved
-Cookie frosting in a squeeze pouch (can use homemade frosting or even melted chocolate in a plastic bag with the corner cut off as an alternative)
-M&Ms, Skittles, fruit snacks, or any other assorted candy/snack
-Cutting board or another flat surface
Activity Steps:
Before starting, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. It is important to have clean hands because you will be using candy as your game pieces! Then, clear an area so you can create your boards and play tic-tac-toe on them with enough space.
Step 1: Preparations
First, lay out your cutting board or baking sheet. If you do not have either of these available to you, put wax or parchment paper on a surface like a counter or table
instead.
Step 2: Build the Board
Next, place the graham cracker halves on your prepared surface. I spaced mine out about 2 to 3 inches, so I had enough room in case drawing with the frosting got a little messy.
Once the graham crackers are on the surface, use the cookie frosting (or melted chocolate) to draw two vertical lines down the middle of the graham cracker.
Cross over the vertical lines you just drew with two horizontal lines across the middle of the graham cracker.
Step 3: Playing
Now that you have created a tasty tic-tac-toe board, you can play with your family or friends! Choose a specific color of M&Ms, Skittles, or other candy for yourself. Make sure the person you are playing with has a different color than you do! For example, I chose blue M&Ms and my brother chose orange. These different colors will take the place of the X’s and O’s used in traditional
tic-tac-toe.
Once you have your colors separated, take turns putting your candy on the tic-tac-toe board. Whoever gets three of their candies lined up first wins!
Tip: There are a few ways to win. Having three candies lined up horizontally, (left to right), vertically (top to bottom), or even diagonally (from one corner to the opposite corner) are all ways to win.
Sometimes nobody wins and the game ends in a draw but that’s okay! You can play another round or just enjoy your yummy tic-tac-toe board.