Homemade PB&J Felt Game

I love making simple homemade games and toys for my daughter – it’s a really easy way to feel like a supermom and get my crafting fix at the same time! This Homemade PB&J Game was inspired by a sweet poem by Betsy Snyder.

I was inspired to make this game after reading this sweet poem in Betsy Synder’s I Haiku You:

you be my jelly,

i’ll be your peanut butter –

let’s stick together!

My daughter thought this was an adorable little haiku and she loved the fun foodie metaphor!

This simple homemade felt game is a great introduction to the basics of playing a game – rolling a dice, waiting turns, following instructions – while also being easy and straightforward for kids to remember. I also love that the felt and the felt-covered die brings in a sensory element to the game.

This game might also be a fun option for a child who misses out on peanut butter due to allergies, depending on their personality.

How to Make Your Own Homemade PB&J Game

First, gather your materials:

• 3 colours of felt: one for bread, one for the peanut butter, and one for the jam. We used white, light brown, and purple for a grape jelly and peanut butter on white bread – but feel free to use your child’s favourite combination while whipping together your game
• Sharp scissors
• Wooden die or cube (you’re going to be covering it up with felt anyways)
• Felt glue or school glue

Simply cut out bread-shaped pieces of your “bread felt” and splotchy blob-shapes out of the peanut butter and jam felt.

Trace the sides of the wooden die onto the different colours of felt and cut small squares to cover up the die with – you want to cover the six sides of the die with two squares of each of the three felt colours. Attach with glue. (Alternatively, you can paint the die to match – but I loved that sensory contrast of the soft felt on the hard wood.)

You can place this game in any container, but a cleaned-up peanut butter or jam jar would be fun and allow children to practice opening and closing containers!

How to Play the PB&J Game

There are two levels of play for this game – more if you want to come up with your own variations!

Way to Play #1: Gathering Ingredients

Have your child start off by rolling the die.

Identify which colour is facing up – that is the corresponding colour to the felt piece your child receives.

Take turns and encourage patience and positive attitudes towards other players.

Everyone takes turns gathering pieces until one player has 2 “bread pieces”, 1 “peanut butter” piece, and 1 “jam” piece. That player is the winner!

(Celebrating with PB&J sandwiches completely optional but definitely encouraged!)

 

Way to Play #2: Making the Sandwich in Order

Have your child start off by rolling the die.

Identify which colour is facing up – they need a bread piece to get started.

Take turns and encourage patience and positive attitudes towards other players.

Once the player has rolled a “bread piece” they can gather their jam and peanut butter pieces, but they cannot receive another bread piece until their first piece has both peanut butter and jam on it.

This version takes slightly longer and is intended for a child who has experience pldaying games and is ready to practice patience and delayed gratification.

What do you think? Would your kids enjoy this Homemade PB & J game?

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