Activity

Dots & Boxes ・・・■

A classic pen-and-paper game where students must make a sentence/say a word to draw lines on a grid to make boxes. (The theme is heavily inspired by Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics)

WHAT'S NEW IN VER. 2:

I realised after playing this a few times that the students get stuck on one grid for too long that they never end up getting past round 2.
To solve this, I revised some of the grids and made them a lot smaller, so you'll notice some are labelled v2 or v3.
I also made it a rule that when one player made a sentence, BOTH players will get to draw a line EACH. That way, the game goes way faster.
You can find this new rule in the PowerPoint called Dots and Boxes Instructions v2. I do find that if you don't explain this new rule properly, some students may have trouble understanding it.

How to Play (TL;DR Ver.):

  • Make pairs (can be played 2 or more players)
  • Rock, paper, scissors, winner goes first
  • Winner makes a sentence / says a word / whatever prompt you can come up with
  • Winner draws a line on the grid
  • Then it’s their partner's turn to do the same
  • The game continues until there are no more boxes to claim (or the game finishes until a player reaches an x amount of points first)
  • The player who gets the most points/reaches x points first wins
  • When the pair finishes one sheet, they come up to you to get a brand new sheet

Points:

There are some squares with bonus points, if the students can claim it by making a square, they can get the points.
- 2 Fingers = 2 points
- 3 Fingers = 3 points
- 5 Fingers = 5 points
- Poop = -1 point
- Claiming a blank box = 1 point

Grid List:

NOTE:⭐ The star means that these are very popular with the students.
- 3 holes
- 6 holes
- 15 holes
- ⭐Among Us
- Butterfly
- ⭐Diamond
- Eight
-⭐Hat
- Heart
- ⭐Pyramids
- Rectangle
- ⭐Rubik's Cube
- ⭐Snake

Attachments

  • 15 different dots and boxes grids (Plain = no bonus points, Bonus = has bonus points)
  • Basic Grid + Instructions
  • Worksheet Templates (3 versions) Ver. A&B: Has a score tracker Ver. C: Has no score tracker, means there's more space to work with

NOTE:

  • Printing Dots and Boxes Worksheet is optional but it'll be helpful to put your sentences, words, pictures on this sheet for students to make sentences.
  • Dots and Boxes Board + Instructions is shared between one pair.
  • I got the bonus points idea from a user on this site but I can’t find their activity anymore. If this is you, please let me know so that I can properly credit you!
  • The PPT includes both an English and Japanese instructions tutorial straight from the game.
  • To save paper, you can laminate the sheets and have the students use texters or markers to write on it. When they finish a round, they can erase it and get a new grid from you or use the same sheet.
  • If you want the DOCX files, I'm more than happy to upload them!
Files:
Small files
  • Dots and Boxes Worksheet (Ver. A).docx (282 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes Worksheet (Ver. B).docx (282 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes Worksheet (Ver. C).docx (223 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Snake Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (343 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Snake Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts) v2.pdf (343 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Rubik's Cube Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (530 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Rubik's Cube Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts) v2.pdf (642 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Rectangle Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (382 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Rectangle Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts) v2.pdf (435 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Pyramids Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (599 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Heart Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (465 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Hat Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (484 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Eight Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (444 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Diamond Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (398 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Diamond Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts) v2.pdf (503 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Butterfly Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (492 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (Among Us Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (526 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (15 Holes Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (349 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (6 Holes Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (323 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (3 Holes Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts).pdf (320 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes (3 Holes Ver.) (4in1) (Bonus Pts) v2.pdf (340 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes Board + Instructions (No Score Tracker).pdf (257 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes Board + Instructions (With Score Tracker, 3 Grids) (New Rule Ver.).pdf (327 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes Board + Instructions (With Score Tracker, 3 Grids).pdf (307 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes Board + Instructions (With Score Tracker, Normal Grid) (New Rule Ver.).pdf (316 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes Board + Instructions (With Score Tracker, Normal Grid).pdf (289 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes Board + Instructions (With Score Tracker, Smaller Grid) (New Rule Ver.).pdf (317 KB)
  • Dots and Boxes Board + Instructions (With Score Tracker, Smaller Grid) .pdf (286 KB)
  • Medium files (requires an account to download) -
  • Dots and Boxes Instructions v2.pptx (36.6 MB)
  • Dots and Boxes Instructions.pptx (36.7 MB)
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    Submitted by unoplusunoistu March 21, 2024 Estimated time: 15-40 mins
    1. monadotme May 14, 2024

      hats off

    2. MinamiCat May 27, 2024

      I did the snake version with my special needs students who tend to take a long time to make decisions and it really helped them make quick choices while having fun! We didnt use any english besides the translations and just played it back and forth, but they really enjoyed it! I'll be putting it in my roster for rainy days! Thanks so much for making it and sharing. I can tell you put a lot of effort into making all the shapes for your students!

    3. unoplusunoistu May 28, 2024

      @MinamiCat Wow! I've never played with my special needs students before. I'm worried that some may find it too competitive...
      Thanks to you, I definitely would like to give it a go!
      I'm thinking of making more grid variations in the future. I'll keep you updated. :)

    4. MinamiCat May 30, 2024

      I was working with a JTE and an assistant, so we made it a challenge of 'can you beat the teachers' rather than beat each other and it worked out ok! Definitely depends on your students though.

    5. unoplusunoistu May 31, 2024

      @MinamiCat Oooh, I've never thought of doing that! Now I know what I can do for next time. :D

    6. rachelllbucks July 23, 2024

      This is incredible, like all your lessons. Thank you!

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