Family Tree Scrabble Board

I saw this idea on Pinterest, and modified it for our own family.  Then I created this as a Christmas gift for my Mom.  It was fun and mostly easy, except for the part where I had to make sure all the names fit on the Scrabble board!

I started with an old Scrabble game I found in the basement.  You might have an old game in your attic, or you can find them at Goodwill or in a yard sale.  Even if pieces are missing, this gives you lots of Scrabble tiles to start with, and a board for the background.

Next you will need to find a square frame big enough for the board.  The scrabble board is not exactly square, so look for one that is slightly smaller.  Measure it and look in frame stores, craft shops and online. I was able to find this very inexpensive wooden frame online.  Don't cut the game board until you have the frame in front of you to judge the fit!

Next, look at the board that fits inside the frame to judge the area you will have to play with for fitting in all the names.  This is important.  Count the letter blocks across and down.

For the next step I went online to find a "Word Find" website for teachers. These websites help you to design a word find game using the words of your choice.  They all let you decide how big the game will be (how many letters across, and how many letters down) - which is why it is important you know how many letters up and down you can work with.  Of course, you could use graph paper and try to make the names fit all by your self... but this is easier!

Some of the websites I found were (there are many online):

https://mywordsearch.com/

http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/WordSearchSetupForm.asp?campaign=flyout_teachers_puzzle_wordcross

http://tools.atozteacherstuff.com/word-search-maker/

After you design your "crossword" of names, it is just a matter of gluing the square letter tiles to the board.  Avoid putting the tiles near the edge where the frame is located.  I had to cut down a few tiles with an exacto-knife to make them fit inside the frame.

I needed to order extra letter tiles from Amazon.  You'll find that there just aren't enough vowels in a regular game set for this project.  There were plenty of vendors selling tiles in bags for crafts, like this one. Make sure the size is the same!

This is an activity that you can do as a whole family as a gift for grandparents.  The kids could help with the sorting and gluing.

Have fun!

Mom's Christmas gift!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Family Tree Scrabble Board", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 11, 2017, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/08/family-tree-scrabble-board.html: accessed [access date]).