31 Days of Vinyl DIY Projects: Day 1

Domino Tiles Matching Game

We have a son in Kindergarten who is practicing letter sounds and when to use upper and lowercase letters.  We wanted a fun way to play with him and encourage learning at home too.  I saw these tiles on sale for $2.00 for 100 (can’t beat that) and just knew I would find some way to use them!

The objective of the game is similar to dominoes but with letters, each player draws 5 random tiles and the youngest player goes first placing down one tile. You can connect tiles only if they have the same letter in it’s smaller or larger form (ie upper case A must be paired with a lowercase a).  Once you play a tile, you choose another until no more tiles are left.

We found that with just one set of 26 tiles doesn’t get you very far so I recommend making 2 or more sets for a longer game. Since we are also learning our letter sounds, before you can play a piece you need to sounds out the right letter sound.

You will need:
100 Colored Wooden Domino Tiles
2 Creation Lab Alphabet Sets (2 packs)
Matte Mod-podge
Scissors
Small Foam Brush
(this will make 3 complete alphabet sets)

Cut apart your letters, it’s easier to make one set at a time so you dont end up with the same letters on the same tiles which when playing with one set, can never be paired.

Lay out 26 of your tiles and peel the white backing paper off each uppercase letter and lay them onto the bottom half of the tiles.  Use a credit card or piece of plastic to smooth out the letters.  Peel off the clear transfer paper slowly.  ​

If the letters begin to peel too, rub with your thumb until they stick down.  Once all the uppercase letters are applied, rotate your tiles 180 degrees and lay the lowercase letters as shown below.  Make sure you have a good mix and none of the upper and lowercase letters are the same on one tile. ​

Once you are happy with the results, use your foam brush and apply a thin layer of Mod-Podge to each tile to seal them. If you want the backs of the tiles to have a design or theme you can apply other decals to the backs or use some pretty paper and more Mod-Podge.

Alphabet sets include 2 sets each of upper and lowercase letters in an easy to read sans serif font. Available in Black, White, Grey, Red, Medium Blue, Lime Green & Teal Blue.

$8.00/set until January 31st, 2016 (regularly $10.00) 

Available for purchase on our etsy page