DIY Boxes of Gratitude nature game

Gratitude is a powerful tool that helps bring a sense of appreciation for what we have in a world that conspires to make people feel like they never have enough. It’s an important lesson for us all and a focal point in discovering inner peace and leading a happy life. 

There’s many ways we can express gratitude and we have tried a few different methods. This one is an idea that came to me some months ago and over the last two days I’ve worked on it with happy results. 



When I was a child I was taught a game called ‘boxes’, I believe it may have a different name to others also. I’ve recently heard it called “Paddocks”.  It’s a grid game usually on paper where each player would have a different colour marker and draw a line each until someone could complete a box, then they would write their initial within the box to score 1 point and have another go until no boxes could be completed and then it would be the next persons turn. This would continue until there were no more boxes left to complete. The points would be counted and the person with the most boxes won. 



I thought a nature version of this would be wonderful. As I pondered on it I thought it would be fantastic to instead of playing in a competitive points based system, we played it with gratitude. So for our version of this game instead when you complete a box, you put a colourful rock in the center matching the sticks you place and say something you are grateful for. 




DIY Boxes of Gratitude nature game. 

What you’ll need
  • Sticks (how many will depend on how big a grid you wish and how many players you want to allow for)
  • Stones (again how many will depend on grid size and players)
  • Acrylic paints
  • Sealant (I used a clear satin rust oleum)
  • Saw
How to create your nature game
  1.  Saw your sticks into equal sizes. You can figure out how many you will need by making a rough grid with your stones. I recommend making some extra sticks per player, same with the stones.
  2. Paint your sticks and stones a different colour per player, 2 coats and decorate if desired. This part is wonderful because how you want to decorate your game is completely up to you. I chose to only paint the edge of the sticks because I wanted to preserve as much of the raw nature look as possible. I balanced the sticks on each other while they were drying (which shows another activity you can use them for).


  3. Once the paint has dried coat with your sealant. I did two coats of clear satin rust oleum. Once it’s dry - you’re ready to play! 



Something else I love about this grid set up is you can focus the game in so many directions. For example instead of saying something a child is grateful for they could name something starting with a letter of the alphabet. 

I hope you like this project and if you make your own, I would absolutely LOVE to see your creation. Please tag me @deerandfawns on Instagram. 

-M 🌏✌️✨

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