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Sibling Fun Fridays

Welcome to our new blog series - Sibling Fun Fridays! These blogs will consist of biweekly activity ideas for siblings to spend some time together without having to prep anything big.

In each blog, we will provide a simple tutorial of the game as well as a Sibling Society gamesheet if necessary. You can download the PDF version to have a physical copy, or access it online.

Download dots & boxes tutorial

Dots & Boxes

A quick, no-prep game for two — all you need is paper and a pen

What You Need

  • A pen or pencil (2 colors if you have them)
  • A blank sheet of paper (you can use GOOS paper to reduce waste!) 
  • A sibling, friend, or family member

How to Play

  1. Draw a grid of dots, evenly spaced (rows and columns) or print out the grid provided.
  2. Players take turns drawing ONE line connecting two dots that are next to each other (straight up/down or side to side, never diagonal)
  3. If a line completes all 4 sides of a small box, that player writes their initial inside it and gets to draw a line again!
  4. Keep going until every dot is connected and every box is claimed. 
  5. Count up the boxes, whoever has the most boxes wins!

I Don’t Understand the Rules

If you are still not sure how dots & boxes work, no worries! Why not watch a 1 minute video on how to set up and play the game: HERE or search up: “How to Play Dots and Boxes” on YouTube

💡 Sibling Tips

Try planning a few moves ahead — sometimes it’s smarter to give up a small box now so you don’t hand your opponent a bigger chain later!

Don’t waste the paper! You can play multiple rounds on the same sheet of grid paper, just skip a row or a column and continue.

Why We Love This One

Dots & Boxes is quick to learn, needs zero setup, and works anywhere — the car, a waiting room, the kitchen table. It’s a perfect way to spend a few minutes with your sibling and have some fun!