Strategy, a steady hand, and some 2 x 4s are all you need for this supersized Jenga game! Use the blocks to build a tall tower, pull pieces out at the bottom one at a time without making the tower topple over, and place them back up on top to keep the game going. It’s fun for all ages and would be a great campsite game, so let’s explore how to make it!
Make Your Own Giant Jenga
Giant Jenga games are available online, but why not have fun making your own homemade version of the game instead? All you need are a few tools and some 2 x 4s to create your own!
What you Need:
2 x 4s – Enough to make 72 7-inch pieces
Sandpaper
Saw
How to Make It:
Step 1: Using your saw, cut the 2 x 4s into 7-inch pieces. You will need 72 pieces.
Step 2: Use the sandpaper to smooth any rough edges. You don’t want anyone getting slivers while playing.
Set Up and Play
Lay 3 pieces next to each other on a flat surface, leaving just a little space between each one. Stack another three on top, but running in the opposite direction. Continue this until you have all the pieces stacked in rows of three.
Players take turns pulling one piece at a time from the bottom and stacking it on top! The person who built the tower goes first.
You can only use one hand when pulling out a piece, so there’s no holding the tower in place with one hand and pulling the block out with the other.
You can pull a piece from any row except the row below an incomplete top row.
You only get 10 seconds from the time you touch the tower to get the block out and back on top.
The person who makes the tower fall loses the game!
Variation
This version of Jenga is called “Throw ‘n Go Jenga” and it will increase the difficulty of the game. For this you will need paint and materials to make a die (or you can just create a list that corresponds to the numbers on a normal die). Here’s how you make this game:
Paint the ends of your Jenga blocks yellow, red, and blue. Each color will correspond to the matching color on the die. The die will have the following on it to let you know what to do as you roll:
Yellow/Red/Blue: Depending on what color the die says, you have to remove a block with that color end
Any Two: Must remove two blocks, but they can be any color
Wild: You can remove any block
Reverse: For your turn you won’t remove any block, and the order of play is reversed
If you don’t want to paint your blocks, you can replace the colors with the following:
End: remove any end block (you’ll put two of these on the die)
Mid: Remove a block from the middle
This is a great camping game that everyone can gather around. Just be sure not to play it near the campfire, as your Jenga pieces could accidentally become firewood very quickly if they take a tumble in the wrong direction! See how many variations you can come up with to play this game and amuse your campers!
