Tic-Tac-Toe Game from Upcycled Greeting Cards ~ Perfect for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

I always save my greeting cards to find ways to incorporate the bright images into my Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.  A friend passed some on this past holiday season and I had some poker chips left over from my Drawstring Tic-Tac-Toe Games so I decided to make a super simple tic-tac-toe (also known as noughts
& crosses) game.

We had friends who were missionaries to Chad, Africa.  They told how special a simple image from an upcycled card was to children and adults living in that area.  They were surrounded by a lot of brown and gray and to have a brightly colored picture to brighten their homes meant a lot to them.  This is why I save all of my cards from any occasion to pass along and hopefully brighten a shoe box child's day.

I simply cut the backs off of the cards and drew a nine square grid with a permanent marker on the back of the image (or front of card).  I had poker chips to use, but you can use buttons upcycled from old clothing or cut circles from upcycled tissue boxes or some other bright cardboard.  You will need five of each color.

I plan to tuck it all inside a zipper bag and lay it flat on the bottom of the shoe box.

I will include these instructions.  I chose to call it three in a row because it may be easier to understand in translation for those who do not read English.  You are welcome to copy this to include with your games.

Check out all of our Upcycled and Paper Crafts perfect for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.