Sail a paper boat between two Christmas harbours
Draw a paper sea with four stopping places. Take turns choosing the next stop with an arrow and moving a flat boat card.
Make the boat before drawing the sea
This voyage happens entirely on the table. Draw a boat on a broad scrap-paper rectangle and cut out the card, with adult help if needed. It stays flat; you do not need to fold a boat or put anything in water.
Prepare one larger sheet, crayons and another card with a thick arrow. Choose a boat card that is easy for your child to pick up. Its actual size will determine how much room the stopping places need.
Give the journey four clear stops
On the large sheet, lightly draw four circles in a gently curving row. Leave a gap between neighbouring circles. Put the whole boat card inside each one before colouring. Enlarge a circle if any corner sticks out. If four stops will not fit comfortably, use a larger sheet or make a shorter journey with two.
Join neighbouring circles with thin lines to show their order. Draw blue water around the route. The circles may stay pale so they remain visible. Mark the first harbour with a star and the last with a Christmas tree; add houses outside the route if your child wants them. These are invented places for a game.
Sit beside each other so you share the same view. Set the boat in the star harbour. Point along the three connections together: there are two stops on the way to the tree.
One person guides, the other moves
The navigator points to the next connected circle and holds the arrow card pointing towards it. Keep the arrow beside the sheet, where it cannot cover a stop. The other player moves the boat to that circle, then waits for the next instruction.
An arrow chooses a direction; it does not measure distance. Each turn moves exactly one stop along the drawn route. Do not jump straight to the tree or move into the space between circles.
If the arrow and pointed circle seem to disagree, pause and show the intended stop together. Adjust the arrow before moving. Nobody needs to guess what the navigator meant.
Swap jobs for the return
At the tree harbour, stop the outward journey. If both players want another turn, swap navigator and mover. Travel back along the same three connections to the star.
For a shorter game, use the two-stop version or guide the first move together. One arrival can be the whole activity. Store the boat and arrow with the folded sea sheet if your child wants to play again.
Paper-voyage card Boat: one flat picture card, easy to pick up. Sea: four separate circles; the whole boat fits in each. Route: connect neighbouring circles in order. Start: star harbour. Finish: Christmas-tree harbour. View: sit on the same side. Navigator: point to the next connected circle; aim the arrow at it. Arrow: beside the sheet; direction only. Mover: one connected stop, then wait. Unclear cue: agree on the stop before moving. Return: swap jobs; follow the same route back. Shorter version: two stops or first move together. Stop: one arrival is enough. Keep: boat, arrow and sea sheet together.
