Bonkers Conkers: 5 Fun Projects & Games for Kids

It’s coming up for conker season! These seasonal (inedible) nuts aren’t just pretty, they’re also really fun for childhood games and projects. If you have fond memories of playing conkers in the playground, finish up your latest round of free no deposit bingo, grab the kids and go foraging under your local horse chestnut trees (whoever finds the biggest conker is the winner!).

1. Classic conkers

You can’t beat a traditional game of conkers come autumn time! The drama, the competition, the (sneaky) methods for cheating. It’s really easy to play too:

1. Drill holes through the middle of your conkers (Electric drills, hand drills, even sharp screwdrivers work well, but you might want to do this bit yourself to avoid any slip ups by little fingers).
2. Thread a sturdy piece of string through the hole and tie a knot at the bottom to prevent the conker falling off. Now you’re ready to play!
3. Competitors take turns in pairs. One player holds their conker string still at arm’s length.
4. The other player aims their conker at the opponents conker and attempts to hit and break it. If they hit the conker, they can go again. If they miss, it’s the other player’s turn to have a go.
5. The winner is the player who successfully destroys their opponent’s conker, knocking it off the string.

2. Conker worms

We love these wiggly conker worms from 3 Kids & a Glue Stick. Once you and your little foragers have collected lots of conkers, drill a hole in each one. Then let your kids loose to thread them onto strings and decorate with googly eyes! Here’s the full tutorial.

3. Conker necklaces

Another “holes & string” project which is really easy to do: turn all of those conkers into fun jewellery! A few stick on gems or even metallic paint will take these creations to the next level.

4. Conker creatures

Toothpicks, modelling clay, googly eyes – it doesn’t take much to turn conkers into your new favorite pocket-sized pet. Different sized and shaped conkers are perfect for creating unusual creatures!

5. Conker spiderwebs

These fun, crafty and very pretty conker spiderwebs are really great for kids to make. All you need is a conker, some sturdy twigs and some wool. These clever creations dreamed up by Badut are the perfect early autumn craft project. You can find the full tutorial here.

Do you have any fun conker crafts or autumn projects you love to make and do with your kids? We love to hear all about your activities! Share your ideas with our readers below or tweet your autumnal snaps to the Two Little Fleas team @TwoLittleFleas.