Spider Web Tic-Tac-Toe Game for Halloween

Spider Web Tic-Tac-Toe is a fun twist on the classic pencil and paper game for the Halloween season. Who will be the first to get four in a row on the spider web?

I promise that I wasn’t planning on making another Halloween game for this school year. Last year, I created the Picking Pumpkins Game and the Ghost Game. This year I’ve been more focused on creating some Halloween logic puzzles to round out my collection of Halloween math activities.

But when inspiration strikes, I find that I have to run with it. I’m not entirely sure what made me realize it, but I had the epiphany yesterday that the grid used for Circle Tic Tac Toe is quite similar to a drawing of a spider web.

And, that’s how Spider Web Tic Tac Toe came to be.

How to Play Spider Web Tic Tac Toe

Spider Web Tic Tac Toe is played on an image of a spider web. Unlike the traditional game of tic tac toe (or noughts and crosses) which involves getting three in a row to win, spider web tic tac toe requires four in a row.

Additionally, there are three different ways to win.

1. You can win by getting all four sections of a single “sector” of the spider web.
2. You can also win by getting four connecting sections in a single “ring” of the spider web.
3. Finally, you can win by getting four sections arranged diagonally around the spider web.

Since this can be a little tricky to explain to students using words, I created a visual reminder for students of the three different ways that you can win spider web tic-tac-toe by getting four in a row.

Going first does have an advantage in this game, so it is suggested that you alternate which player goes first.

Here are a couple examples of ways to win. This first picture features four in a row diagonally on the spider web.

This next game, on the other hand, involves four in a row in a single “ring” of the spider web.

Inspiration for this Game

This game is really a re-creation of Circle Tic Tac Toe which I learned about from Carl Horowitz. David Sumner posted an online version of Circle Tic Tac Toe in 2010, but Carl says he has been playing the game with students much longer than that.

So, I’m not entirely sure who invented Circle Tic Tac Toe. But it makes an excellent back to school activity. I’m excited to have this seasonal version of the game to use during Halloween as well now.

Print Options

I created two different print options since I see this activity being used two different ways.

There is a large version of the spider web tic tac toe game which is intended to be placed into a dry erase pocket or heavy duty sheet protector. This will allow students to play over and over again with dry erase markers.

Note: You could probably skip the dry erase pocket and have students also play by placing bingo chips on the spider web board in two different colors. Or if you had some Halloween Mini Erasers, that could be a fun twist, too.

I also created an alternate version that is aimed for those wanting to play a few rounds of the game on regular printer paper. There are 9 different spider web boards for 9 rounds of the game to be played.

Using this Game in the Classroom

I can see several ways that this game can be used in the classroom. Personally, I plan to use it with students next week as a “Welcome Back to School” activity after we return from Fall Break.

I have already printed a class set of game boards, and I will be placing them in dry erase pockets for students to reuse throughout the day.

We have Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off of school this week, and I couldn’t be more excited. Even though I only taught for two days this week, I am EXHAUSTED. Of course, that might have something to do with staying at school until 7 pm on Monday for Parent Teacher Conferences…

I think this would make a great class opener activity or an early finisher activity. I believe that many students should be able to look at the diagram of the three ways to win and play independently.

I also believe that it could be fun to have a little Spider Web Tic Tac Toe Tournament as part of your Halloween class party if your school does that sort of thing.

I play-tested the game with my five year old today before school. While his game strategy could definitely still use some improvement, he was able to easily comprehend the rules of the game and play a few rounds with me.