Bean Bag Tossing Games - Fun for Everyone

Great though they are, the ultra-mod kids of today are unlikely to have heard of the bean bag toss games. It would require a little effort on your part to create this particular fun outdoor game on the horizon of the kids of today. It is well nigh the combination of good points of several games, without the inclusion of bad points. For instance it is an outdoor game but not at all strenuous, hence it is suitable for people of all ages.

To spice up your weekends, make sure bean bag toss games or washer toss games are a part of the menu. The game may be played easily in one’s backyard if an outing is not on the cards. Bean bag toss games are pretty similar to the cornhole game or corn toss game - only difference is in the stuffing - the latter utilize kernels of corns while the former use poly-beads.

All that is required is 8 bean bags fabricated out of cotton or duck cloth and a pair of raised platforms kept 27 feet apart. The platforms are usually of wood or plastic and have a 6-inch hole on their surfaces. The usual size of the platform is 24" x 48" or 24" x 36". Bean bags contain plastic pellets and weigh 14-16 oz. the size of the pellet is near 6" x 6".

Just like the washer toss games, 2 or 4 players forms opposing teams and throw bean bags at the game board. In single play, both players pitch bean bags at same playing board. When there are 4 players, two playing boards placed at opposite ends are utilized. The aim of the players is to make the bean bags land into the hoes of the playing surface. Each player or team throws 4 bean bags each.

A bean bag in the hole earns 3 points, one that lands on the board is worth 1 point while one that does not touch the platform at all is worth no points. At the end of each round, the score of losing team is deducted from score of winning team and the difference is the actual score. For instance, if the two teams score equally, the final score is 0 for both. The game continues till one team gets 21 points.

When there is some altercation as to who would begin the game, toss a coin and call out heads or tails to decide who can go first. Between rounds, the winning team starts the tossing first.

The washer toss games make use of washers instead of bean bags and these are tossed at the washer boards placed some distance away. The players try to aim the washer at any one of the three holes in the board. The scoring is similar to the bean bag toss games – the difference is that a score of 5, 3 and 1 points is given as the washer ends up in third (farthest), middle and first(nearest) holes respectively.

The game easily complements entertaining weekends and holidays. Even for picnics, bean bag toss game equipments may be carried in a bag and the game set up and played with friends and family anywhere. Monotony can be counteracted effectively by this game of frolic. The game even has professional involvement - the American Cornhole Association (ACA) ensures this. The ACA fixes the rues and incorporates the game into our routine life by organizing regular tournaments and competitions.

By Dave ThreadcraftPublished: 7/1/2009