Family gatherings are a great time to catch up with each other, see long-lost cousins and get updated on family additions (and prospective ones). Playing games together is a great way to bond as well and this can be done with board games like Scrabble, Monopoly or Pictionary. For those who want to be outdoors and active, there is always Twister.
To accommodate bigger crowds, team games like bean bag toss games will need to be played. As many as 4 teams with 4 in each team can play the game and getting the necessary equipment is really easy. All you need is a board, canvas or cloth to put out on the ground or hang up with your targets marked out clearly and small bean bags. The bags do not even have to be uniform in color – in fact, you can have any assortment of colors to hype up the game for the children.
Bean bag toss games are also good for big social gatherings as they can include players as young as 5 years old and is not too strenuous for the grandparents to get into as well. Bean bag toss games basically require the player to toss the bag at the target and get it smack dab in the center. If the targets are on the ground, the normal rule is that the bag must remain in the center of the dot, square or colored spot that forms the target area. If the target is mounted, then the bag must hit the center of the spot. This can be verified much easily by:
- Having an impartial “judge” to stand by the target (but is well protected from flying bean bags). He or she should be able to confirm if the bags have actually landed in the center of the target.
- Sticking Velcro or sticky tape onto the bags so they stick to the targets once they hit. Since the Velcro will only work if stuck on firmly, bean bags will have to be flung quite hard before they can stick. This increases the challenge of the game for players to be stronger in their pitches and straighter in their aims.
- Attaching a lever behind each dot or colored spot that triggers off a buzzer, light or even a dunking machine will be a nice touch. The challenge would be elevated to hitting the targets right in the center before the levers will be set off.
An alternative to bean bag toss games is washer toss games. Somewhat similar with slight modifications to the targets, washer toss games use washers instead of bean bags as the pitching items. These ring-like objects are to be thrown at the targets and if thrown well, are supposed to hook themselves around them. Targets for washer toss games are often sticks or small metal hooks that are either stuck up from the ground or from the wall.
Targets can also be circular metal or plastic containers that are larger than the pitching washers themselves. This allows them to land inside the containers and stay in place, which will help tally the team scores at the end of the round.
Pitching washers can be made of plastic or light metal. Weight means a lot when it comes to washers – the heavier the washer, the more difficult it will be to aim for the targets. This increases the difficulty level of the game, making it more challenging. Unfortunately, this also means restricting the kind of players for the game as younger children and older folks may find these heavier pitching washers too difficult to maneuver. This could be a determining factor in whether or not there would be any takers for the game.
Likewise for bean bags, their weight determines the reach and height of the bags. This can help to modify the game a little – heavier bean bags can be reserved for the more “experienced” players, for instance, or older people while the younger ones can be given smaller, lighter bean bags to toss.
Generally speaking, it is pretty difficult to say which is the more difficult task – tossing bean bags or washers. While washers are easier to grasp and pitch, bean bags are more stable to “land” on the targets themselves, and thus, may make it easier to score points. Children may prefer the bean bags as they are more fun to touch and feel, and easier to throw.
Tags: bean bag toss games, pitching washers, washer toss games
