How to Make a Ring Toss Game With Clothespins

Create a ring toss game that can be taken apart and put away for future play. This makes a good rainy day activity or birthday party game for children. The supplies for this clothespin ring toss game are inexpensive. The game is easy to make but should be made by adults or older children who can safely use a cutting blade or sharp knife to cut through cardboard.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cardboard box lid
• Cutting blade or knife
• Marker
• Wooden clothespins
• Metal or wooden rings

1. Get a cardboard box lid that is able to stand on its own without collapsing when the rings are tossed at the clothespins. The tops of computer paper boxes work well, as do the cardboard case trays from bottle water.

2. Use the clothespins you have as a gauge and cut small holes over the surface of the box top. Don’t make them too big or the clothespins won’t hold steady or will fall through. Start cutting small and go bigger until you get a good fit. The holes can easily be cut with the end of a thin knife or a paring knife by sticking the tip in then turning the knife in a small circle. To make neat and precise looking holes though, use a cutter or scissors.

3. Write large numbers by each hole with the marker. These are the points the ring tosser will get if they are able to get a ring on the corresponding clothespin when they throw it. Make each one worth a different amount. For children just learning how to add numbers, this is a good way to practice basic addition.

4. Stick a clothespin upright in each cut hole. They need to be able to stand up without moving around. The standing clothespins are the targets you aim for during the ring toss game. Space them far enough apart that the rings can get on the clothespin without hitting another clothespin.

5. Get wooden or metal rings at hardware or fabric stores. They need to be open in the middle with a 2- to 6-inch diameter. To make the game more difficult, the rings can be different sizes. For smaller children, get bigger rings to make the game easier.

Tips & Warnings

• If the holes get cut too big by mistake, cut small pieces of cardboard to stick in the hole to make them tighter again around the standing clothespins.
• To dress up the game more, use acrylic paints to paint the box lid and the clothes pins in bright colors. Make each clothespin and corresponding hole a different color to help teach young children their colors.