Ring Toss: Rules, Distances & Scoring

• 4–10

  Ages

• 2+

  Players

• Outdoors

  Where

• 10–20 min

  How long

Ring toss is the fairground stall version of a party game — bottles or cones in a row, a handful of rings, a line to stand behind. It photographs well, it's genuinely satisfying when a ring lands clean, and it costs nothing to build if you skip the shop-bought set entirely. The two things that decide whether it works are the size of the ring relative to what it's landing on, and how far back you make people stand — get either wrong and it's either too easy to be interesting or too hard to ever succeed.

This covers three ways to make rings for free, how far to set the line by age, and how to run it as a prize stall without the queue backing up behind one over-determined child.

Homemade rings, and fair distances

Rubber jar-sealing rings are the closest free equivalent to a proper toss ring — most kitchen drawers have a few. Rope tied into a loop and taped at the join works nearly as well and can be made any size you like. A paper plate with the centre cut out is the fastest option if you need a dozen rings in five minutes, though it won't survive many rounds outdoors. Whatever you use, the ring should be noticeably wider than the neck of whatever it's landing on — a snug fit turns the game from aim into luck. Do one test throw yourself before the party starts; a ring that looks generous sitting on a shelf often turns out tighter than expected once someone's actually throwing it in a hurry.

Set the line about a metre out for under-sixes and two to three metres for everyone older, and mark it clearly with chalk or a rope on the ground rather than leaving it to memory. As with any target game, let children choose their own distance instead of assigning one by age — it heads off the argument before it starts.

Running it as a stall — and what goes wrong

If you're using it as a prize stall rather than a straight scoring game, give everyone the same number of rings, three or four, and a small prize for any successful landing rather than reserving prizes for a perfect round — a stall that only pays out for the best throw in the whole party leaves most children with nothing, which is a bad trade for the ten minutes they spent queuing.

The most common failure is pacing at the prize table, not the throwing itself. One child who wants to keep trying just one more go can hold up a queue of six others waiting behind them — decide the ring allowance before you start and hold to it kindly but firmly. The other failure is bottles that tip over on a light touch; weight them with a little sand or water in the bottom so a near-miss doesn't knock the whole target down and end the round early for the next thrower.

Bean bag toss runs on the same set-up logic with a different throw — see bean bag toss if you'd rather throw at holes than loop over bottles.

What you need

• Rings — rubber jar-sealing rings, rope tied into loops, or paper plates with the centre cut out
• Bottles, cones or wooden pegs to throw them over
• Chalk or tape to mark a throwing line
• Small prizes, if you're running it as a stall rather than just for score

How to play ring toss

1. 1Stand three to six bottles, cones or pegs in a row, weighted at the base so they don't tip over easily.
2. 2Make or gather rings — jar-sealing rings, taped rope loops, or paper plates with the centre cut out — noticeably wider than the target's neck.
3. 3Mark a throwing line with chalk or tape: about a metre out for under-sixes, two to three metres for everyone older.
4. 4Give each player the same number of rings, three or four, and let them throw one at a time.
5. 5Count successful ringers, or hand out a small prize for each one landed, and keep the queue moving by holding to the ring allowance.

Variations

Perfect for these parties

Themes that build a whole party around this game — with the food, the decor and a printable invite to match.

• 
  circus party
• 
  cowboy party
• 
  dragon party
• 
  mermaid party
• 
  pirate party
• 
  princess party