Tic-Tac-Toe Bean Bag Toss

What could be better than the classic game of Tic-Tac-Toe at keeping little ones occupied for hours? How about a three-dimensional version? Rather than playing with paper and pencil, this game involves tossing and aiming bean bags to mark each player's square of choice. This entertaining rendition will improve your child's coordination while strengthening her strategic thinking skills.

What You Need:

• Large square of tagboard or cardboard (about 3' x 3')
• Two colors of felt (about 3' x 6' each)
• Colored markers
• Hot glue gun
• Dry rice or beans 

What You Do:

1. With your child, draw the playing board of a Tic-Tac-Toe game on the large tagboard. Try to space the two vertical and two horizontal lines so that each box is roughly the same size.
2. Next, have your child cut out six rectangles of colored felt in two different colors. Each rectangle should be about 6"x11". There should be a total of 12 rectangles that will be made into bean bags.
3. Each bean bag will represent the X's or O's for each player. To make the bean bags, help your child fold each rectangle in half, "hamburger style." Using the hot glue gun, seal two of the open edges of each piece of felt. Have your child fill each bean bag with the dried rice or beans and then seal the final edge.
4. Take the Tic-Tac-Toe board outside or clear space in a large room, and stand a few feet away from the board. Let your child throw the first toss and see if she can hit the square she was aiming for. Calling out the intended target before completing each throw adds an extra challenge. Take your turn next. The winner is the player who gets three in a row first!

After your child has mastered throwing (and possibly winning!) at each distance, move the board further away to increase the level of difficulty. This game will provide hours of fun and entertainment for your family!