Darts appeal to young kids, but they're not safe for them to use. With this activity, they can get all the hand-eye coordination practice darts bring, but with a much safer alternative to the pointy darts down at the local bar.
All you need is a little cardboard, felt, some glue, and some old ping pong balls and you're ready to create a dart game from scratch! This fun game is sure to entertain, and kids get some gross motor skill practice on the fly. Plus, practicing throwing is a great way to help kids develop the hand-eye coordination they'll need as they get older.
What You Need:
- Cardboard
- Scissors
- Colored felt
- Glue gun
- 4 to 6 Ping-Pong balls
- Small strips of Velcro
What You Do:
- Before you can start playing, you need to make the dartboard. If your child is interested, encourage her to help tracing the circles on the cardboard and the felt. You can use a large plate for the big circle, a small plate for the middle circle, and the bottom of a cup for the smallest circle.
- Once all the circles are traced on the cardboard and felt, cut each circle out, gluing the felt on the cardboard circle of matching size.
- Then, glue all the circles together, one on top of the other, to be used as a target.
- Finally, glue a small strip of Velcro to each Ping-Pong ball.
- Now that the equipment is ready, it's time to start playing the game! Find a good place to hang up your dartboard, then take turns with your child throwing Ping-Pong balls, one at a time, at the target. If you hit the target, the Velcro should stick to the felt. The object of the game is to hit the center circle. When you do that, you got a bull's eye!
Want to give the game more structure and practice basic addition, too? Keep track of the points. Players who hit the center get 50 points. The second circle is worth 20 points, and the outside circle 10. Use a permanent marker to write the desired points on the target itself. Then let your child keep track of who has the most points as the game progresses.
By Elaine Commins
Adapted with permission from "The GIANT Encyclopedia of Kindergarten Activities." Copyright 2004 by Kathy Charner (Editor), Maureen Murphy (Editor), and Jennifer Ford (Editor). Used by Permission of Gryphon House, Inc., Maryland. All Rights Reserved.
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