What You’ll Need

• Corrugated cardboard
• Scissors
• Poster board
• Short cardboard tube
• Duct tape
• Colored paper (one color per player)

What to Do

1. For the game’s base, cut two 9-inch-by-13-inch rectangles from corrugated cardboard. Cover one rectangle with poster board. Ask an adult to cut a 1-inch circle in its center.
2. For the post, cut open a short cardboard tube lengthwise. Roll the cardboard tight so it fits into the 1-inch hole. Cover the tube with duct tape, leaving the bottom untapped. Cut four slits in the bottom inch of the tube. Stick the slits through the hole. Fan them out and tape them to the underside of the cardboard.
3. Glue the second cardboard rectangle under the first (to cover the tape).
4. For each player, cut two horseshoes from corrugated cardboard. Cover each set with colored paper. Use a different color for each player.

How to Play

1. Place the game on the table and let players take turns tossing their horseshoes at the post.
2. Once all the horseshoes have been tossed, tally up the points. Give one point for horseshoes that land on the game’s base but don’t encircle the post. Give three points for horseshoes that encircle the post.
3. The player with the highest score wins.  

Extend the Fun

Younger kids: Get your little one to help you keep score. Tally the points together after each player, and help your child record the 1s and 3s. Then add the two numbers together to get the player’s score for that round. Help your child record the number. Repeat until all players have thrown their horseshoes. 

Older kids: Set the game on the floor. Have kids stand one foot away and toss their horseshoes. Then have them take one step back and toss again. Have them keep stepping back until they can no longer land their horseshoes on the base. Have them measure the distance with a tape measure, then ask them to subtract that from the distance where they started. How far did they move?