Here’s How to Make a Backyard Bean Bag Toss Game

Lawn games are great fun for family and friends alike. You can set them up for backyard BBQs, make them a focal point of parties, or simply spend some weekend time together. Lawn games are also a good way to keep your kids active and outside in the fresh air. DIY expert Keisha Boutilier decided to make a game of Bean Bag Toss. Follow her easy steps below to build one yourself.

Our Game Time Inspiration

We wanted some really fun things to do in the backyard this summer. Lawn games were a huge part of my childhood and kept all of us kids happy and engaged in playful competition with each other. They definitely bring back some warm memories for me, and I really wanted to experience this with our kids as well. So we teamed up with our local Home Hardware for tips, tools and advice to build a game of Bean Bag Toss. Here’s How to make it, and how to play it!

Bean Bag Toss Game Play

Bean Bag Toss is played with two teams of two players standing at each end. Place the game boards 30 feet apart (measured from the centre holes). Note: move the game boards closer if small children are playing. Each player takes a turn tossing the bean bags to the other game board, trying to score points. The team that reaches 21 points first wins! Here's How we score the points, but feel free to make your own adjustments: 

• A bag on the game board is worth 1 point 

• A bag in the hole is worth 3 points 

• You can knock your opponent’s bags off the box 

• A bag cannot bounce from the ground onto the board or into the hole

Here’s What You Need*:

• (2) 5/8” Spruce Plywood (4'x8' sheets) 

• Circular Saw 

• 6” Hole Saw 

• Cordless Drill 

• Palm Sander 

• 120 Grit Sandpaper 

• BeautiTone Interior/Exterior Paint - White 

• BeautiTone Wood-Shield Finish - Clear Gloss Coat 

• Paint Brushes 

• Painters Tape 

• 4 Hinges 

• Fabric 

• Sewing Kit 

• Beans or Rice 

*Note: For all projects lumber may vary depending on your location. To see all your options, use our Store Locator to find the Home Hardware Building Centre or Home Building Centre closest to you.

Here’s How to Make it:

1. For the first game board, we used our circular saw to cut one piece of 4’x8’ plywood in half. One of the resulting 2’x4’ pieces is the game board surface. Then we took the other 2’x4’ half and cut a 10.5”x24” piece out of it. This is our game board support. We repeated the process for the second game board. 

2. Center off the top of your larger piece of plywood and circle cut 6”. 

3. We used our hole saw and drill to cut the holes in the plywood. The holes needed to be dead centre in the board and 9” down from the top (measuring from the centre of the hole). 

4. After our cuts were completed, we sanded down all four pieces really well. 

5. We painted the game boards bright white and allowed them to dry. Then we marked out our stripes with painter’s tape. For the stripes, we chose a colour that matched the material we used for our bean bags. 

6. Once everything was dry, we applied a good coat of polyurethane. 

7. To complete the game boards, we attached the top supports with two hinges. 

8. I sewed the bean bags myself by hand from some old pillowcases, but you can use any durable material. Don’t forget to add the beans before closing up the bags!

My favourite thing about making games like this from scratch is that you can really personalize them to suit your own family. Feel free to use different colours and patterns, and get input from everyone in the family. Be sure to check out the other two lawn games we made as well! 

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