Enjoy Gym Class: Teaching Cornhole in Physical Education

The newest party game, tailgating entertainment and all around awesome competitive outdoor experience—cornhole–should make an appearance in schools.

Yes, cornhole in gym class, could be the greatest thing to happen to phys ed.

Cornhole for kids is a revolutionary idea. Teaching cornhole in gym class could change student attitudes completely. Think about it, how many kids (especially in middle and high school) are excited to participate in physical education?

However, they might look forward to cornhole!

What’s the Big Idea?

Actually, the concept is quite simple. There are two elevated platforms (also known as cornhole boards) with holes in them. Teams or individuals take turns tossing bean bags into the holes.

When a bag lands on the board (but doesn’t go through the hole), one point is scored. When it makes it in the hole, that’s a three pointer! Simple, yet challenging.

The concept is readily grasped, so teaching your students won’t be hard. However, the cornhole game dimensions and foul line distances make for an interesting competition.

In addition, the necessity of mastering an underhanded throw (part of the Common Core Curriculum) is crucial to game success. See, cornhole really is educational!

Additional Teaching Opportunities

Let’s face it, today’s students, on the whole, are not in optimal health; therefore, teaching cornhole in gym might instigate change.  Consider teaching a series of lessons revolving around recreational activities — activities that encourage a healthy lifestyle but downplay the competitiveness.

There are other games that will help you institute this healthy lifestyle move. Introducing students to recreational activities that serve dual purposes will have a lasting impact. Try adding golf, badminton, ping pong, and bocce ball to your recreational game lessons.

Alleviating Concerns

Teachers are usually limited in their funding. That means cornhole is a great addition to your PE lesson planning. A couple of boards and the requisite cornhole bags can be acquired inexpensively.

In addition, parents and administrators won’t be too concerned about the safety of students participating in your cornhole experience. There’s not a lot of room for injury on a cornhole court! Plus, parents won’t have to purchase extra safety equipment for their children to participate. Cornhole truly is a grand idea for PE!

Make Your Own Versions

Eventually the standard mode of play will grow old, even if you’ve alternated between individual and team competition. So, here are some ideas to make cornhole even more entertaining, to spruce up the fun:

• Cornhole Races- This adds a timed element to the competition to get the adrenaline really flowing. Teams will be given a relatively short period of time in which to launch all their bags and sprint to the other side of the field to switch boards. This limits the points scored based on the time allowed for play.
• Cornhole Knockout- In this version, the play area is set up for individual play. However, instead of only playing with four bags, each player has 15-20, and they throw the bags at the same time! The potential for bags colliding midair, or knocking each other off the board, creates a sense of chaos that kids love. Even those on the sidelines will be involved in the action, cheering one another on.

Keep the fun in PE

Today’s kids are so inundated with fast paced, technologically based experiences that getting them excited about PE can sometimes be a challenge. However, staying on top of the newest trends and fads can enable you to make PE fun for them–without their iPods and tablets. Cornhole fits that need as it’s definitely all the rage.

Are you a PE teacher? Are you willing to give this idea a try and introduce cornhole in gym class? Check out our supply of cornhole essentials—boards, bags, and scorekeeping tools. Your students will be happy you did!