Darts games for kids and the whole family

Little ones forget rules in the heat of the game. A strip of tape on the floor for the throwing line and one for the “wait here” spot behind it make the order easy to see. A mat or old rug under the board catches bounce-outs and saves the floor.

1. From about 3Velcro balls or magnetic darts. No points, nothing sharp, first throws with a parent.
2. From about 6Soft-tip darts with plastic tips on a soft-tip board, with an adult watching.
3. From about 8 to 10Steel-tip darts on a bristle board, once the child waits for “darts out” without being told.
4. TeensThe full setup and the full rules, and youth or club darts if they catch the bug.

The steel-tip vs soft-tip guide compares both systems in detail, and the dartboard buying guide helps when you pick the board.

• Several lines on the floor: tape marks at different distances, so each player throws from their own
• A board you can lower: a stand or a second hook makes the switch quick
• Move back step by step: once most darts land in the board, try the next line
• Same line for everyone in a family match? Then give the kids a head start in the game instead, see fair play

Scoring by camera? If you move a board that Sridu watches with webcams, run the calibration again afterwards so it keeps counting the right fields. Without cameras you simply tap each dart on the screen, which works with any board, magnetic and soft-tip included.

Exact measurements for the official setup, including the 2.93 m diagonal check, are in the dartboard dimensions guide.

No bust, no checkout. Leave 501 for later. Counting down to exactly zero and finishing on a double frustrates most young players, while the games above give them a result every visit.

Dart Bingo, from the first throws

1. A card eachNine fields from the board, different for every player.
2. Hit a field, cross it offOnly your own card counts.
3. A full row winsAcross, down or diagonally. BINGO!

Easier: the card with whole numbers, where any part of the number counts.

• High ScoreThree darts a visit, every dart scores what it hits, and the highest total after a few rounds wins. Nothing to explain, and big visits get a cheer.
• Cricket without pointsFor older beginners: only close the 15 to the 20 and the bull, three marks each. The first to close everything wins.

Tic-Tac-Toe, 2 players or 2 teams

1. Pick a cellEach cell names a target, such as a number or a points total for the visit.
2. Hit it to take itYour first dart on a free target puts your mark there.
3. Three in a rowAcross, down or diagonally. Blocking counts just as much.

Easier: the easy level, with plain numbers instead of doubles and trebles. Play Tic-Tac-Toe

• Darts FootballKick-off on the bull. Only the player on the ball scores goals, the other one goes for the bull to win it back. For kids, set goals to the singles and the range to 1 to 5.
• BattleshipEach side hides a fleet on the board, then you take turns firing three darts. Water, hit or sunk: the first to sink the whole fleet wins.
• Connect FourSeven numbers start seven columns. Hit a column’s field to drop a stone, and every stone reveals a new field above it. Four in a row wins.
• Hare & HoundsThe hare runs round the board from the 20, the hound chases one number behind. Catch it, or get home first.

• Beat ItScore more than the player before you, or lose a life. A weak visit hands the next player an easy target, so the youngest often win.
• Teams of big and smallOne adult and one child share a score and throw in turns. Works with Tic-Tac-Toe, Golf and High Score.
• Killer with extra livesFor confident kids: give them a life or two more, or make them a killer from the first dart.

Darts at a kids’ party

• Short games: three or four rounds of High Score, then swap
• Teams of three: kids share a score and take turns, so nobody waits long
• Soft-tip or magnetic when many children are in the room
• One adult per board, whose only job is the board
• Prizes for moments: best throw, first bull, funniest bounce-out

1. CountingAround the Clock and Bingo: which number comes next, where is it on the board?
2. AddingHigh Score: three darts make one sum, up to 60 per dart.
3. Times tablesDoubles and trebles turn a 7 into 14 or 21.
4. SubtractingA game of 101 with any finish, once adding is easy.

Let them call it first. Have your child say the score out loud, then check it on the screen. In Sridu’s online darts scorer the total appears after every dart, so kids get instant feedback and nobody argues over the sums.

• Handicaps per playerIn Sridu you set these per player in the game setup, from a points head start to extra lives, strokes in Golf or goals in Darts Football. The app then plays by them.
• A bot at their levelNobody to play? A bot opponent can be set as low as an average of 15, so a child can play a close game alone.

More ideas for mixed groups are in the darts games guide, and the play darts against the computer page explains the bots.

• Darts games

  The best darts games for every situation: for 2 players, groups and parties, beginners and kids, practice on your own and pub nights, with short rules and player counts.

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• Darts for beginners

  Darts for beginners: what you need to start, the rules of 501 in brief, first throwing technique, aiming drills and a simple plan for your first month of steel-tip darts.

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• Steel-tip vs soft-tip

  Steel tip vs soft tip darts compared: bristle and electronic boards, dart weights, 2.37 m or 2.44 m throw lines, fat bull and double out, noise at home, cost and which to choose.

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