Looking for some fun activities to do with your children over the long summer months? Why not try some pool noodle crafts for kids! Not only are pool noodles an incredibly inexpensive material to work with, but they are soft enough that your kids will have a pretty hard time hurting themselves—or each other—while playing with them. Plus, there are so many ways to use them! Here are my favorite pool noodle crafts for kids.
1) Pool Noodle Sculptures | School Time Snippets
This is one of the pool noodle crafts for kids that will require some adult help. Take a sharp knife and cut the pool noodles into chunks and then give the pieces plus some craft wooden sticks to your child and let them start building away. It’s so fun to see what they come up with, plus it is a great way to practice those fine motor skills.
2) Pool Noodle Garland | Sugar & Cloth
Again, you will need to help your child out with this at the beginning, but it is totally worth it for the end result. Get different colored noodles and cut the noodles in ½ inch to 1-inch chunks with an Exacto knife. Let your child string them onto twine or ribbon and create a beautiful garland.
3) Pool Noodle Bee Sculpture | Premeditated Leftovers
This is one of the cutest pool noodle crafts for kids out there! You can help your child turn a yellow pool noodle, black craft foam or paper, googly eyes and pompoms into an adorable bumble bee sculpture!
4) Pool Noodle Boats | Our Family of Seven
This project is the perfect thing to make and enjoy in bath time or in the kiddie pool! These pool noodle boats can be made in any color and only need a few simple materials to make.
5) Pool Noodle Lightsabers | Kids Activities Blog
Feel the force with this project. These are such a blast for your little ones to get all their energy out. This is one of my favorite pool noodle crafts for kids because it makes lightsaber battles almost guaranteed to be injury free!
6) Back to School Pool Noodle Craft | Laly Mom
This is such a cute photo-op for back to school! Plus, it will keep kids entertained for hours if you fill it up with chalk so they can really write with it.
7) Race Track Pool Noodle| Ramblings From Utopia
Slice a pool noodle in half long ways and make a fun race track! This is maybe one of the easiest pool noodle crafts for kids ever—all you need is a pool noodle and something to prop the noodle halves up on.
8) Jumbo Lincoln Logs | Grosgrain Fab
How smart is this? Make some jumbo lincoln logs out of pool noodles! You can get brown pool noodles to be authentic or mix it up with fun colors. Carve out bits on both sides of each pool noodle, just like a regular lincoln log and then build away!
9) Indoor Basketball | Ever Never Again
With a hoop this large, it’s never been easier to score! Fold the noodles into a circle and then duct tape them together. Tape it up on the wall and start shooting baskets. If you want a smaller hoop, cut the noodle in half or 2/3rds.
10) Robot Pool Noodle Project | 4 Herreras
Here is one of the pool noodle projects for kids that will help grow your child’s imagination. All you need is markers, pool noodles, and golf tees. Cut the parts needed with an Exacto knife for your kiddo and let them build away!
11) Rocket Pool Noodles | Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls
I can definitely see children loving this one! Let them battle it out for the furthest launch after making this project, and you’ll have an entire afternoon to yourself. Helpful hint—the fins really do help these fly further!
12) Pool Noodle Wickets | Fabulessly Frugal
Ever heard of wickets? It’s a term from croquet and they are super useful for games and agility and speed training. Set up a series of wickets for relay races, target practice, soccer and—of course—croquet. Just hammer some wood dowels into the ground and slide the middle of the pool noodle over the top of them. Easy peasy!
13) Pool Noodle Target Throw | Parents.com
This looks like so much fun. Plus, there is enough variety for how you can use this set up that you can keep it up all summer long! Duct-tape six rings to one another and lift them on wooden dowels. Use them to toss footballs, baseballs, noodle javelins, frisbees and more!
14) Pool Noodle Alphabet Basket | The Educators Spin on It
Help your child practice phonics and learn ABC’s through play! This is another one of the easiest pool noodle crafts for kids to make—simply take a noodle and cut into slices. Grab a sharpie and add a letter to each slice then let the (learning) games begin!
15) Ring Toss | Moola Saving Mom
Here’s a lightweight take on the classic ring toss game. Cover yard stakes with pool noodles and toss a pool noodle ring. Make the stakes at varying heights to challenge different age levels.
16) Pool Noodle Bowling Alley | HGTV
Like a friendly game of bowling? Set one up in your backyard and let your kids use a ball to knock down cans covered in foam noodles.
I can’t believe I haven’t made more of these pool noodle crafts for kids—if you are curious what I’ll be doing this summer, here it is. I hope you enjoy these ideas as much as we will!