Children love running around and having fun; if they can’t find it, they’ll make their own. That is why your children probably already love playing sports, as it allows them to expend their energy in a useful way. Or perhaps your kid isn’t as versed in sports as you would like them to be, and you want them to grow to love these activities and be more physically active.
Moreover, your kids might still be young, and sports can be quite dangerous for them. That is why pool noodles are a great way to introduce them to athletics in a safe environment—here are the many ways to make sports even more fun with pool noodles.
The Joy of Sports
The fact that sports and humans go hand in hand and date so far back is something to marvel at. Perhaps the reason sports are still so popular today is that they bring us such great joy in a variety of ways. Sports are the glue that can hold families and friendships together—it is a way for people to get to know each other and bond over a common interest.
Dynamic Play
It is odd to think that some sports haven’t existed for that long. Many of us think of certain sports as permanent activities that have always been there. However, that is not always the case. Many inventive minds are constantly creating new and exciting ways to get active. Are you one of them? Keep reading for eight sports that you can make more dynamic and fun with pool noodles.
Jousting
Many children find themselves obsessed and enamored with the fantasy and excitement of the Renaissance era—they likely imagine dragons, armor, and jousting galore. Jousting is an exciting way to get your kids active and delve into the Renaissance era. However, it is a good idea to play it safe and replace those lances with pool noodles instead. Moreover, you might also consider throwing a Renaissance-themed birthday party for your kid, in which case you will need to make a couple of different lances to provide your guests with.
To get your lances started, you will need a variety of pool noodles, which is where we can help you make a jousting event to remember. At Honor Trading Company, we have solid core foam noodles you can decorate any way you like. Consider adding colorful duct tape in a swirling pattern up the pool noodle in various colors for the kids to choose from. When jousting time comes, they will be bouncing with excitement to use their lances—and it makes a great parting gift so they can play at home too.
Bow and Arrow
Who didn’t want to be Katniss Everdeen, scouring the Capitol for President Snow with a bow and arrow? A bow and arrow can make you feel like a powerful fighter and excite countless imaginary ventures to embark upon. As such, consider making this sport more fun with pool noodles. Here’s what you will need: pool noodles, a knife, and string.
Using your knife, cut your pool noodle in half, then carefully puncture a hole at each end of the noodle. Then, pass your string through each hole on either end and secure it tightly, and you have created your bow. To create your arrow, take the other half of your pool noodle, cut a thin piece about 15 inches long, and simply carve an arrow onto one end. Now, you are ready to embark on adventures.
Golf Course or Hockey
Golf and hockey are sports mainly for adults, but you can modify them for kids with pool noodles. For this activity, you will need pool noodles, duct tape, and a knife. Cut a small piece of your pool noodle, about 10 inches long, and secure it to the end of your foam noodle with duct tape; this will serve as your golf club or hockey stick. It is quite easy to create your golf course or rink. You can use any bucket on hand—a plastic pail works great. Now you can set for the golf course or play a game of hockey—player’s choice.
Bowling
Bowling can be such a fun game, and the best part is you can even play it in the comfort of your own home. To make your alley, cut a pool noodle in half and use two other pool noodles to fasten it to the ends of the noodle you cut. It is best to use duct tape for fastening. Then, take any bottles you can find in your home; great options are plastic recyclables that you can align into that iconic triangular shape. Finally, grab any ball you can find, like a beach ball or basketball, and you are ready to start bowling.
Basketball
If you want to play basketball with foam noodles, you are lucky because it is incredibly easy to do. All you need is a foam pool noodle to create your net. The best part is that you can easily play this indoors, making it perfect for a rainy day. Use duct tape to create a circle with your pool noodle and secure it well, then use the duct tape to adhere it to a wall, door, or your garage. With your net ready, all you need is a ball—you can use soft ones like a beach ball or bouncy ball.
Baseball
Many young kids find such excitement in the idea of hitting a ball with a stick, but that can sometimes be dangerous for the younger ones. However, that doesn’t mean they must sit out on all the fun. A great way to include them is to use a pool noodle as the bat and a beachball as the baseball. Baseball with pool noodles is a great opportunity to help your kids learn hand-eye coordination and other valuable skills.
Football
What kid doesn’t love the idea of kicking a football through a goal post? However, finding one that can accommodate and allow for kids is difficult, which is why it is a great thing that you can make your own goal post with foam noodles. Use speared dowels to create your goal post. Work the dowels through the hole of your pool noodle so you may fasten it to the ground securely. Then, grab another pool noodle and secure it horizontally on the standing noodle.
Now you just need to make the goal post, so vertically adhere a pool noodle to both ends of the horizontal noodle using duct tape. If you want each noodle to have more structure, you might consider pushing a dowel through each noodle, although you only need it for the initial standing noodle so that it can secure into the ground. You have now created your goal post, and you can get kicking—the kids may never grow tired with this one.
