Ways to Play with Cut Up Pool Noodles

We have a community project coming up where we will be making toys for an adoption home. I thought about using pool noodles since it is something every learner at our school can donate since it is inexpensive and then we can use it as toys in a variety of ways for different age groups. Here are 7 ways to play with cut out pool noodles(tried and tested by my kids), arranged in age order. 

For babies:

1. Cut out holes in a large cardboard box for the noodle pieces to fit through. Older babies will love pushing the pieces through the holes and ‘discover’ it has fallen in the box. This is also good for hand eye coordination, muscle control etc.
(Just a side note- use with supervision as babies with teeth will try and bite it!)

2. These cut pool noodles roll easily and babies will love watching it roll and trying to roll it themselves. PS- this is great for visual tracking skills as well as cause and effect.

For toddlers:

3. Build towers with the noodles like building blocks! How high can you go? Can you build a tower as tall as yourself?

For preschoolers:

4. While building towers count how many “blocks” you are using and compare!

5. Make shapes with the pool noodles pieces.

6. Or build pictures:

For kindergartners:

7. Use the cut noodles to pack out letters.

Some more ideas: 

• If you have a variety of colours, the kids can sort the pool noodles according to colours too.
• Try throwing the pieces into the box from a distance.
• Pack out a road to walk through.
• Use the pieces as stamps.

Do you have other ways we could add to this list of fun ways to play with cut up pool noodles?