Pool Noodle Play

Foam Noodles are a great and inexpensive item to play with in the summertime.  Inside the pool, children love to use noodles to do things such as float and play telephone.  Did you know that noodles can also be used outside the pool to promote learning concepts?  Children can practice patterns, sorting, motor skills and more with two or more different colored noodles.  Noodles with the holes in them provide more fun activities than ones without the holes.   Start by getting the noodles and cut them into one-inch pieces.  Place the noodle pieces into a bin and mix them up. From there, you can prompt the children to do the following activities.


Have the children stack the noodle pieces of the same color or in a pattern.  Count as they place more and more pieces on their stack.  Of course one of the fun parts of building something is also knocking it down.  Have the children knock down their stacks so they can build an even bigger one!


Gather as many bins as you have as many colored noodle pieces, and have the children sort the noodles by color!


Place the noodle pieces in a line on the ground, and have them walk across it like a balance beam or stepping stones.


Arrange the noodle pieces on the ground to make letters or words. If the children are too young to write, chalk out words or letters on the ground for them and have the children place noodles where the chalk is.

Blow Bubbles

Who doesn’t love blowing bubbles?  Dip the noodle pieces into bubble solution and see how big you can blow a bubble to be!


By using water and stamping on the ground, or with paint onto a picture, the pool noodle pieces make for excellent stamps.  What kind of picture can you make with the pool noodle stamps?

If they’re used for swimming or for any of these activities, noodles can provide children with oodles of fun to last throughout the summer!