Games to Play With Pool Noodles

Dry-land games for a yard, a hall or a youth group night, with no pool anywhere.

Noodle Into the Bin1. Stand a tall, empty trash can or laundry hamper three steps from a line.2. Toss a noodle so that it drops in end first and stays in.3. One point if it ends up in the bin. Leaning out over the edge still counts.4. Five tosses each, then move the line back a step for the next round.Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: two or three pool noodles and a tall bin.
Sofa Fishing1. Scatter ten things with a hole in them on the floor: rolls of tape, bangles, plastic hoops, a colander, a small bucket.2. The fisher sits on the sofa with one noodle and may not touch the floor.3. Hook things with the end of the noodle and lift them into a basket on the sofa.4. Count the catch after two minutes.Youngest player: age 5. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: one pool noodle, ten things with a hole or a handle and a basket.
This Is Not a Noodle1. The prop game from the improv class, with one noodle for the whole circle. Sit in a circle.2. The first player holds the noodle and says, this is not a noodle, it is a, and names something else, then uses it that way: a fishing rod, a giant straw, a horse.3. Pass it on. No idea may be used twice.4. A player who cannot think of one in five seconds claps the next player in.Youngest player: age 5. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: one pool noodle.

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How it works

In these games to play with pool noodles the noodle is a tagger, a baton, a hoop or a building log, because it is long, light and soft.

Read the full guide

Before the group arrives

Several games ask for half noodles, which an adult cuts with a bread knife beforehand. In Tag games with a foam tagger, agree on the touch rule first: a light touch with the end of the noodle, below the shoulders.

When it rains

Indoor games to play with pool noodles fit a living room or a classroom with the chairs pushed back, and nothing in that set is thrown.

Two colors of noodle make two teams with no bibs.

Questions and answers

Which kids games to play with pool noodles need no pool?

Every game on this list. Jump the Low Noodle, Noodle Skid Bowling and Sofa Fishing suit children from five up, and Stand It and Switch and Half-Pipe Pipeline suit older groups.

What pool noodle games work for a youth group?

Circle games that use the whole group at once: Stand It and Switch, Name Guard in the Circle, which also teaches names, and Race the Noodle Around the Ring. Half-Pipe Pipeline is a team challenge for ages eight and up.

How many pool noodles do you need?

A noodle for each player covers almost everything. Circle games such as Jump the Low Noodle and Race the Noodle Around the Ring need only one, most relays one for each team, and Kick Croquet Through Noodle Arches takes six.

Can you play pool noodle games indoors?

Yes. Letter Makers, Log Cabin Stack, Ladder Copycat and Catch the Dropped Noodle need a cleared floor and nothing else. Sock Puck Hockey on Knees is played kneeling, with a rolled pair of socks as the puck.

All 34 games

Tag games with a foam tagger 7

Ankle Sweep Tag 1. The tagger holds a whole noodle by one end and may tag only by touching its far end to a runner's foot or shin. 2. Runners dodge and jump over the sweep inside a marked square. 3. The noodle stays below the knee the whole game. A touch any higher does not count. 4. A tagged runner takes the noodle and becomes the tagger. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: one pool noodle and four cones.
Bean Bag Duel 1. Pairs face each other. Each player holds a noodle in one hand and balances a bean bag on the open palm of the other hand, held out to the side. 2. On go, knock the other player's bean bag off with a tap of your noodle on the bag or the hand. 3. Taps stay below the shoulders, and a hand that closes around the bag loses the point. 4. First to three, then change partners. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: a pool noodle and a bean bag for each player.
Gate Freeze Tag 1. Freeze tag in which a frozen player turns into a gate. Every runner carries half a noodle. Two taggers wear a bib and tag by hand, on the arm or the back. 2. A tagged runner freezes and holds the noodle out level at waist height. 3. Any free runner unfreezes them by ducking under that noodle. 4. Play three minutes and count who is frozen, then change taggers. An adult cuts the noodles beforehand. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 8 min. Props: half a pool noodle for each runner and two bibs.

Show all 34 games (31 more)

Tag games with a foam tagger, continued

Guard Your Cone 1. Every player stands a cone somewhere in the square with a tennis ball resting on top, and holds half a noodle. 2. On go, sweep other players' balls off their cones while guarding your own. Noodles touch balls and cones, not people. 3. When your ball falls, put it back and do five star jumps before you play on. 4. Count the balls you knock off in three minutes. An adult cuts the noodles beforehand. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: half a pool noodle, a cone and a tennis ball for each player.
Link Chain Tag 1. Chain tag with noodles as the links, so nobody has to hold hands. Two taggers each hold one end of the same noodle. 2. They chase together and tag with their free hands. 3. A caught runner picks up a spare noodle and joins one end of the chain by it. 4. Only the two players at the ends may tag. The last runner free wins. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 10 min. Props: a pool noodle for every two players.
Noodle Tag, Ten-Count Handover 1. One tagger carries a noodle. 2. A tagged player takes the noodle, stands still and counts to ten out loud while everyone scatters. 3. Then the chase starts again. No tagging the player who just tagged you. 4. With twelve players or more, play with two noodles. A tag is a light touch with the end of the noodle, below the shoulders. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 4 to 24. Time: 8 min. Props: one or two pool noodles.
Tail Tag, Step on the Tail 1. Mark a square about ten steps across. Every player holds a noodle by one end and lets the rest trail on the ground behind them as a tail. 2. On go, try to step on someone else's tail while keeping your own moving. 3. A player whose tail is stepped on does five star jumps outside the square and comes back in. 4. Count the tails you step on in three minutes. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: a pool noodle for each player and four cones.

Relays and races 7

Caterpillar Slalom 1. Teams of four to six line up. Each player is joined to the next by a noodle held at hip height, one hand on the noodle in front and one on the noodle behind. 2. The whole caterpillar weaves through a line of five cones and back. 3. If a noodle is dropped, the caterpillar stops until it is picked up. 4. Time each team. The fastest wins. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 4 to 24. Time: 8 min. Props: a pool noodle for each player but one, and five cones.
End Over End Race 1. Racers stand a noodle on its end at the start line. 2. Let it tip forward until the top touches the ground, then pick up the end nearest you and tip it forward again. 3. The noodle travels end over end to the far line. No carrying and no throwing. 4. First across wins, then race it back as a team relay. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 6 min. Props: a pool noodle for each racer or each team.
Foam Ring Stack Relay 1. Slice a noodle into rings as thick as a hand, eight for each team. 2. One teammate stands at the far line holding a broom handle upright. 3. Runners carry one ring at a time and thread it down over the handle, then run back and tag the next. 4. The first team with all eight rings stacked wins. An adult cuts the noodles beforehand. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 4 to 24. Time: 8 min. Props: eight foam rings and a broom handle for each team.
Jump the Sweeping Noodle 1. Teams stand in single file, a step apart. The first two players take one end each of a noodle. 2. They walk fast down either side of the line with the noodle at ankle height, and everyone jumps it as it comes. 3. At the back, the first player joins the line. The second carries the noodle to the front and sweeps again with the next player. 4. The team is done when its first player is at the front again. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 6 to 24. Time: 8 min. Props: one pool noodle for each team.
Palm Balance Walk 1. Each team has one noodle. The first walker stands it upright on one flat palm. 2. Walk to a cone and back with the noodle balancing. The other hand stays behind the back. 3. If it falls, stop where you are and balance it again before you move. 4. Hand it over. The first team with every walker home wins. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 4 to 24. Time: 8 min. Props: one pool noodle for each team and a cone.
Palm-to-Palm Squeeze Carry 1. Partners stand a noodle's length apart. Each presses one flat palm against an end of the noodle, and that push is all that holds it up. 2. Carry it around a cone and back like that. No gripping, and no other hand. 3. A noodle that springs out is picked up and set again on the spot. 4. Pass it to the next pair. The first team home wins. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 4 to 24. Time: 8 min. Props: one pool noodle for each team and a cone.
Thread the Needle 1. Each team stands in a line, side by side, and every player makes a ring with both arms in front of the chest, hands clasped. 2. The runner feeds a noodle through every ring, from one end of the line to the other, as thread goes through a needle. 3. Pull it clear at the far end and run it back to the next runner, then take their place in the line. 4. The first team with everyone threaded wins. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 5 to 24. Time: 8 min. Props: one pool noodle for each team.

Circle games for a youth group 7

Half-Pipe Pipeline 1. The pipeline challenge, with foam half-pipes. Slit noodles in half along their length, one half for each player. 2. The team stands in a line holding the halves end to end, and a table tennis ball is set rolling in the first one. 3. The ball has to roll from piece to piece into a bucket ten steps away. Once the ball has left your piece, run to the front of the line. 4. A dropped ball starts again from the start. An adult cuts the noodles beforehand. Youngest player: age 8. Players: 5 to 16. Time: 12 min. Props: half a pool noodle, slit lengthwise, for each player, a table tennis ball and a bucket.
Jump the Low Noodle 1. Players stand in a circle. The leader crouches in the middle holding a noodle by one end. 2. The leader sweeps it around the circle at ankle height, slowly at first. 3. Everyone jumps as it comes. A player it touches takes one point and stays in. 4. After ten laps, the fewest points wins. Then let a player do the sweeping. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 5 to 16. Time: 6 min. Props: one pool noodle.
Keep the Beach Ball Up, Noodles Only 1. The noodle keep-up for one, played by a whole circle. Every player holds half a noodle. 2. Toss a beach ball into the middle and keep it in the air with noodles only. 3. Count the hits out loud. Nobody hits twice in a row. 4. When it lands, start again from one and try to beat the best count. An adult cuts the noodles beforehand. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 6 min. Props: half a pool noodle for each player and a beach ball.
Name Guard in the Circle 1. Sit in a circle with feet stretched into the middle. One guard stands in the center with half a noodle. 2. The leader says a player's name. 3. The guard must tap that player's shoe before the player says somebody else's name. Then the guard goes for the new name. 4. A player tapped in time swaps places with the guard. An adult cuts the noodles beforehand. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 8 to 20. Time: 10 min. Props: half a pool noodle.
Pass It Around on Feet 1. The seated feet pass, with something long and floppy. Sit in a circle on the floor, leaning back on your hands. 2. The first player lifts a noodle with both feet and hands it to the feet of the next player. 3. No hands, and if it drops, that pair picks it up again with their feet. 4. Time one full lap, then try to beat it. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 5 to 16. Time: 6 min. Props: one pool noodle.
Race the Noodle Around the Ring 1. Stand in a circle. One runner waits outside it, behind the player who holds the noodle. 2. On go, the circle passes the noodle from hand to hand all the way around, and the runner runs one lap around the outside. 3. If the runner is back first, the runner scores. If the noodle is, the circle scores. 4. Everyone takes one turn as the runner. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 8 to 24. Time: 10 min. Props: one pool noodle.
Stand It and Switch 1. Everyone stands in a circle, an arm's length apart, holding a noodle upright on the ground with one hand on top. 2. The leader calls right or left. Everyone lets go and steps that way to catch the next noodle before it falls. 3. A player whose new noodle hits the ground steps out and takes that noodle along, so the gaps grow. 4. The last two players standing win. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: a pool noodle for each player.

Throwing and target games 6

Bent Noodle Basket 1. Two players bend one noodle into a hoop and hold it above their heads. 2. Shooters throw a beach ball through it from a line four steps away. 3. For younger shooters the holders may shift the hoop to help. For older ones they may sway it slowly from side to side. 4. Five shots each, then swap holders. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: one pool noodle and a beach ball.
Kick Croquet Through Noodle Arches 1. Croquet with feet and foam. Push each end of a noodle over a short garden stake to make an arch, and set six arches around the lawn. 2. Players take turns to kick a soft ball, one kick a turn. 3. Go through the arches in order, counting kicks. 4. The fewest kicks around all six wins. An adult pushes the stakes in and pulls them out afterward. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 12 min. Props: six pool noodles, twelve short garden stakes and a soft ball for each player.
Noodle Into the Bin 1. Stand a tall, empty trash can or laundry hamper three steps from a line. 2. Toss a noodle so that it drops in end first and stays in. 3. One point if it ends up in the bin. Leaning out over the edge still counts. 4. Five tosses each, then move the line back a step for the next round. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: two or three pool noodles and a tall bin.
Noodle Skid Bowling 1. Stand six empty plastic bottles in a triangle on smooth ground or a hall floor. 2. From five steps back, send a noodle skidding along the ground, underarm, like a stone skimmed on water. 3. Two skids a turn. Score a point for each bottle that falls. 4. Reset the bottles for the next player. First to twenty. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 2 to 12. Time: 10 min. Props: one pool noodle and six empty plastic bottles.
Rail Roll Into the Basket 1. Two players hold two noodles side by side as rails, high at one end and low at the other. 2. A third player sets a playground ball on the high end and lets go. 3. The rail holders tilt and steer so that the ball rolls the whole length and drops into a laundry basket two steps beyond the low end. 4. Five rolls, then change jobs. Count the baskets. Youngest player: age 7. Players: 3 to 12. Time: 8 min. Props: two pool noodles, a playground ball and a laundry basket.
Ring Course Around the Yard 1. Bend noodles into rings and tape the ends together, one ring for each player. 2. Name five targets in order around the yard: a tree, a chair, a bucket, a post, a cone. 3. Throw your ring from where it last landed until it touches the target, counting every throw. 4. The fewest throws over the five targets wins. An adult tapes the rings. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 10. Time: 12 min. Props: a pool noodle ring for each player and strong tape.

Indoor games to play with pool noodles 7

Catch the Dropped Noodle 1. Partners face each other. One holds a noodle upright by its top end, at arm's length, with the bottom a hand span off the floor. 2. The other stands with hands at their sides. 3. The holder lets go with no warning, and the catcher grabs the noodle before it hits the floor. 4. Five drops each. Then the catcher starts with hands on head. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 2 to 20. Time: 5 min. Props: one pool noodle for each pair.
Ladder Copycat 1. Lay six noodles on the floor as the rungs of a ladder, a big step apart. 2. The leader goes down the ladder with a footwork pattern: two feet in each space, then hop, then sideways. 3. Everyone follows, one at a time, copying it exactly. 4. Each round the leader adds one new move at the end. A player who gets it wrong joins the judges. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 3 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: six pool noodles.
Letter Makers 1. Teams of three to five sit around four noodles. 2. The leader calls a capital letter. 3. The team lays its noodles on the floor to make that letter, bending them where it has to, and sits down with hands on heads. 4. The first team sitting with a letter the leader can read scores a point. For older groups, call a two-letter word. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 6 to 20. Time: 8 min. Props: four pool noodles for each team.
Log Cabin Stack 1. Give each team about twelve half noodles. 2. Build a log cabin stack: two logs side by side, two across them, two more the first way, and up. 3. Teams have two minutes. 4. The tallest stack that stands by itself for a count of five wins. An adult cuts the noodles beforehand. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 4 to 20. Time: 6 min. Props: about twelve half noodles for each team.
Sock Puck Hockey on Knees 1. Noodle hockey for a living room. Roll a pair of socks into a ball for the puck. Two chair legs at each end of the rug are the goals. 2. Everyone plays kneeling, with half a noodle as a stick. 3. The puck stays on the floor, and so do the noodles: no swing higher than a knee. 4. First to five goals. Change ends at three. An adult cuts the noodles beforehand. Youngest player: age 6. Players: 4 to 10. Time: 10 min. Props: half a pool noodle for each player and a pair of socks.
Sofa Fishing 1. Scatter ten things with a hole in them on the floor: rolls of tape, bangles, plastic hoops, a colander, a small bucket. 2. The fisher sits on the sofa with one noodle and may not touch the floor. 3. Hook things with the end of the noodle and lift them into a basket on the sofa. 4. Count the catch after two minutes. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 2 to 8. Time: 8 min. Props: one pool noodle, ten things with a hole or a handle and a basket.
This Is Not a Noodle 1. The prop game from the improv class, with one noodle for the whole circle. Sit in a circle. 2. The first player holds the noodle and says, this is not a noodle, it is a, and names something else, then uses it that way: a fishing rod, a giant straw, a horse. 3. Pass it on. No idea may be used twice. 4. A player who cannot think of one in five seconds claps the next player in. Youngest player: age 5. Players: 4 to 16. Time: 8 min. Props: one pool noodle.

How this list was compiled: Our suggestions, written for this site for a youth group, a class or a yard full of children with a pile of foam pool noodles and no pool. The wording is ours, and the ages, player counts and times are our estimates. Every game is played on dry ground. A noodle touches another player only as a light tag below the shoulders, an adult does all the cutting and taping, and no game uses balloons or water. The list states no rule or history of a traditional game, so no outside source was needed. Licence: own work