This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy. Adult supervision is required for all activities found on HappyToddlerPlaytime.com.
Need a fun idea to keep your kids busy this summer? Make a pool noodle racetrack and let the games begin! This is a fun gross motor activity that your car fan will love!
And check out my short form crafting series Curious Crafting on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Watch all the episodes here.
What Type of Pool Noodles to Use
If you have a pool in your backyard you’re no stranger to pool noodles. You probably have quite a few hanging around, some older than others. For all of the pool noodle activities that I do, I like to use dollar store pool noodles and save the more expensive versions for actually swimming. The dollar store noodles are usually smaller in diameter, making them easier to cut and manipulate for crafts and activities. But for this activity a large pool noodle is ideal. That way you have enough space in the middle to actually fit a small car.
That being said, I did this activity successfully with a thin dollar store noodle, so if you’re like me and don’t have a large noodle handy or you don’t want to destroy the ones you have, you can still setup this activity using a smaller one.
If you are using a large noodle you can attach the duct tape on the back the pool noodle rather on the front like what is pictured below.
How to Make a Pool Noodle Racetrack
Use box cutters to cut a pool in half lengthwise. Open it up and cut it again on the other side so that you have two halves.
Use duct tape to connect the two halves together.
Cut out two small rectangles about half the size of a smart phone. Write START and FINISH on each.
Add the green washi tape to the top and bottom of the start sign. Add black and white washi tape around the top and bottom of the finish sign.
Cut 4 bamboo sticks in half and tape two sticks with the point on one end to two either side of the each sign.
Stick the finish sign on one end of the pool noodle racetrack and the start on the other end.
Set up your pool noodle racetrack a stairs or a couch either outside or save it for a rainy day and set it up inside! Let your little one race their Hot Wheels cars down the track. Even you have a smaller pool noodle this will still work with cars. You can also try using marbles instead of cars!
Age Suitability
This activity is good for kids 3 years and up. My kids are 4, 4, and 8 year old.
Mess Level
This is a mess level is super low!
Difficulty to Create Pool Noodle Racetrack
Medium.
Skills Developed in Pool Noodle Racetrack
Gross motor, language development, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, imaginative play, creativity.
Supplies for Pool Noodle Racetrack
(This post and list contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission. Please visit my disclosure policy for more information.)
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
This show is all about fun and easy crafts for toddlers and preschoolers.
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
Play is at the core of learning during the early years and it can take many forms. One of the most important of these is sensory play because it engages all of a child’s senses (taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing) and has a enoumous positive impact on brain development.
Our Sensory Play Kits are some fun and easy ways to keep your child engaged while at the same time using sensory play to nurture their mind!
