If you are a teacher or a private tutor, then most likely you have encountered pool noodles used in a project or more. In fact, one of the most common questions we have been asked about it is how these highly versatile foam materials can also be used in teaching physical education. This is a valid question because this foam is very fun to use in children’s play as cheap and colourful play material. So, here are the top four ideas we put together that make use of pool noodles in very creative and informative physical education for grades K-2.
Through the Forest: the forest here refers to the gym where the class happens which is filled with thorns (cones), rocks (foams), and broken tree limbs (noodles). The overall goal of this lesson is to help young kids learn about pathways, directions, and spaces, by going through the forest without touching any of those obstacles laid out. Their locomotive skills will also be tested and assessed through this lesson.
Magician Tag: this is another great teaching activity that can help children practice their locomotor skills. There will be about 3 taggers for a class of 18 who will act as magicians and be given a wand (pool noodle) for tagging purposes. They will do specific locomotor skills like skipping, hopping, or galloping. The other students will go around the space and if they are tagged by a magician, they will assume the activity that that magician is doing.
Building Dribblers: this lesson will help young students build things using pool noodles and do a lot of dribbling. Each team will be given a certain area where they build their artworks or structures. It can be inside a hula hoop or jump ropes. Then there would be a place in the center of the gym where various pieces of objects will be picked up by each of the team members while dribbling a ball to and from their designated area.
All those activities would be very fun and exciting for the little ones to learn physical education. You can also invent your own activity using pool noodles. For sure, they will be really enjoyable for the little students.
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