Pool Noodle Dragon Boats

Looking for a simple, inexpensive, and fun craft with some open ended creativity? We recently made these dragon boats out of pool noodles and the kids had a blast designing their own then testing them to see if they could float. All you need is a pool noodle, some adhesive foam sheets, and the template that is free to download below. Hope you will give these a try with your kids!

This template is best printed out onto regular paper and used as a template to cut out onto pieces of adhesive foam in varying colors.

To make the dragon boat body, I cut pool noodles into roughly 8 inch long segments then I cut each segment in half lengthwise. I found it best using a serrated knife and cutting board.

To make the dragon head, I cut pool noodles into 2 cm wide discs. It took two discs to make each head. One disc was cut just on one side and the other disc cut in half then inserted into the other disc forming the head which was then secured to the boat using a toothpick.

To set up this activity for my kids, I premade and assembled the heads and bodies then cut all the eyes, eyebrows, scales, spikes, wings, tails, and whiskers and placed them in a muffin tin for easy access. I also included curled up pieces of red sparkly pipe cleaner for the dragon fire.

Then the kids went to town decorating their dragon boats, with only one instruction… to try to make their design as symmetrical as possible so their boat could float.

It was fun to see how different and unique each of their boats were. My preschooler decided to embellish her dragon head with scales and to use the eyebrow pieces to make her dragon wings fancier. She also used the whisker for a tail because she liked its swirly and fancy appearance.

My oldest daughter decided to use the tail pieces as tall eyes and wanted a more girly looking dragon boat, so used a Sharpie to draw on long eyelashes. She also attached whiskers to her wings to make them fancier.

My toddler chose not to add any scales, just spikes and kept her dragon very simple. She loves adhesive foam because she is able to grasp the pieces, peel and stick them all by herself. She was also able to count her spikes and make sure she had the same number on both sides of her dragon. In addition to floating her dragon boat, she enjoyed making it fly through our house and roaring.

Here is my son’s dragon boat. He used leftover scraps of adhesive foam to make nostrils, teeth, and a dragon tongue. He also added more color and detail to his dragon spikes. He was careful to make his design symmetrical so it floated with ease. He also included one of his Lego minifigures as a passenger.

Your child may also enjoy:

More Summer Pool Noodle Crafts

Fourth of July Activities for Kids

Shark Week Activities for Kids

Summer Playdough Mats

Summer Multiplication Crafts

I create more printable activities for kids here with the goal of helping to grow kids who love to learn.

If you make these pool noodle dragon boats, I would love to see it! Please use #sodangfun on social media, tag me @sodangfun on Instagram, or post to my Facebook page.

Wishing you and your family a fun and memorable summer!