One soccer net, two pool noodles, and absolutely no plan.
Dad Game #2
We have a giant playroom in our basement. The boys have plenty of toys down there—probably more than enough—but sometimes we don’t have a focused game that all three of us can jump into together.
One day we had some extra pool noodles lying around, and I was trying to figure out something for the boys to do.
My wife likes hockey and actually played growing up. I didn’t. But for whatever reason, I looked at the pool noodles, looked at the soccer net, and thought: we could probably make hockey out of this.
So that’s what we did.
It Barely Started as a Game
There wasn’t some great plan behind Pool Noodle Hockey. We grabbed a ball, cut the pool noodles down to a better size, and started whacking the ball around the basement.
That was pretty much the entire game. The boys would hit it toward me. I’d hit it back. We’d chase it across the room and start again. Sometimes it went toward the net. Sometimes it didn’t.
But they were having fun, so we kept doing it. After playing a few times, it started turning into an actual game on its own. The boys ended up on one team, I became the goalie, and the goal became pretty simple:
Get the ball past Dad.
Boys vs. Dad
I’m obviously not going full competition mode against a three- and five-year-old. I’ll stop a few shots. I’ll let a few get through. Sometimes I’ll make a completely unnecessary diving save. Other times a ball I could easily stop somehow slips right past me.
Then I act like they’ve just scored the winning goal of the Stanley Cup.
That’s when the game is at its best. They’re trying to beat Dad, I’m trying to make it just difficult enough to keep them going, and everybody gets way more invested than anyone should be in a game involving half a pool noodle.
Sometimes I’ll put on upbeat music while we play, too. My older son has ADHD, and I’ve found that music can help keep his energy in the game. Add the music, a little play-by-play announcing, and Dad dramatically protecting the net, and suddenly the basement gets pretty loud.
My wife probably regrets ever telling me she played hockey.
The Game Just Kept Growing
We didn’t sit down and create Pool Noodle Hockey. It started as three of us basically smacking a ball around the basement.
Then we added a net. Then it became boys versus Dad. Then came the ridiculous saves, music, celebrations, and little challenges.
The boys helped turn it into the game it is now just by playing it. Now it’s one of those games we can pull out whenever the boys need to burn some energy and Dad needs something better than, “Go find something to play with.”
Steal Our Game
We turned our version into a Pool Noodle Hockey: Kids vs. Dad Toolkit card so another dad can get the game going in about two minutes.
Use our rules. Change them. Ignore them completely.
Sometimes all you need is a couple pool noodles, a ball, and Dad willing to look ridiculous.
Dads, let’s go.