Ninja Training (A Stuck-at-Home Activity)
It’s week 3 of self-isolation here. We’ve been mostly doing just fine in spite of the dramatic increase in screen time (nothing else has worked when it’s time for both Mom and Dad to work), but now I’m starting to run out of ideas. Enter ninja training!
It’s getting warmer here, but for those days when we can’t go outside at all, this has been a lifesaver for us. This was actually something we did first back in January, when my kids were sick for nearly a month, and we were feeling the self-isolation blues even pre-corona.
Basically, we spent some time making ninja costumes, then taped some balloons on string to the ceiling and let the kids “fight” them. This worked for hours over the course of 2 days. I called it “ninja training.” They loved it.
We made ninja swords and ninja stars along with headbands and sashes. Back in January, it was no big thing to wear a face mask, so we used them as ninja masks, although that would be irresponsible now. If your kiddo really wants a face mask, you could use another piece of fabric and tie it around their face.
Below, I’ll break down how we made the ninja costumes and weapons, as well as how we used the “training course.” I’m hoping these ideas will make your quarantine a little less challenging!
The Costumes
Materials
- 2 4″x 3′ piece of fabric (we used muslin)
- Pinking shears
- Fabric markers or Sharpies
Directions
Start by cutting out the 4″x3′ fabric pieces. You can adjust the sizing on these. The ones we used for my daughter were slightly smaller than the ones we used with my son.
Let the kids go wild with the markers! These don’t even have to be fabric markers, although that will create a better result. We used regular old Sharpies, and that worked well.
When the kids have finished, fold the fabric in half width-wise, then tie one piece around their head and one around their waist. Ninja costume!
The Weapons
Sword Materials
- 2 pieces of construction paper
- scotch tape
- scissors
Sword Instructions
We used this easy-to-follow tutorial from The Crazy Tutorials. We just substituted construction paper for the A4 letter paper they use.
Ninja Star Materials
- 4 pieces of construction paper
- that’s it!
Ninja Star Directions
We used this tutorial from PPO to make 1 star per kid. Once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy!
The Training Course
For this, we did some different things. The big hit was putting balloons on strings and taping them to the ceiling. The kids were able to bop the balloons with their swords and throw their ninja stars at them.
When that got boring, I took a Sharpie and drew wild animal faces on them because they wanted to fight lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
The second day, I wrote letters on the balloons and had the kids bop them when I called out the letter. Educational, right?
And lastly, I used masking tape on the floor to create a ninja obstacle course. They had to hop from tape mark to tape mark, walk a zig-zag line, and then throw their ninja stars into a laundry basket. They did this over and over again.
By then, they were ready to move on to the next thing, but we got a ton of crafting, learning, and indoor physical movement out of a little paper, tape and fabric.
Good luck with the isolation, the parenting, and the whole craziness of now!
Looking for more quarantine activities? Check these out!
Don’t forget to pin!
Loved your article on creating a Ninja Obstacle Course! It’s a brilliant way to keep everyone active and entertained while at home. Your step-by-step guide and creative suggestions make setting up the course a breeze. Thanks for this awesome idea – can’t wait to try it out!
I hope your kiddos love it!