Building a Catapult for Kids {Simple Catapult = Catapult Games}

Building a catapult for kids can make you the coolest mom or dad on the block.   Today we have some instructions on how to make a simple catapult.   Of course, we at Kids Activities Blog know that if your kid has a device like this they will surely want to play some catapult games.   Have fun!

Building a Catapult

This simple home made catapult has been a huge hit with my son. We made it using very basic household items and had lots of fun working out which configuration would work best. Watching the pom poms fly across the table has kept us entertained as we see who can launch their pom poms the furthest.

How to Make a Simple Catapult

For this simple catapult you will need:

3 cardboard tubes

a wooden spoon ( a plastic spoon will also work well)

4 elastic bands

pom poms, marshmallows, scrunched up balls of paper or other soft items for launching

Simple Catapult

Steps for making a simple catapult

1. Lay two of the cardboard tubes side by side and then place the third tube on top of the first two to form a triangle shaped stack.

2. Fasten the tubes together with an elastic band at each end – these are the white elastic bands in the photos.

3. Next, position the wooden spoon at the front of the tubes, and loop an elastic band over the top of the spoon, stretch it around the tubes and then bring it back over itself at the top of the spoon so it holds the spoon to the tubes. This is shown by the red elastic band in the photos.

4. Finally, take the last elastic band, loop it over the handle of the wooden spoon, take it around the cardboard tubes, and back over the spoon as shown by the black elastic band in the photos. The photo below shows another close up view of these elastic bands.

Launch Catapult

To launch the pom poms,   hold the cardboard tubes with one hand or secure them to a table with masking tape like we did. Use your other hand to position a pom pom on the wooden spoon, pull the spoon back and then release and watch those pom poms fly!

Catapult Games

Some of our pom poms flew a very long way – more than the length of our dining table. My son had fun simply launching the pom poms and seeing where they would land, but you could make all sorts of target games with this simple catapult. Try lining up some paper cups and try landing the pom poms inside the cups – you could even have a points system where different cups are worth different points.

More Kids Activities

Did you  ever think that building a catapult could be so easy?   This simple catapult is fun for kids (and adults too!).   For more exciting kids activities, take a shot at these:

• Building a  Catapult with LEGOs
• Try this  Simple Catapult {with Housing a Forest}
•  Catapult Games from Spaghetti Box Kids