Make DIY Nerf Gun Targets with empty cereal boxes so kids can have fun target practicing. Get the free bullseye template.
Grab your Nerf guns and get ready to take aim at your new homemade cereal box targets following our easy directions and using our free target template. The targets only take minutes to make and give your kids something to shoot at besides each other. The targets also come with a tally sheet to keep track of points for some backyard competitions.
My kids (age 4 and 6) got their first Nerf Gun even though I didn’t think it was a good idea because as their mom my mind flashed to “worst case scenarios” and I envisioned them fighting and crying within minutes. Their Dad joined in the enthusiasm at the store and after the Nerf Guns were purchased he was just as happy as the kids to get them home and start firing. As the boxes were being opened and bullets were being loaded I quickly came up with a way that would avoid a sibling stand-off between my children and grabbed some cereal boxes (leaving the bags of cereal in the cupboard). I started making targets for them to shoot at so they didn’t have to shoot at each other. I even made a score sheet which they love keeping track of their points. As a bonus for our homeschooling home, the kids practice counting by 1’s, 5’s, and 10’s as they total their points. I am happy to report that no one has been in the line of fire and the whole family has enjoyed spending time playing together. (Why didn’t we get these sooner?) We haven’t had this much fun since we learned how to Bounce Bubbles on our hand!
DIY Nerf Gun Targets
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Supplies:
Click links and photos: Affiliate links to more information on these suggested products ?
- At least one empty cereal box (the thicker the box the better, our Cinnamon Toast Crunch box worked the best)
- Scissors
- Clothespins
- Tape
- Targets (available to download for free toward the end of this post)
- Nerf Guns
General Mills Toast Crunch Cereal, Cinnamon, 49.5 Ounce
Fiskars 8 Inch Softgrip Scissors Straight, Stainless Steel (01-004761J)Household Essentials Classic Birchwood Clothespins, Bag of 963m 2157ss 3/4
Nerf Rival Apollo XV-700 (Red)Nerf N-Strike Elite FirestrikeNerf Modulus Tri-StrikeNerf N-Strike Elite Rampage BlasterNerf Rebelle Rapid Red Blaster
Directions:
Watch our tutorial and follow us on Youtube. More detailed directions are also provided below.
At the opening of the cereal box cut two lines toward the bottom of the box starting around a centimeter out from the edge of the box. This will be the flap that holds the target. Do not cut the flap off.
Depending on how well your box was glued together it may or may not need reinforcing but a little duct tape along the bottom of the box could never hurt. One out of our three targets fell apart after being hit so many times… really, we are just that good, lol :).
Lay the box down and fold the flap up. Place 2 to 4 clothespins towards the bottom of the flap to keep it up. At first, I only used 2 clothespins, but later discovered that 4 worked better. 2 clothes pins being placed at an angle at the bottom of the flap, and 2 right above the first set. Just wiggle them around until the flap stays up. If your cereal box is too flimsy you could always reinforce it by cutting out a second flap from another cereal box and securing it to the bottom of the target.
Once the flap is in place tape the target is ready to use. The template has a blank target, a 1 point target, a 5 point target, and a 10 point target. Here are some fun ideas for your targets: a shoot out to see who gets the most points, call the target out and then shoot, or shoot to fill the tally sheet first.
You can use the tally sheet to keep track of players’ points. Don’t forget to have your kids add up their points for a sneaky way to practice math this summer.
My kids (especially Little Dragon) LOVED hitting the targets for points. I’m pretty sure the neighbors new every time he made a shot because he yelled so loud with excitement. We got the new Nerf Rival Guns-affiliate link
that shoots out round balls. They are easy for the kids to load because they just push them into the magazine and pull back on the lever and shoot. Sometimes the lever is hard for them to pull back on but that’s where Dad and I get to help out. Nerf makes tons of guns (as you probably already know). I would love to hear which ones your 4 and 6 year old like.
GET THE TEMPLATE HERE:
Don’t see the box? CLICK HERE to be directed to the download. Please share and pin our printable ?
