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Imagine · Wild and Tumble activity

Stick pirate ship

Ahoy, me hearties! Lay out a giant pirate ship with sticks and set sail.

  • 25 min total
  • Low mess
  • Ages 3–5*
  • Outdoors
  • Any season
Let's do this

*Illustrative age guidance. Your child's development and circumstances matter more than a number.

A tiny plan for your day

Estimated time: 5 min to gather · 17 min to build and play · 3 min to tidy. It's fine to stop early.

Before you start

What you’ll need

  • Lots of long sticks
  • A big stick for the mast, and a tea towel for a sail
  • Pine cones as cannonballs (for pretend only)

Let's begin

Five simple steps

That's the whole activity. Tick each step off as you go, and stop whenever you like.

  1. Lay sticks on the ground in a big boat shape.

  2. Stand the mast in the middle, held up with a pile of stones, or lay it flat.

  3. Climb aboard!

  4. Who's the captain? Look out for sharks, islands and treasure.

  5. Spot X marks the spot and dig for treasure.

All done!

That's every step. However it went, you made a little moment together.

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