Swords for kids!

[J-H]

My 5 (now 6) and 3 year old enjoy fighting Daddy with these.

https://www.amazon.com/Beginner-Book-Warfare-Duct-Tape/dp/1942006012

The book has a lot of detailed instructions. In general, most of the simple weapons are made by taking 3/4" PVC pipe and 3/4" pipe insulation (available @ Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.), and then wrapping them with duct tape to hold everything together. The initial weapons made in early January are still going strong and have not needed any repairs yet. My oldest can hit pretty hard.

They each have a short sword (overall length about 18-24", sized so they can two-hand the grip) and a shield. I run a shorter sword with a crossguard and a dagger with no crossguard. This week, I made a flail (8" handle, 10-12" head), with about 4" of 550 cord between them. The flail is hard to defend with, and is best paired with a shield.

Fighting hobbit-sized people is hard. They can cut lower than I can guard, and over half my hitting range is simply too high to matter.

Great "quarantine" activity if you're stuck nearly at home and have the time and space. Cheap to build. Fun. Pairs well with Youtube videos on how to use swords, shields, and related history if you're doing homeschooling.

[Mutazoia]

You might want to look into this (https://amtgard.com/) when you get some time (and the quarantine is over)

[Tvtyrant]

I did whalebone for years as a kid and then a teen. Personally I would opt out of pvc for kids that age, its possible.to really hurt each other (broken limbs happened.)

What I did for my nephew when I started with him was took the bottom half of a fish pole and wrapped it in duct tape to keep it from splintering, then added insulation and tape on top of it. It is more solid than boffers (a pool noodle with a handle basically) are so it is more like a sword, but too light to impart much energy and has more give.

[J-H]

The PVC is covered by the foam. All good.

[Tvtyrant]

The PVC is covered by the foam. All good.

That's not really the concern. Like covering a fist with a boxing glove, the pipe is still imparting blunt force on the target. Having been part of several major injuries in this sport, from split lips to broken arms the possibility of injuries is pretty high. The lighter the piping the less momentum it can impart, which is why I suggested wrapped second hand fishing poles.

[Scarlet Knight]

For a 5 yo & a 3yo there's always a variety of Nerf swords available by mail.