All Out Nerf Battle War Fun - Annual Family Activity

My kids were all coming for the first time in six years for Christmas this year. For about a year, I have been buying up used Nerf guns at thrift stores trying to buy all the same types of guns so we could have an all out Nerf battle over Christmas. 

After purchasing about 10 guns that are the same, I kept looking for foam soft tipped bullets. The one thing about Nerf Bullets is that they get lost or broken. I wasn't able to find more than a few used foam bullets. 

I started researching online for inexpensive bullets and found 1000 bullets for under $35 shipped! It was worth taking a few minutes to compare as there is a huge variety of prices for the same exact thing. I knew we wouldn't need that many bullets, so I sold off bags of 100 red and 100 blue soft tipped bullets for $20 locally selling off about 500 bullets and making more money than I spent on all 1000 bullets I ordered. I loved that I could make some money on the bullets covering what I bought and helping pay for some of the used guns I purchased. 

I kept an eye out at thrift stores for cute and fun sunglasses for eye protection. I purchased enough glasses for men, women, and children. Most of the glasses were new but purchased at thrift stores and were kind of fun shapes. 

I also kept an eye out for cheap string pull back packs so that each gun had a pack and a spot for bullets so everyone had enough bullets. I found new bags for $0.50 each. 

I was able to find two birthday NERF sets that had tattoos, stickers that we put on the back of the bags, and we put tattoos on before heading out to have our Nerf Battle War. 

The sun was bright so I had a hard time getting good photos. I actually set up a video camera on a tripod but because the playground was so big, everyone took off and you couldn't see much on the longer video, so I tried to move it and because everyone was in and out of the playground equipment and running from the bullets, the video is a bit boring. I think if I had a go-pro on, it would have been more exciting. 

EVERYONE said they wanted to make it an annual event. I was glad I had glasses on as one hit my on the side of the head right on the glasses, also with the kids playing, they can't aim as well, so the eye glasses were for sure a must. You have to plan on losing some bullets. For some reason, one of my daughters wanted to see how many we lost in the game. At the end, we all stood a few feet apart and walked the playground, but the bullets went onto the soccer field and basketball courts, so in the end, we lost between 20 and 30 bullets. 

Everyone had fun with this and we did have a moment of "hurt" feelings with one of the kids getting shot as even though the bullets were soft tipped, they still sting when they hit. However, the crying didn't last long as they wanted to get out and shoot some more. The 3 year old was just happy to run around picking up the foam bullets. 

Years ago, I made a bunch of marshmallow guns and we take them camping or to the park. The problem with them is that in the heat, they start to melt and you have to clean them up at the park and they get sticky and make a mess. So we have enjoyed having massive battles over the years, but after having this NERF battle, I am going to sell my marshmallow guns and just keep these Nerf guns instead. Of course, the marshmallows cost less per game, but can only be used once. Since I made money on purchasing the bullets by selling some, we can always buy more and sell some off and there is no cost for the game / war / battle. You could even rent out the guns and glasses for parties. If someone rented them for $50 for a family party, you could lose over 1000 bullets and still make money! 

I see no negatives for this activity. It was really fun and I think worth all the time collecting the guns. I am going to keep looking for that exact gun at thrift stores as our family is just going to keep getting larger. I keep it all in a labeled tote for easy access and storage. 

Thanks for watching and have a blessed day!