Best Nerf Bows and Guns for Kids

Nowadays, kids stay at home and play with gadgets instead of going out to play physical activities with other kids or peers. With this kind of lifestyle, children start to lose the fun experience of physical games, interaction, and socialization. It is also said that playing outside provides positive effects on one’s health.

One way to bring back old times when you could hear the laughter of children playing outside is through toys that are required to be played under the sun and clean, fresh breeze. In 1990s Nerf has introduced their first boy and arrow toy and thousands of children were able to play and had learned the value of teamwork and have real-life connections.

If you wish to bring back those days and have your kids learn the value of teamwork, interaction, socialization and have a real-life connection with other kids, here are our recommended Nerf toys.

1. Nerf Sports Dude Perfect Signature Bow

Nerf’s bow is known as a “toy” for the boys. This toy is close to the real thing and could be played both on the inside and outside of the house. For one to be able to play this toy, one has to have outstanding distance control but through enough practice, one could be able to hit targets up to a distance of 100 feet. One has to be prepared though as this toy seems to require 10# of pull to be able to get its string back. This bow has a length of 42 inches long and is sized for averagely sized 8-year-olds.

The arrows that come with this toy is very much safe but it would still hurt if you are shot with it as they have heft or heaviness on them. Furthermore, it is highly recommended that you follow the safety rules in the guide that is packaged with this toy.

This bow includes two arrows but if you wish to have more arrows to play with, there are refill packs available and are sold at a reasonable price.

2. Nerf N Strike HyperFire Blaster

The fastest-fire machine gun that Nerf has ever created, HyperFire blaster is a toy you will surely enjoy playing on the battlefield. This toy has a 4-D battery-powered motor which fires foam darts with speed and strength. It also could fire up to a distance of 90 feet and is best played on backyards. This toy comes with enough ammo and spares to play with when played at smaller outdoor spaces.

3. Nerf Rebelle Secrets and Spies Arrow Revolution

This toy has a length of 32 inches tall that makes it more manageable to be played by smaller children. This bow comes with an arrow Gatling-gun-a-rotating quiver that could hold up to 6

arrows and that could be fired shot after shot. Players don’t even have to learn how to hold the arrow properly to be able to play it as this toy takes care of it

Rebelle Secrets and Spies Arrow Revolution could also be played by older children. All they have to do is remove the quiver and they could use it as a real bow. This toy also comes with a whistling sound which your children will surely enjoy whenever they shoot arrows.

4. Nerf N-Strike Elite Strongarm Blaster

N-Strike Elite Strongarm Blaster is for beginners and is a great Nerf toy starter option. Though it is not a top-notch model, it has a six-dart capacity and could fire rapidly. This toy is manually controlled which means you will not have to change the battery once in a while.

S-Strike Elite Strongarm Blaster could be found on Amazon at a very reasonable price.

5. Nerf Lazer Tag Phonenix LTX Tagger 2-Pack

No need for bullets to be able to play with this Nerf toy. No need to go through the hassle of looking for small toy pieces in your backyard as well as this toy only requires its users to have fun.

Lazer Tag Phoenix LTX Tagger 2-Pack has a set of two blasters that allows the children to immediately play with one another and compete in lazer tag matches. If you wish to have more players in your tag matches, you may do so as its sets are compatible with one another. This toy is highly recommended to be played outdoors as it allows a range of up to 300 feet. However, if you wish to play indoors, you may also do so but it will be a little bit difficult with all the furniture that could obstruct your sight.

These guns have rules stored in themselves. Meaning, it has the ability to know how many hits it takes before a player could be knocked out of the game.

This toy is great for older children and adults as well.

Buyer’s Guide

For first time buyers, Nerf Guns have great features but one will have to consider checking it before purchasing. One consideration one has to mind is at what age should a child be for him to be able to play with toy guns. These types of decisions are parents’ discretion but through the guide written below, you will be able to gain more knowledge and information for you to be able to make a reasonable and informative decision.

Nerf Gun Features

1. Playing Pretend Benefits Children

Children have a wild imagination. They could imagine an empty teapot as a teapot with tea that could be shared with friends. They could also see stones as cars or mud as cookies or food they could cook. It is said give a child any object and they will turn it to something that they could enjoy through their imagination.

Playing pretend helps children develop skills:

• By pretending to be someone else and through it they learn how to empathize
• They learn how to solve problems creatively.
• They learn how to converse, make decisions and act on their decisions
• They develop positive and negative emotions
• They learn how to interact
• Language develops through experiments
• Hand-eye coordination, motor skills are developed.

2. Safety Guidelines

• Do not point a Nerf gun on someone else’s or your own face.
• Do not look down the barrel of a Nerf Gun as it might shoot you in the eye.
• Do not shoot at pets or family members.
• Children should not hurt each other while playing
• Teach your children safety measures and teach them the difference between a toy and real gun.
• Keep the gun pointed to the ground, only aim the gun when shooting.
• Do not point a gun at someone in a casual manner, it could go off and hurt others.
• Limit exposure to violent TV shows
• Do not leave your Nerf gun unattended and loaded
• Wear safety glasses to prevent accidents

3. Are Toy Guns Good or Bad to be Played by Children

They say boys playing with guns could rear a child to be a potential killer and could pose danger to others. This argument has been debated for a long time by a lot of people. They say if playing with a toy gun poses danger then other toys like toy cars, riding bikes, etc. could also rear children to become dangerous.

Moreover, boys with the age between 3 to 6 are said to start playing pretend with weapons and fighting and these are outgrown. It is also said that strong reactions from parents could create interest where it shouldn’t be and it is best for children to play and just guide them by taking the following suggested precautions:

• Avoid giving toy guns that look like a real gun or weapon
• Draw the line between accidentally getting hurt and real violent behavior
• Discern playing aggressively and aggressive behavior.
• Teach children what could real harm guns could do.

4. Benefits of Toy Guns

• It could be an avenue to teach your child gun safety
• Join your children and bond with your kids by teaching and showing them safety rules
• Children get to exercise
• Target practices teach children balance

5. A tool for Child Development

Playing pretend helps a child to develop assertiveness, to control impulse and know boundary limits which in turn helps children understand and bring it to adulthood. Moreover, playing with others as a hero or as a villain help children learn how to cope with stress and it could also teach your child how to strategize and have patience as well.

6. What Type of Nerf Toy is Right and Perfect for You

When choosing the right toy for your children, you will need to consider your children’s age, the environment they could play at and their play style.

For Outdoor Play

• Nerf Guns with powerful blasts such as mounted nerf guns with large magazines
• Nerf Guns with average range, simple to operate and has enough ammunition. Best for plays with runs, jumps and shooting at a distance.

For Large Yards

• Nerf Guns with 90 to 100 feet range
• Bow and arrows that could be shot at a distance
• Noisier Nerf Guns are not recommended as it is pretty much disturbing.

For Indoor Play

• Average range
• Ammo that travels slower and could bounce off walls
• Quieter Nerf Guns

For Pre-teens

• Focus on the weight, size, and type of handle
• Pistol could be an option for three years old and above as this type of toy gun gives flexibility to move and play around.
• Larger Nerf Gun
• Easier loading of ammo
• Easy grip priming handles at the back of Nerf Guns

For Teens

• Heavier Nerf Guns for defensive players and stationary play
• Lightweight for active and assertive play

Conclusion:

Though toy guns are very controversial in terms of safety, we hope that through this article, you have gained more knowledge and information that would guide you and your children in playing these types of toys and at the same time have a peace of mind of letting your children play with it.