Crafty Kids: Obstacle Course

It is school holidays again and the kids need to be kept amused. Mr Happy needs to run around but that is not always the safest thing to do in the house. So I have been creating obstacle courses for him. The obstacles slow him down so he doesn’t get hurt as well as making his brain work a bit! They also work on some motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

As you can see in my diagrams, we have  hallway with a bend in it so we can easily create sections in our course. You may not have the same layout to use in your home, but hopefully this will give you lots of ideas.

What We Used

• Small kids chairs – we have Mammut chairs from Ikea
• Small kids table – we have a Kritter table, also from Ikea
• Blankets and cushions
• Plastic tubs – we have a couple like these Plastic Tubs on Amazon
• Small bean bags – make your own with this bean bag tutorial
• Ride on bike – we have a Fisher-Price Ride-On like this one that is really a toddler toy but still gets ridden around the house by our 6 year old

Obstacle Course #1

• Grab a bean bag from the basket in the living room
• Through the tunnel – small table with a blanket over it
• 3 Star jumps
• Over the chairs – a little row of small kid size chairs
• Stand on the spot and toss the bean bag into the bucket (about 2 metres away)
• Hop on the “bike” (toddler’s ride-on)
• Ride down the hall to the wash basket
• Hop off the bike
• Stand in the basket and do a “happy dance” (happy singing optional!)
• Go down the hall to the cushion
• Jump over the cushion to the mattress (the old cot mattress for a softer landing)
• Turn around and come all the way back doing everything again!

Obstacle Course #2

• Start on the mat with the Mega blocks – Challenge: to build a bridge between two big boxes by adding 3 pieces each time they do the course
• Go under the dining table
• Go over the chairs in the doorway
• Choose a hat from the basket and wear it the rest of the course
• Unroll the hall carpet and dance along it
• Go down the little hall and tap the garage door and come back
• Ride the “bike” to the chair with the bean bags
• Toss three bean bags into the bucket – you have to get 3 in the basket in a row to finish – if you miss one you start again
• Turn and go all the way back doing everything again

More Ideas

• Crawling under a blanket spread on the floor
• Hopping, skipping or jumping instead of running or walking
• Putting on other pieces of clothing or accessories
• Carrying a bag or basket and having to collect items as they go through the course
• Sit on a desk chair and spin around – best on carpet where the chair can’t move!
• Add in actions that don’t require any props – like star jumps, push ups, twirls, dancing
• Skip with a skipping rope
• Spin a hula hoop
• Transport a piece of Lego or blocks to build a structure at the end of the course piece by piece
• Tape a line of masking tape on the floor and walk along it like a balance beam

Disclosure: There are a couple of Amazon affiliate links in this post