16 Comments
Get kids active and outdoors with a backyard obstacle course. Obstacle courses build important gross motor skills, develop muscles, develop coordination, help motor planning, increase endurance, increase confidence, basically, all the benefits of outdoor play and physical activity that you already know about.
Go outside and find things you already own in your toy storage box. (Do you have one? – if you don’t I highly recommend something like this one from Target.)
You can use anything you have. Here’s a list what we use most frequently for our obstacle courses.
SUPPLIES
other supply ideas: buckets, chalk, boxes, flags, chairs.
Now that you’ve collected your supplies, consider movements. What do you want your children to do in the obstacle course?
ACTIONS
Stop and start.
Throw.
Hop.
Run.
Bounce on a bouncy ball.
Jump.
Skip.
Kick.
Skip.
Slide.
Crawl.
Crab walk.
Zig-zag.
Balance.
MORE IDEAS
Watch a video – Make an Obstacle Course Indoors
Watch a video – Make an Obstacle Course Outdoors
Urban Kids Outside Obstacle Course
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Melissa Taylor is a mom and educator from Denver who is passionate about playful learning. Thanks for visiting the site!
16 Comments
What a great idea! My kids do this at preschool and it’s not like we don’t a bunch of stuff in our backyard already to set it up! Thank you for such a fun idea now that it’s finally spring here in New England! My kids will LOVE this!
I guess for older kids, we can incorporate the basketball hoop and other stuff that is here. You have the best ideas!
(blushing) thanks, Mia!
You rock, Melissa – and your girls are adorable!
Another great deep pressure sensory diet idea. We also do it inside when we can’t go out using furniture to climb over or under (safely of course) and a funny ways to travel such as tip toes, bear walks, belly crawls (pulling with your arms), etc.
Thanks for sharing the fun!
great ideas, thanks so much!
LOVE LOVE LOVE all the activity!!!!! Way to go in getting them moving!!!!
I just started moderating a group over at We Teach – Bodies to Move – I’d LOVE for you to join us and share some ideas on getting us moving!
Jamie @ hands on : as we grow
thanks – I do like that group, I’m just so limited on time. I’ll come on over since it’s you.
[...] Backyard Obstacle Course [...]
[...] Backyard Obstacle Course [...]
[...] Backyard Obstacle Course [...]
[...] Backyard Obstacle Course [...]
I’m back again — to tell you that I’m gonna feature this post on Friday with a huge round up of ideas on ways to get kids moving.
Come by on Friday and check out all the other features — I’m pretty excited about this round up of energy busters!
Jamie @ hands on : as we grow
[...] Gather all of the sports and outdoor play equipment and have them create an obstacle course – Melissa @ Imagination Soup wrote a great post about this not long ago. And a favorite from an OT we worked with is to have a [...]
[...] the neighbors together. Organize a kickball game on a Saturday afternoon, set up an obstacle course in your yard, or go on a hike (my kids always do a lot better if they have a buddy along). Again, the [...]
[...] Backyard Obstacle Course [...]
[...] 1. A Backyard Obstacle Course for Your Kids [...]
[...] motor planning, increase endurance, and increase confidence, says @ImaginationSoup, who provides these recommendations for supplies, [...]