We're always looking for ways to entertain our kids, aren't we? Whether it's indoors or outdoors, an obstacle course is an easy way for children to stay active and develop new skills.
But how do you go about building one? First, let's look at the key developmental areas an obstacle course focuses on:
Gross motor skills – running, jumping and throwing
Coordination – hand-eye and foot-eye coordination
Balance – muscle coordination to maintain equilibrium
Knowing that these are areas you can focus on, you can gather items you likely already have at home such as a jump rope, hula hoop, balls of various sizes, pieces of wood, cardboard boxes and whatever else you think you can utilize.
Here’s a look at how easy it is to set up and how much fun it can be for your children.
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While completing the obstacle course is a challenge on its own, you can add a fun twist each time to make it more engaging and even competitive. Try running the obstacle for time. If you have one child, you can have him/her try to beat their previous time. Or you can try doing the obstacle course forwards and in reverse. Maybe even make it adults against the kids! You may be surprised who the winner is!
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Need help this summer with creative and age-appropriate ideas to keep your kids entertained and to save yourself from searching for activity ideas? Register your family for the free Backyard Camp daily newsletter. Every day, there’s a programming schedule filled with suggestions for you to do with your children.
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