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Active kids with energy to spare love the twists, turns, and quick thinking of an old-fashioned obstacle courseāand you've probably already got everything you need to build one! Here's how to create a fun backyard obstacle course with things you'll find around the house.
Scavenge around your house and garage for items you can use to create obstacles. Start with these ideas:
1. Consider how much play space you have available and how many obstacles you want. A good rule of thumb is to create one obstacle per year of age for the children who'll be playing. For example, a course of 6 to 8 obstacles is manageable for kids 6 to 8 years old.
2. Check your play space for built-in obstacles. Is there a stump, tree, fence, or play structure that can serve as an obstacle? Use it to your advantage! At the same time, scan for and remove any potentially dangerous objects.
1. Think about how you'll use your items to create obstacles that require kids to move, move, move! Keep these words in mind: Over. Under. Through. Around. Swing. Leap. Throw. Kick. Balance.
2. Plan your course on paper before setting it up outside. Kids will have the most fun on a course that varies their movements. For example, if you start with crawling, make the next movement standing or jumping, and the next throwing or kicking.
3. Determine the start and finish lines, as well as the path kids will take through the obstacles. Leave as much space as possible between each one.
4. Decide whether you'll time players from start to finish, or if you'll give each one a time limit. Motivating them to move as quickly as possible adds to the fun!
1. Gather the players and walk them through the course. Demonstrate how to complete each obstacle and point out anywhere you'd like them to be extra careful.
2. Line the players up behind the starting line, from youngest to oldest. The youngest player goes first.
3. Yell "Go!" and start the timer for each player. While the player scrambles through the course, spectators can cheer, give tips, and yell time updates. (Reset any obstacles after each player.)
4. Encourage kids to beat their best timeāor to beat the timer if they've run out of timeāon repeated turns through the course.
Once you've got your obstacle course in place, there's no need to dismantle it when playtime is over. Keep things fresh and fun by inventing new obstacles and swapping them in and out each time you play. Or create a whole new course simply by switching your start and finish lines!