How to Create a Home Obstacle Course for Your Kids

Practical tips on how to increase free play in your house.

By Nicole Radziszewski | Experience LifeSeptember 15, 2022

Letting kids experience and conquer a variety of movements in a fun way helps them gain both the physical ability and confidence to take on greater challenges. This DIY obstacle course includes kid-friendly ways to tackle basic movement patterns and gives kids ownership of their play.

Best for kids ages 3-10, adult supervision recommended.

Equipment:

3 sturdy folding chairs
Painter’s tape
Rope or yoga strap
Sturdy wooden broomstick
Large towel or blanket
Yoga mat
Room with hard, smooth floors

How to:

Choose one movement (beginner or advanced) from each category.
Ask an adult to help you set up each obstacle.
Write the numbers one through five on pieces of paper and place each paper next to an obstacle to order your obstacles however you’d like.
Print out the scorecard to keep track of your total number of points and time. The player with the most points wins. If there is a tie, the player with the fastest time wins. Or simply play for fun and skip the points.
Feel free to repeat the course as many times you’d like and try to beat your score!

Long Jump

Beginner:

Set up five 6-inch-long pieces of tape on the floor about a foot apart.
Stand with your feet together on the first piece of tape.
Jump forward to land on the second piece of tape, and keep going until you land on the last piece of tape.
Land on both feet at the same time.

Points: 2 points if you land on every piece of tape successfully; 1 point if you miss a landing.

Advanced:

Set up five 6-inch-long pieces of tape on the floor: Place the first two pieces 12 inches apart, the third piece 18 inches from the second, the fourth 24 inches from the third, and the fifth 32 inches from the fourth.
Jump forward to land on the second piece of tape, and keep going until you land on the last piece of tape.
Land on both feet at the same time.

Points: 1 point for each successful landing.

Crawl

Beginner:

Set up three folding chairs in a row, about 2 feet apart.
Start at one end of the chairs and crawl under all three chairs to get to the other side.

Points: 2

Advanced:

Set up three folding chairs in a row, about 2 feet apart.
Start at one end of the chairs and crawl under all three chairs to get to the other side.

Points: You can earn 3 points if you avoid touching any part of the chair as you crawl.

Pull

Beginner:

In a room with hard, smooth floors, attach one end of a 10-foot or longer rope or sturdy fabric such as a yoga strap to a sturdy anchor point such as a banister.
Hold the other end of the rope and walk away from the anchor point until there is tension in the rope.
Sit on a towel or blanket and pull the rope, overlapping one arm at a time, until you slide all the way to the anchor point.
In carpeted rooms, young kids can try this while sitting in a laundry basket.

Points: 2

Advanced:

Set up two sturdy chairs three feet apart and facing toward each other.
Place a sturdy, wood broomstick across the two chairs.
Place a mat on the floor between the chairs.
Have an adult hold the broomstick in place, then lie on your back on the floor with your chest directly below the broomstick.
Grip the broomstick with two hands and hold your body straight and stiff, with your heels on the ground.
Pull yourself up from the ground until your chest touches the broomstick. Slowly lower yourself back to the mat.
Repeat until you can’t do any more reps.

Points: 1 point per rep, up to 5 points.

Balance

Beginner:

Place a 10-foot-long strip of painter’s tape on the floor.
Start at one end of the tape and walk to the other end without losing your balance.
Turn around and walk back to the starting side.

Points: 3`

Advanced:

Place a 10-foot-long strip of painter’s tape on the floor.
Start at one end of the tape and walk backwards to the other end without losing your balance. Then, turn around and walk backwards to the starting side.

Points: 3