How to Create an Indoor Obstacle Course

Don't let those rainy day blues cause your child's activity level to land in a rut. While there is some value to rainy day activities like watching movies and reading books, there are always fun ways to incorporate fitness into your indoor activities. One great way to keep your child on the move, as well as stimulate her creativity, is by creating an indoor obstacle course.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Jump rope
• Shoe boxes
• Construction paper
• Laundry basket
• Balls
• Hula hoops
• Ring toss game
• Chairs
• Pop-up tunnel

1. Lay a jump rope on the ground for a balance beam element. Racers must complete the balance beam before moving to the next station.

2. Arrange shoe boxes in a pattern for either zigzagging around or jumping over.

3. Create shapes of different colors from construction paper, then lay them on the ground to hop from shape to shape.

4. Create a ball toss skill in your obstacle course using a laundry basket and balls.

5. Incorporate hula hoops, either to hold for your child to crawl or jump through, or laid flat for a jumping obstacle.

6. Include a ring toss activity for a fun hand-eye coordination station.

7. Set up chairs in a pattern to zigzag through or crawl under.

8. Add a pop-up tunnel or create your own tunnel system by laying a sheet over strategically placed chairs.

Tips & Warnings

• Depending on what other items you have in your home, you may want to create additional obstacles. For instance, you can set up orange cones to create a goal for kicking a ball into, or create an area to rescue a stuffed animal and deliver it safely to the finish line. Add a broomstick for a limbo pole or pillowcases for a "sack" race.
• Take advantage of leftover party supplies and use balloons and streamers to decorate or make a finish line area.
• When the weather clears, an obstacle course is a hit outside too! Add more stations and spread out in the back yard.
• During game play, elements of the course may shift and make conditions unsafe. Periodically check the obstacle course set up to ensure each station is safe.