Obstacle Course

Textured pillow from home

This activity promotes development and learning by encouraging children to use large muscles to explore and interact with the environment. Activities that offer some risk and challenge not only enhance children’s physical fitness, but build resilience, persistence, critical thinking, and confidence.

Materials Needed:

  • Masking tape
  • Pillows
  • Bedsheet
  • Boxes

Participants: This activity is intended for adult/child interaction and independent play.

Directions:

  1. Place a strip of masking tape on a hard floor surface to make a tightrope. Place the pillows and boxes on the floor in a meandering pattern. Toss the bedsheet over a table near the boxes and pillows to make a cave. You now have an obstacle course.
  2. Encourage your child to move through the obstacle course. Hop, skip, jump, or walk backward across the tight rope. Army crawl, jump, or roll through the pillows and boxes and scoot into the cave. To make it fun, add additional movements or see how fast/slow your child can move.
  3. For an added challenge, add dramatic play elements. Maybe your child’s moving through a jungle or a hot lava field.
Bright Horizons
About the Author
Bright Horizons
Bright Horizons
In 1986, our founders saw that child care was an enormous obstacle for working parents. On-site centers became one way we responded to help employees – and organizations -- work better. Today we offer child care, elder care, and help for education and careers -- tools used by more than 1,000 of the world’s top employers and that power many of the world's best brands
Textured pillow from home