By Claire Heffron
Looking for some fun new obstacle course equipment to create fun and exciting movement challenges for the kids in your therapy practice or PE class? We’ve got you covered in this post!
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If you’re a pediatric occupational or physical therapist, you likely already know the power of an obstacle course when it comes to promoting developmental skills for kids. We can’t think of a more fun and effective way for a little ninja warrior to target skills like core strength, hand strength, balance, coordination, self-regulation, endurance, and sensory processing!
During our developmental play groups at The Treehouse, we use themed obstacle courses almost every day to get kids up and moving and to deepen their connection with the weekly theme. Check out this link to see some of our best themed obstacle course ideas! Over the years, we’ve created: a camping themed obstacle course, a Groundhog Day obstacle course, a fairy tale obstacle course, and many more!
Why Do Therapists Use Obstacle Courses?
Obstacle courses are one of the most effective tools we can use during a therapy session to support many developmental skills at once. These fun movement challenges are also extremely versatile, so they can be customized and created according to a child’s individual needs. And there are a million creative setups you can use, which means that you can always offer something new and fun to the child every time they come to the therapy room, therapy clinic, or even PE class! Here are some of the skills we can address during an obstacle course:
Core Strength Hand Strength
Any activity where kids are navigating obstacles (stairs, ramps, etc.) or bending and reaching to retrieve objects will challenge their core muscles! Try crab walking, riding on scooters, climbing onto raised surfaces, or bending to pick up an object from the floor while standing on stepping stones or a balance beam.
Don’t limit your fine motor practice to table top activities! There are so many fun ways to work on hand strengthening during an obstacle course! Add a tunnel for kids to crawl through or a ramp to wheelbarrow walk on!
Balance
This is an obvious one, but there are so many fun ways to work on balance during an obstacle course! We use an assortment of different types of balance beams, stepping stones, stairs, and more!
Coordination Sensory Processing Social Skills Self-Regulation
Navigating obstacles will automatically challenge those coordination and motor planning skills. Have kids weave in and out of cones as they perform different activities and motor skills (skipping, galloping, hopping on one foot). Or challenge them to step into and out of hula hoops that are slightly raised off of the floor with yoga blocks.
Obstacle courses are the perfect way to provide sensory input to our sensory seekers! Kids can climb a set of stairs (heavy work) and then jump and crash on a crash pad (proprioceptive + vestibular input)! Or they can climb/step through a big, squishy bean bag (proprioceptive input). If you have them available, you can also incorporate different swings into your obstacle courses for more vestibular fun!
Be sure to check out our obstacle course ideas for ways to build teamwork and cooperation into your obstacle courses. This is great for when you’re working with a small group of kids in therapy.
And last, but not least – self-regulation! As described above, obstacle courses provide a great opportunity for kids to get calming and regulating sensory input. And there are also many other ways to incorporate self-regulation skills into obstacle course play! We assign a specific waiting area where kids can practice using fidget tools to help them wait their turn. We use social stories to help kids understand how to safely use the equipment and what to do when it’s not their turn. Obstacle courses are also a great way to help more cautious and reluctant kids with building confidence!
Okay, now for the fun part…obstacle course equipment! Below, we’ll list some of our favorite materials that we use to create our obstacle courses. If you have a budget that allows items like these – great add them to your Amazon cart! If not, don’t worry! There are a few DIY ideas included too!
Obstacle Course Equipment for Kids
We hope that these fun equipment ideas will give you some new inspiration when you’re setting up your next awesome obstacle course!
Sensory Tiles
These sensory tiles are the perfect addition to any obstacle course. Walking across these cool tiles moves the liquid inside for a cool visual effect!
Carpet Marker Strips
Create lines, shapes, and other obstacles on carpeted surfaces with these carpet strips!
Hands & Feet Set
This cool set comes in a convenient storage bag and includes color and number dice so you can use them to create a course along with other obstacles or play with the set on its own for a little extra fun!
ultimate durability
Hula Hoop Holders
Hula hoops can become an even more versatile obstacle course prop when you can use them vertically or horizontally! These foam holders will prop your hoops up so your little obstacle course participants can climb or crawl right through! For a DIY option, try cutting slits in heavy duty yoga blocks. And here’s another cool obstacle course DIY to create some obstacles to crawl through using pool noodles!
Resistance Tunnel
You’ve seen those collapsible play tunnels, but we think that these spandex tubes are a must-have for providing some calming and organizing proprioceptive input. Check out this DIY sensory tunnel if you want to make your own.
Crash Pad
This is probably our most-used obstacle course item at The Treehouse. It’s a large piece of equipment and that means that it’s on the more expensive side. If this isn’t in your budget, check out this DIY crash pad option.
Colored Tape
Another must-have item to create your own obstacle courses – colored tape! We use it almost every day to create movement activities for our kids. Check out our favorite gross motor activities using tape!
Cone Hurdle Set
This is a versatile option to create obstacles for kids to crawl under or jump or step over.
Moveable Balance Beam
Switch up the layout of your balance challenges with this cool balance beam set! It also comes with some hand and star floor markers.
Glow in the Dark Obstacles
And last, but not least…how about an epic glow in the dark obstacle course?! Turn off the lights and get moving with these cool props!
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Claire Heffron
Claire Heffron is co-author at The Inspired Treehouse and a pediatric occupational therapist in a preschool/primary school setting. She began her career with a bachelor's degree in magazine journalism but quickly changed course to pursue graduate studies in occupational therapy. She has been practicing therapy for 10 years in public and specialized preschool/primary school settings. She is a mom to three funny, noisy boys and relies on yoga, good food, and time outside to bring her back to center.
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