25 Children's Obstacle Course Ideas

An obstacle course provides hours of active fun, building your little one's gross motor skills and creativity. Building an obstacle course for kids doesn't have to be a complex endeavor. With a few simple materials you have at home, you can create an entertaining course. All it takes is a few good ideas to foster exercise and problem-solving.

Whether it's a rainy day and you need some indoor obstacle course inspiration or want to cool off with water ideas in the middle of summer, discover fun ideas here:

25 Obstacle Course Ideas for Kids

Almost any game or challenge can be part of an obstacle course. Set them up in succession, and then grab a stopwatch. How fast can your little one complete the course? Then, challenge them to beat their best time.

Here are some fun obstacle course ideas to include:

Egg Balance on Spoon

For this idea, set up a start and finish line, ideally outdoors. At the start, participants need to put an egg (or a lemon if you prefer less mess!) on a spoon and walk to the finish line without dropping it. If you drop the egg, you need to start all over again.

Balance Beam

Set up your Balance Beam and walk over it to the next activity. If you don't have a balance beam, you can use a two-by-four set up on a few bricks or lay out a rope to walk on heel to toe. Can anyone make it across perfectly without stepping off?

Hurdles

Set up some hurdles your child needs to jump over. For some DIY hurdles, put a pool noodle between two buckets or low stools. Tape the noodle to the buckets with duct tape or electrician's tape. Then, jump, jump, jump to the finish!

Crawling Through Tunnel

For this obstacle course idea, you want your child to crawl through a tunnel or under something. You can use a series of cardboard boxes, cutting out the bottom so your child has to crawl through them. Or, set up your Pikler Triangle to crawl through. For extra fun, put a blanket over it, creating a darker tunnel.

Hula Hoop Challenge

Invite your child to complete a hula hoop challenge, such as hula hooping for twenty seconds. Or, put several hula hoops on the ground in a series. You can have your child jump once in each hoop.

Shoot a Basket

Create a basket shooting station. You can set out a plastic bucket. Also, mark a spot from where your child will shoot the baskets. You can use balls, beanbags, or even balled-up socks to toss.

To add challenge, you can require participants to make more than one basket to complete this station.

Hopscotch

Use sidewalk chalk to set up a hopscotch course to include in your obstacle course for kids. Or, set up Stepping Stones on the grass for a similar game. 

Fossil Dig

Calling all paleontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts for a digeriffic challenge. Fill a big bin with dirt or sand. Hide some toys in the bin, such as plastic dinosaurs or other animals. Provide a trowel for digging. In this challenge, participants have to find one of the hidden animals.

Build a Tower

Set up a station where participants need to build a tower. You can use wooden blocks with a requirement of ten blocks stacked on top of each other. Or set out plastic cups that participants use to build a pyramid.

Spin Around the Bat

Put out a baseball bat on the ground. To pass this challenge, participants need to hold the bat upright, with one end on the ground. Then, you need to put your head on the bat and spin around it ten times. Will you even be able to walk straight after this one?

Limbo

Set up a limbo station by putting up a string between two trees or chairs. Participants need to complete the limbo to pass this station in the obstacle course. Add some upbeat music to bring fun, dance vibes to this station of your obstacle course.

Go Down a Slide

Climb up and go down a slide. This can be a slide you have as a part of a playground or your Pikler Triangle Set slide. If you don't have a slide, you can substitute by setting out a mat where participants do a somersault.

Zig Zag

For this station, set up cones that participants need to zig zag through. If you don't have cones, you can use any other marker, such as our Stepping Stones. 

Ring Toss

Put some stakes in the ground and challenge participants to toss rings onto the stakes. Also, mark a point where participants need to stand to toss the rings. You can make the rings with cardboard, gluing two together to add extra weight.

Match the Letters

To add a more intellectual challenge, create a station where your child needs to match letters to a photo of an object that starts with the sound. Or challenge your child to match capital letters with lowercase letters. Ideally, laminate the cards so they don't fly away if you're doing an outdoor obstacle course.

Water Obstacle Course Ideas

For hot summer days, cool off by adding some water fun obstacle course ideas to the mix.

Slip n' Slide

For this idea, you'll need a large sheet of plastic, a hose, and some tear-free baby shampoo or soap. Set up your slip n' slide by securing the plastic on a grassy area, preferably a small hill, and running water and soap on it. This station is all about fun, sliding from start to finish.

Fill the Bucket

Set up two buckets, one full of water, one that's empty, a few paces away from each other. In the full bucket, at a sponge. The goal is to move water from the full bucket to the empty bucket using a sponge, squeezing the water out into the empty bucket. You can put a line on the empty bucket to show how full participants need to get it.

Water Balloon Toss

This idea is similar to the basketball station but with water balloons. Challenge your child to toss a water balloon into a bucket. From how far away can participants make a basket?

Bucket Balance Walk

For this challenge, participants need to fill a small bucket or cup with water and carry it on their head to the finish line. To add challenge, you can make rules such as using only one hand for balance or hopping on one foot, etc.

Ball Transfer with Feet

Set up two basins and a stool or chair for participants to sit on. One basin should be empty, and the other should be filled with water and some plastic balls or water balloons. Participants must sit and move the balls with their feet to the empty basin.

Water Gun Target Practice

Set up a station with water guns and a target, such as a ping-pong ball resting on an upside-down cup. Then, participants must stand a certain distance away and shoot the target using a water gun. Warning...participants might have really bad aim and get you wet in the process!

Fish for a Letter

Fill a basin or kiddy pool with magnetic letters. Provide a fishing rod with a magnetic end and challenge participants to catch a fish and name the sound the letter makes. You can challenge older children to write a word with the letters they fish out.

Bobbing for Apples

Turn this classic Halloween activity into a fun station in your obstacle course.

Water Balloon Piñata

Hang some water balloons with string and challenge participants to break them with a broomstick.

Pop the Sharks

Fill a kiddie pool with water and water balloons. Challenge participants to pop the "sharks" using only their feet.

How to Create an Obstacle Course for Kids

Creating an obstacle course for kids can be as simple as setting up three or four of the above ideas. Or, you can get elaborate and make a long course that includes indoor, outdoor, and water activities. To add some friendly competition to the activity, you can time participants as they complete the course. Or challenge your child to complete it several times and see if they can beat their own time.

After you complete the course, celebrate with a well-earned snack...because your little one will surely be starving after so much fun!