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young Black boy in sunny backyard, jumping over obstacle course with two young girls watching

Warm weather is here, and getting outside is the best part of the summer season. When kids play outside, it offers new inspiration for imagination and creativity—and what better way to do that than by building your own obstacle course?

If you have a yard to play in or a nearby park, there are many ways to enjoy the summer months playing outside. In addition to nature hikes, swing sets, playhouses, and water play, an obstacle course is a creative way to enjoy the outdoors. It is never boring, and you can update the configuration to keep it fun and fresh!

How to Create Your Obstacle Course

When you create your course, remember that it should be challenging but not impossible for your adventurer. Incorporate balance, crawling, climbing, running, walking, jumping, and, of course, tons of fun. With multiple children, the course can be an opportunity for unity and team building as well as a spark to their competitive spirit.

Getting Started

Map out your course; all maps should have a start and a finish as well as an outline of the boundaries of what is off-limits. This is also a way to reinforce safe areas of the play space, making water features, parking lots, driveways, or roads off-limits. Children can get in on the planning as well; they know what they are capable of more than anyone. Draw the map on a whiteboard or start a notebook to keep track of all your configurations throughout the summer.

Materials to Build Your Course

There are plenty of kits and books available to help you build the best course, but if you want to DIY it, you may already have some items on hand.

Stopwatch (or smartphone)
String
Masking tape
Jump rope
Plastic cups
Sticks, dowels, or driveway markers
Lawn furniture
Hoses
Stepping stones
Logs
Chalk
Flags
Streamers
Empty boxes
Pool noodles (great reuse of old noodles that have seen better days in the water)

Backyard Obstacle Courses

Incorporate features in your yard, including playsets, bounce houses, trampolines, and landscaping. Map out the start of the course by going down the slide, running around a tree, crawling under 2 lawn chairs, leaping over pool noodles, adding more twists and turns to your course, and ending up with hopscotch on the patio.

More inspiration:

Backyard Playgrounds: Build Amazing Treehouses, Ninja Projects, Obstacle Courses, and More!
(2021) by David & Jeanie Stiles
Fun and friendly plans to build all sorts of backyard adventures.

Take your Course to the Park

Bring some easy-to-carry obstacles like plastic cups for weaving through, string for mazes, and chalk for marking the start and finish. Find rocks and sticks to create other features. You can include the play structures, but take this as a sharing opportunity and invite others who are also using the structures to join in your fun.

More inspiration:

Obstacle Popsicle Thursday (Days of the Week)
(2022) by Helen Darling
A fun story of a mother, her triplets, and a day at the park with an epic obstacle course.

Forest Courses

No materials are needed for a forest course. This obstacle course not only enhances balance and coordination but also adheres to leaving no trace. Knowing what is on the trail is helpful but not required. It can be played in a “Mother May I” fashion, letting everyone get to the same place before progressing. Move from landmark to landmark with different methods of movement.

For example, from the first maple tree, walk to the first pine tree, from the pine tree, hop on your right leg until you see a rock, from the rock to the first log, hop on your left leg and continue adding challenges until you finish the trail. This is also a great activity to start midway through a longer hike when interest may begin to dwindle.

More inspiration:

Tiny Explorers: Into the Wild: Outdoor activities, play ideas and fun
(2020) by Miro Tartan
Get closer to nature with this engaging watercolor illustrated book filled with outdoor and nature-related crafts.

Water

Hot days are the best days for a water obstacle course. Place sprinklers strategically around the yard with the challenge to see who can get the wettest or stay the driest. The more water features like waterslides, water balloons, and wading pools, the better. This is always a favorite of summer parties and allows the adults to get in on the fun, too; no one suspects grandma is hiding a squirt bottle behind her back!

More inspiration:

Collage of children doing activities in their backyard

Backyard Adventure: Get Messy, Get Wet, Build Cool Things, and Have Tons of Wild Fun!
(2019) by Amanda Thomsen
Rediscover your backyard as a place for imaginative and inspired play with these 51 free-play activities.

Rainy Day – Inside Play

When the rain comes, the fun doesn’t need to end. Setting up an indoor obstacle course can be just as fun as in the sun. If you have a large, covered space like a basement, carport, or garage, an obstacle course is easy to set up, just like a backyard course. In a smaller, tighter space or if using multiple rooms, “balance beams” made from masking tape will keep the fun contained and flowing. Moving furniture and breakables to the edges of the room is recommended for safety and your sanity. Also not incorporated in other courses but recommended for indoors are pillows and furniture cushions.

More inspiration:

young animated boy looking sad standing in bedroom

Johnny Stories: Thunderstorm Fortress
(2024) by Ryan Miller
Join Johhny and his friends on a rainy day adventure with old boxes, secret rooms, and teamwork.

Themed Courses

Continue to mix up the fun with themed courses using favorite games, characters, or activities. Here is a bit more inspiration for you:

Book Themed Courses – We’re Going on a Bear Hunt or Step by Step or Marya Kahn and the Awesome Adventure Park
Wipeout or Ninja Warrior – Focus on balance and soft landings with slack lines, and balancing toys.
Math Course – Each obstacle is numbered — players are given a number and they need to complete the obstacles that add to their number.
Spelling Course – Similar to the Math Course above except with letters — players are told a word to spell using the course letters.

Obstacle Courses have endless configurations and challenges and are a great way to challenge your kids to build something fun with friends. So, get planning and see how many courses and challenges you can create inside and out this summer! 🤸🏽