Obstacle courses are a favorite activity in our house. We usually make them outside, but sometimes we can be outside and an indoor course can be just as fun! This indoor obstacle course for kids was fun to set up (the kids did most of it) and even more fun to run through!
Indoor Obstacle Course Video
Check out the below video to see the course in action:
Materials Needed To Make a Course Like Ours
- Painter’s Tape
- Sticky Notes
- Marker
- Sensory Writing Tray
- Letter Flash Cards
- Empty bottle
- Toothpicks
- Tray (optional)
- 10 paper or plastic cups
- Candy or a prize at the end
What to Do
- Select a starting point for your course. I let my kids take the lead in creating this course and then I joined later on to see if it all made sense.
- Once you have a general route mapped out, create a starting line using painters tape.
- Draw letters A-Z on post it notes and lay them out on the floor in no particular order. The first challenge of the course is to put the letters in order.
- The second challenge of the course is to write 3 letters in a sensory tray. You can use your finger, a paintbrush or anything you can fine. We used a packing peanut.
- Includes lots of jumps, arrows, and turns using painters tape on your course. We used the tape on furniture, the floor and the doorways to guide users through the course.
- Our next challenge required an empty bottle, toothpicks and a tray. Try to drop the toothpick in the bottle. We used a bottle with a small opening and it was quite challenging. You could use a larger opening to make it easier but this was fun to try and master!
- Next up is the cup stacking challenge. Have 10 cups in a stack and challenge the user to make a pyramid using the cups.
- Next spin 3 times then go under the tape. The kids liked to crab walk under the tape so add that in for an extra twist.
- Now stop and floss!
- Next up snap your fingers 10 times.
- Now stop and do 10 sit-ups. You’re almost done!
- Finally cross the finish and collect your prize (candy for us)!
Variations
There are a million ways to do an indoor course and our is just one of those ways. I challenged the boys to do most of this course themselves, and then I added a few challenges to make it a bit educational and STEAM focused. Building the course is actually a STEAM challenge in itself and they worked on it for a good hour before I joined in to help! There were a few disagreements along the way, but in the end they worked together to come up with the majority of the course themselves.
Looking for an outdoor obstacle course? Then check out our Pool Noodle Obstacle Course here. It’s so much fun and super simple to set up!
And don’t forget to check out our NEW book – 100 Easy STEAM Activities is full of fun games and creative projects to learn early concepts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math with materials you already have around the house!
