I am blessed with a long hallway perfect for activities like this one. I started the course with a ring toss.
After the ring toss, I hung a balloon from the ceiling. The kids had to jump off the stool and hit the balloon. I placed pillows on the floor just in case.
Then the crawling tunnel.
After the tunnel, another balloon. This one a little lower so it could be reached without a stool. My daughter added the pillows. I guess falling onto pillows was more fun then I thought.
Then I placed "stepping stones" which led to some poppy paper (I'd saved from a package).
The kids had to hop unto each "stepping stone" then jump onto the poppy paper.
The course ended with a rocking horse.
Sure, you may not have a ring toss or a tunnel lying around, but think of what you do have. The idea is to use your imagination and have fun. Ask your kids what they want to add. My daughter came home from school and immediately made changes of her own. My son decided the balloons and the tunnel were the best part and only played in those areas. When he was finished with one game he moved onto the next:
Shooting the balloons with his Nerf gun!
Some basic ideas:
- Construction or printer paper makes great "stepping stones". Just watch out for the hot lava below! For an educational twist, write numbers or letters on them.
- Don't have a tunnel? What about a card table? Drape a cloth over the top and you have yourself a "tunnel" or "cave."
- Laundry baskets have all sorts of uses. If you have two kids, they can take turns pushing each other around. Or get yourself involved and push your child across "the moat." Turn over a laundry basket and it is great for jumping from or hiding under.
- Balloons are great to keep on hand. They can be hung, tossed, and drawn upon. When our balloons fell down, they became puppies on leashes (my daughter's idea).
What items could you use for an activity course? Do you have anything unusual? Do you teach preschool? What could you use in a school setting? Feel free to share your ideas; I'd love to hear them!
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Thanks for the great ideas! I've been wanting to do an obstacle course for my 3 year old - but wasn't quite sure where to start! lol - sounds dumb huh? I think we may be trying this here!
ReplyDeleteJamie @ hands on : as we grow
Thank you Jamie for stopping by and I'm glad I helped boost the creative process. Have fun with your obstacle course. Let me know how it goes!
ReplyDeleteI've already commented telling you that I've been wanting to do this - now, I want to share it with my readers!
ReplyDeleteI'm featuring this post on my weekly High Five! finds this week.
Thank you for the inspiration!
Jamie @ hands on : as we grow
Great ideas. I have a 1 year old and a 2 year old so I'd have to modify but they have so much energy, I'll have to give this a try. I did make them a tunnel out of some sunroom furniture and a blanket. They crawled through it for the longest time. The baby likes to climb the large couch pillows when I stack them on the floor in a "mountain" so maybe if I put some of those ideas with a few of your ideas we could have a fun time!
ReplyDelete@Jackie my daughter used to love our large couch pillows too! I had a daycare when she was a baby and the older of my kids used to stack them for her to climb. He'd also toss her gently onto them and she would giggle and giggle. Sometimes, I wish I still had that couch. I'd definitely include those pillows into your activity course!
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