Animal Obstacle Course

  • Children icon Age: 0 to 8+
  • Clock icon Time: 1 hour+
  • Leaf icon Materials: various household and natural objects, downloadable Animal Obstacle Course Cards (included in DIY)
Most of us remember learning about the five senses, but there are actually many more. 7 in particular are critical to early learning—the familiar five, plus two "hidden" senses that involve movement, called proprioception and the vestibular system. Activating these two hidden senses supports kids’ balance and spatial awareness and helps kids feel focused, alert and ready to learn. The more chances kids have to activate their muscles and move their bodies and heads in different ways, the more input these important hidden senses receive. 

One of our favorite ways to activate kids' proprioception and the vestibular system through movement is with an obstacle course. And who better to provide inspiration than creatures from the animal kingdom who hop, crawl, spin, jump, slither and more? With printable animal obstacle course cards for inspiration, it's easy to set out a few simple objects and try the ideas below to create your own animal-inspired obstacle course at home. 

The Guide

Prep and gather materials. 

Print and cut out these animal-inspired obstacle course cards for some creature-inspired ideas (as featured in our Tinkergarten Anywhere lesson). Then, find a spot with plenty of room to move outside (or inside). Gather a variety of household items (buckets, bean bags, blanket, rope) and/or objects from nature (logs, nature treasures, rocks) that kids can use for their course. 

Or take inspiration from a book.

Watch the video read aloud of Move! By Robin Page. Try out some of the marvelous ways that different animals move their bodies to get from place to place. Ask kids, “Would you like to set up some challenges to see how we can move our bodies?”

Set up a “course.” 

Work with your child to place the materials you gathered around your outdoor space to set up a series of physical challenges. For younger kids, you can set up the course for them to “discover.” Older kids will often enjoy the process of designing the course itself. As you set up physical challenges, aim to include one of each of the following: 
  • Something to weave their body in and out of (e.g. bean bags, rocks, pillows, books, buckets)
  • Something to balance on (e.g. upside down buckets, uneven rocks, stack of books, a log)
  • Something to walk along (e.g. coil of rope, stretched out ribbon, strip of tape, row of pillows, line of coins, line of rocks)
  • Something to jump onto (e.g. blanket, bed sheet or tarp)
  • Any open space to move, roll and crawl

Get to know your obstacle course. 

Welcome kids to explore the obstacles you set up together (older kids can set up their own courses, then invite you to try them, too). As kids explore, you can prompt them to wonder things like, How many different ways can you move your heads and bodies as you move through the course? Weave your body in and out of objects on the  ground. Walk along a rope. Leap or jump onto a blanket. Can you walk on top of objects and try to keep your balance?

Introduce the animal cards.

Lay out your animal cards with the images right side up. Wonder, “Do you think we could move through these obstacles like some of these animals?” Invite kids to pick an animal card, then read a bit about how the animal moves from the back of the card.  How might you move through some of your obstacles like that animal? As feels supportive, model or suggest some of the ideas on the back of the card. 

Move like creatures.

 Enjoy moving like the animal together. Notice aloud when and how kids are moving their bodies and heads in different positions. How does it feel to move their body in this way?

Leave the course open for play.

If you can, leave the space set up with objects so kids can return to the obstacle challenges and/or continue to invent new challenges on their own.

Extend play.

Invite kids to continue choosing the animal cards that spark the most joy for them. If kids are ready for more, try out some of these ways to extend play:
  • Repeat! If kids love working through the obstacles, invite them to try it again.  Can they do the challenge faster this time? Offer some of the additional challenges and modifications from the cards to try a different approach to each obstacle.
  • Add props: The addition of a simple prop or costume can boost imaginative play and inspire kids to go deeper with their movements. Use twine to tie a sock or piece of fabric around the waist to make a squirrel tail. Turn a toilet paper roll and a piece of twine into a flamingo or chicken beak. Or, try out some of these ways to create simple props that will inspire creature play.
  • Create your own animal-inspired challenges: What other animals might you be able to move like? How would those animals approach the obstacles you have laid out?
  • Add to your course: Rearrange your materials or gather additional ones to make new obstacles.
  • Barefoot sensory walk: As an additional challenge, set out a series of low storage bins or cookie sheets filled with various sensory materials (e.g. water, mud, dry soil, sand, leaves). How does it feel to walk through the materials with bare feet? On all fours? What sounds do the materials make?

Why is this activity great for kids?

As kids move their bodies and heads in different ways throughout the course, they activate their vestibular and proprioceptive senses, the senses responsible for balance, coordination and focus. Plus, fun, physical challenges are marvelous ways to give kids practice with persistence and grit, creativity and problem-solving skills. And, pretending to be other creatures is a super way to nurture an appreciation for animals and empathic thinking.

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