Benefits of Obstacle Courses for Children

Obstacle courses are used frequently in pediatric occupational therapy to address a wide variety of skills. Listed below are some of the skills engaging in obstacle courses helps to build:

1. Sensory processing

   • Obstacle courses can engage multiple sensory systems at once, which helps improve sensory processing skills
   • Types of sensory input and obstacle course activities to address:
     • Vestibular input: swings, wheelbarrow walks, trampoline, balance beam, balance pods, jumping over obstacles, animal walks, trapeze swing, balancing on bosu ball
     • Proprioceptive input: trapeze swing, crawling through tunnels, crab crawls, pushing equipment, pulling equipment, wheelbarrow walks, squeeze machine, wall walks, carrying weighted balls, trampoline, jumping across spots in course, pogo hopper, blowing cotton balls while lying on scooter board, ball pit, throwing ball/bean bag at targets, monkey bars
     • Tactile input: walking across bumpy textured balance beam, walking across textured balance pods, squeeze machine, ball pit, foam pit
     • Visual input: throwing ball/bean bag at targets, I-spy, navigating over or around objects in path, jumping across spots in course (estimating distance), puzzle
     • Auditory input: following verbal directions for obstacle course

2. Gross motor strengthening

   • Obstacle courses help with full body strengthening including core and trunk strengthening which is important for the development of fine motor skills
   • Obstacle course activities that address gross motor strengthening:
     • Swinging prone on platform swing: core and trunk strengthening
     • Rope swing: full body strengthening
     • Climbing rope ladder: full body strengthening
     • Climbing large pieces of equipment: lower body, core, and upper body strengthening
     • Pulling/pushing equipment: core, lower body, and upper body strengthening
     • Wheelbarrow walks: core strengthening
     • Balancing on bosu ball and squatting to pick up items: core/trunk and lower body strengthening
     • And many more!

3. Memory and Sequencing Steps

   • Obstacle courses challenge children’s memory; when steps are reviewed at the start of the obstacle course, children must remember the steps while completing the course
   • Obstacle courses also challenge children’s sequencing skills; when the child is asked to plan the steps of the obstacle course or recount the steps of the course, they are working on sequencing

4. Planning (Cognitive)

   • When the child is asked to plan the steps of the obstacle course, planning skills are challenged

5. Motor Planning

   • Motor planning, also known as praxis, involves remembering and performing body movements

6. Problem Solving

   • When a child completes an obstacle course, they must problem solve to figure out how to navigate through the obstacles

7. Coordination

   • Coordination involves using multiple body parts (arms, legs) together to execute a controlled and organized movement
   • Obstacle courses also challenge bilateral coordination (the ability to move both sides of the body together in an activity) which is an essential skill for many functional tasks

8. Balance

   • Many obstacles that challenge balance can be incorporated into obstacle courses
   • Balance activities: balance beams, balance pods, balancing on bosu ball, balancing on balance board, and more!

9. Endurance

   • Obstacle courses challenge endurance which is the ability to sustain an activity for a period of time

10. Fine Motor Skills

    • Fine motor activities can also be incorporated into obstacle courses
    • Children may write the steps of an obstacle course before completing the course
    • Puzzles or games that challenge fine motor skills can be incorporated into the obstacle course if your child is working on fine motor skills
    • Incorporating fine motor skills into obstacle courses is a great way to motivate children to engage in fine motor activities if writing or other fine motor activities are not a preferred activity

Obstacle Courses Outside of Occupational Therapy:

There are many ways to incorporate obstacle courses in your child’s everyday life outside of occupational therapy:

1. Obstacle courses at the playground

   • While at the playground with your child, encourage your child to plan and sequence steps of an obstacle course using the playground equipment
   • If your child is not able to plan or sequence steps independently, you may plan the obstacle course with your child and provide hints or cues if your child forgets a step. You may also write down or have your child write down the steps of the course and encourage them to look at the list if they forget a step.
   • Increase motivation and engage your child by timing how long it takes to complete the course (if this is something your child enjoys) or having your child race with a sibling or friend

2. Obstacle courses at home

   • Obstacle courses can be set up indoors in your home using everyday items
   • Allow your child to be creative and create an obstacle course using items around the house
   • Items that may be used in at-home obstacle courses: laundry basket, pillows, cushions, furniture, indoor mini trampoline, hula hoops, tape, bean bags, straw and cotton ball, buckets, boxes, blankets (drape over chairs or other objects to create tunnel), toys to navigate around, puzzles
   • To motivate and engage your child pretend that the floor is “lava” and have them complete the course trying not to step on the floor

3. Obstacle courses in the backyard

   • Obstacle courses can be set up in your backyard using outdoor toys and common household items
   • Items that may be used in a backyard obstacle course: pool noodles, hula hoops, inner tube/pool floats, hose (e.g. jumping side to side across hose, creating path with hose), balls, buckets (throwing items into buckets), corn hole, slip and slide, water guns, garden planters, chalk, cones, inflatable children’s pool, water table

4. Obstacle courses at trampoline park

   • Many trampoline parks offer obstacle courses of various levels to challenge children of all ages

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