35+ Easy DIY Obstacle Course Ideas for Kids
Obstacle courses are a fun way to get kids moving while developing a range of important skills, including gross motor skills, balance, and coordination. They also offer some valuable benefits you may not have considered, such as problem-solving as children work out how to navigate different obstacles, confidence-building, resilience, and turn-taking when others are involved.
Obstacle courses can also support language development. As children move, talk, and follow instructions, you can introduce action words such as hopping, crawling, and climbing, as well as positional words such as on, under, behind, and in front of. These conversations are a simple way to build vocabulary while children are actively engaged in play.
Another bonus is that obstacle courses are easy to create using items you already have at home—no special equipment is needed! They can be set up indoors or outdoors and adapted to suit your child's age, interests, and abilities.
Indoor or Outdoor Obstacle Course Ideas
There are great benefits to both indoor and outdoor obstacle courses. The best option will depend on the space you have available, the weather, the equipment you can use, and your child’s preferences.
We have plenty of ideas for both settings to share with you. Our activities are organised by movement, with a brief description of each idea. You’ll also see a symbol showing where the activity can be used:
🏠 Indoor
🌳 Outdoor
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
This makes it easy to quickly choose activities that suit the space where you’re planning to set up your obstacle course.
Indoor Obstacle Course Ideas
Indoor obstacle courses are a fantastic way to keep kids moving, playing, and developing important skills when the weather keeps you inside! They offer many of the same physical and developmental benefits as outdoor obstacle courses, while also providing some unique opportunities. With a little creativity, everyday household items can become part of the course, helping children practise controlled movements, balance, coordination and body awareness, even in a small space.
While many of these ideas work particularly well indoors, don’t feel limited to using them inside—lots can easily be adapted for outdoor play too. If you’re looking for ideas specifically suited to an indoor space, we’ve created a video with over 20 easy indoor obstacle course ideas to choose from. Whether you have a large living room, a hallway, or just a little space to work with, you’ll find plenty of ways to get kids moving!
Watch Our DIY Indoor Obstacle Course Video
In this video, we share 20+ easy indoor obstacle course ideas using everyday items and simple materials you may already have at home. Use the ideas as inspiration to create your own indoor obstacle course.
20+ obstacle course ideas for indoors
Outdoor Obstacle Course Ideas
Playing outdoors is hugely beneficial for children and creating obstacle courses outdoors can give them even more reason to be outside. While there are some ideas that veer towards indoor ideas, there is usually a way to adapt these to outdoor use with a bit of creativity. Being outdoors also usually gives you more space to move, meaning bigger movements or a longer course.
DIY Obstacle Course Ideas by Movement
Creating an obstacle course can be just as much fun as completing one! Children can get involved in designing their own course, creating a circuit for themselves, their friends, or even their favourite soft toys. This adds another layer of creativity and problem-solving to the activity.
We’ve organised our ideas by movement type, making it easy to create a course that includes a variety of activities and develops a range of physical skills. You can mix and match different movements for a full-body challenge or focus on particular skills that your child is working on developing.
Jumping and Hopping
DIY Cardboard Hurdles
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Create simple hurdles using cardboard and everyday items. Children jump over the hurdles as they move through the obstacle course.
3 easy ways to make them:
1. Cardboard Tube Hurdle (low)
Place a long cardboard tube across two bricks or blocks to raise it above the ground.
2. Folded Cardboard Hurdle (medium)
Fold a piece of cardboard and tape it so that it stands up to create a low hurdle.
3. Bucket Hurdle (high)
Place a cardboard tube across two buckets and use a towel to help hold the tube in place.
Elastic Jump
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Stretch an elastic between two chairs to make a large rectangle on the ground. The child jumps in, outside or onto the elastic, following different movement patterns.
Try this: Call out different instructions such as "inside," "outside," "on" or create a sequence for the child to remember and repeat.
Ladder Jump
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Place a ladder flat on the ground to create a series of spaces. The child jumps with both feet into each space, moving along the ladder from one end to the other.
Try this: Challenge the child to jump with both feet together, jump forwards and backwards, or skip spaces to make the course more challenging.
Cushion Jump & Leap
🏠 Indoor
Use cushions to create different jumping challenges. Children can jump from cushion to cushion, jump onto a large cushion placed on the floor, or run and leap into a safe pile of cushions.
Try these variations:
Cushion Jump: Jump from one cushion to the next without touching the floor.
Big Cushion Jump: Jump onto a large couch cushion placed on the floor.
Cushion Leap: Run and leap into a pile of cushions.
Try this: Change the distance between the cushions or create a longer jumping path to increase the challenge.
Wide Beam Bunny Hop
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Place a wide cardboard beam on the floor. The child places their hands on the beam and bunny hops along it, jumping both feet together from one side of the beam to the other. Their feet jump over the beam without touching it.
Toy Jump
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Place toys in a line on the floor with space between them. The child jumps over each toy, moving from one end to the other without touching them.
Try this: Change the distance between the toys or use larger toys to create a bigger jumping challenge.
Balance
Stepping Stones
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Use bricks, blocks or other sturdy objects as stepping stones. Children step from one to the next to make their way from one side to the other.
Beam Transfer
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Set up a cardboard beam with pairs of upside-down yoghurt containers placed on either side of the beam. Place a bean bag on top of one container in each pair, alternating the side of the beam where the bean bag is placed. The child walks along the beam, picks up each bean bag, and transfers it to the container on the opposite side before continuing along the beam to the next one.
Cushion Ramp Walk
🏠 Indoor
Make a gentle ramp using cushions, blankets or other soft items. The child carefully walks over the ramp, adjusting their balance as they move across the uneven surface.
Try this: Make the ramp longer or change the arrangement of the cushions to create a different walking challenge.
Cardboard Curve Beam
Cardboard curve beam
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Make a curved beam from a long piece of cardboard and place it on the floor. The child moves along the beam while trying to stay balanced.
Try these variations:
Walk forwards
Walk backwards
Side-step along the beam
Step around the outside of the curve
Jump along the beam
Walk with a toy balanced on their head
Make it harder: Try different movements or combine them into a sequence for the child to remember and complete.
Cardboard Beam
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Place a long, sturdy strip of cardboard on the floor to create a beam. The child walks along the beam, trying to keep their feet on the cardboard and maintain their balance.
Try these variations:
Forward: Walk forwards with a toy balanced on your head.
Backwards: Carefully walk backwards along the beam.
Sideways: Turn sideways and step along the beam.
Make it harder: Try combining the different movements or carrying a small object while balancing.
Wooden Block Zig-Zag Path
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Arrange wooden blocks in a connected zig-zag path on the floor. The child carefully walks along the blocks, placing their feet directly on the path as it changes direction from side to side.
Try this: Make the path longer or create more turns to increase the balance challenge.
Circular Side Step
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Place a hula hoop on the floor. The child steps sideways on the hoop, moving all the way around it without stepping into the middle.
Try this: Challenge the child to keep facing the same direction as they move around the hoop, then try going back the other way.
Sensory Walk
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Set out wide, shallow containers filled with different materials, such as stones, sand and water. The child steps into each container and walks through the different textures, noticing how each one feels under their feet.
Try this: Add other safe materials with different textures, such as grass, leaves or fabric, to create more sensory experiences.
More DIY Obstacle Course Ideas
This video shows 26 easy DIY obstacle course activities using simple, everyday and recycled materials. You'll find ideas for jumping, balancing, crawling, throwing and more that can be adapted to suit the space and equipment you have available.
26 Obstacle Course Ideas - Easy Prep and Minimal Equipment
Crawling & Climbing
Box Tunnel
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Use a large cardboard box as a tunnel. Children can crawl through on their hands and knees or lie on their tummy and pull themselves through using their arms.
String Maze
String maze
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Tie or attach lengths of string between furniture or other sturdy points to create a maze. The child moves through the maze without touching the string.
Try these variations:
Climb through: Move over and around the strings without touching them.
Crawl under: Get down low and crawl underneath the strings as they move through the maze.
Make it harder: Add more strings or create different heights to make the child climb, duck and crawl through the maze.
Agility & Footwork
Book Maze
Book maze obstacle course
🏠 Indoor
Use clothes pegs to connect open books together and create a simple maze or pathway. The child moves around the books without touching them, following the path from one end to the other.
Try these variations:
Forward: Weave around the books while facing forwards.
Backwards: Move through the maze backwards, carefully stepping around the books.
Make it harder: Create a longer or more winding maze, or challenge the child to complete it without touching any books.
Toy Weave
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Place toys in a line with space between them. The child weaves in and out of the toys, moving from one end to the other without touching them.
Try this: Change the distance between the toys or challenge the child to weave through them forwards, backwards or sideways.
Stepping In & Out
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Line up containers or baskets on the floor. The child steps into each one and then back out again before moving to the next, repeating the pattern until they reach the end of the row.
Try this: Change the spacing between the containers or challenge the child to complete the course without touching the sides.
Throwing, Catching & Target Games
Ramp Ball Catch
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Make a ramp for the ball to roll down. The child releases the ball at the top and moves to the bottom of the ramp to try to catch it as it rolls down.
Scarf Ball Toss
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Scrunch or wrap a scarf into a ball. The child throws it up into the air and tries to catch it as it comes back down.
Catapult Catch
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Place a sturdy tube, such as a carpet roll, in the middle underneath a piece of wood to create a simple catapult. Place a small toy on one end of the wood. The child carefully stamps on the other end to launch the toy into the air, then tries to catch it.
Try this: Experiment with different lightweight toys and see how high they can launch and catch them.
Tower Topple
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Build a tower or stack using empty boxes, containers, blocks or other objects. The child rolls or throws a ball at the tower to try to knock it over.
Try this: Change the distance from the tower or challenge the child to knock it down with as few throws as possible.
Target throw with bean bags
Target Throw
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Cut target shapes from cardboard and tape one edge to a table or other sturdy surface so they stand upright. The targets should be able to bend backwards when they are hit. The child throws a soft toy or bean bag at the targets and tries to knock them backwards.
Try this: Use different-sized targets or move the throwing line further away to increase the challenge.
Toy Throw
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Place a bucket or basket a short distance away. The child throws a soft toy into the bucket, aiming to get it inside.
Try this: Move the bucket further away or use different-sized buckets to make the challenge easier or harder.
Cardboard hole ball roll
Cardboard Hole Ball Roll
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Cut a hole in a piece of cardboard and place it over a bucket to create a target. The child rolls a ball along the cardboard, aiming to get it through the hole and into the bucket.
Try this: Move the starting point further away or make the hole smaller to increase the challenge.
Cardboard Hole Toss
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Cut three holes in a piece of cardboard and stand it upright on a table or other sturdy surface. The child throws paper balls, trying to get them through the holes.
Try this: Make the holes different sizes or move the throwing line further away to make the challenge easier or harder.
Strength & Whole-Body Movement
Box stack
Box Stack
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Give the child a collection of empty cardboard boxes to stack into a tower. They can carry, lift and carefully place each box on top of the next.
Box Demolition
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Stack a few empty cardboard boxes into a tower. The child runs towards the boxes and knocks them over using their hands or feet.
Cardboard Weight Lift
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Make a simple weight using a cardboard tube with bean bags securely attached to each end. Have the child lie on their back and hold the tube with both hands. They lift the weight up and down, keeping control of the movement.
Try this: Add or remove bean bags to change the weight and challenge the child to complete several controlled lifts.
Coordination & Motor Planning
Noodle Catch
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
The child holds a pool noodle upright and lets go. Before the noodle falls, they clap as many times as they can and then quickly catch it.
Try this: Challenge the child to clap more times before catching the noodle.
Pencil Roll
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
The child lies down on the floor with their body straight, arms stretched above their head and hands together. They roll from one side to the other, moving across the floor like a pencil.
Try this: Mark a start and finish line and challenge the child to pencil roll from one to the other.
Tub Stack
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Give the child a collection of empty yoghurt containers. The child stacks the containers upside down, fitting each one neatly into the next to create a stack or tower.
Try this: Encourage the child to create their own interpretation of a stack or tower. How tall, wide or unusual can they make it?
Hanging toy hit
Hanging Toy Hit
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Hang a lightweight ball or toy from a string or elastic. The child uses a cardboard tube to hit the hanging object as they move underneath it.
Try this: Change the height of the hanging object to encourage the child to reach higher or jump to hit it.
Hand & Foot Match
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Create a pathway using hand and foot markers. Children move along the course, placing their hands and feet on the correct markers as they go. You can use printed hand and foot shapes, or make your own markers using coloured lids or containers.
Try this: Use two colours to give different instructions — for example, blue means foot and red means hand.
Ribbon Toy Spin
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Attach a lightweight toy to the end of a ribbon. The child holds the other end and spins the ribbon around their body, keeping the toy moving in a circle.
Toy Kick
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Attach lightweight toys to ribbons and secure the ribbons to a cardboard tube or pole. The child lies on their back underneath the toys and uses their feet to kick the toys, making them swing.
Try this: Hang the toys at different heights or positions to encourage the child to reach and kick with both feet.
Elastic stretch
Elastic Stretch
🏠 Indoor | 🌳 Outdoor
Hang an elastic or resistance band from a secure point above the child's head. The child pulls the elastic down, steps onto it with both feet and stretches it out with their hands as they move through it.
How to Build Your Own Obstacle Course
Creating your own obstacle course is easy, and you can use things you already have at home! Once children are familiar with obstacle courses, they can also get involved in designing and setting up their own. This is a great way to add creativity and problem-solving to the activity while giving them ownership of their play.
Here are some simple tips to help you get started:
1. Choose Your Space
Indoor or outdoor.
2. Choose Your Obstacles
Select a few activities from the categories above.
3. Include Different Types of Movement
For example, combine jumping, balancing, crawling and throwing.
4. Arrange the Course
Think about the order children will complete the obstacles.
5. Adapt the Challenge
Make activities easier or harder depending on the child's age and ability.
6. Let Children Help Create the Course
Encourage them to design, build and rearrange their own obstacle course.
Related Resources
Click on the image below to find out more.
It’s time to get active! We have 26 obstacle courses ideas that are set up using recycled items and things that can be found in most homes. The ideas are easy to put together and can be used in any order. The cards have a photo of the activity as well as simple listed equipment and instructions to make the idea.
Choose your favourites for your obstacle course or encourage your children to use their own ideas to design a course. We have included a range of movements to add variety to each obstacle course experience. These ideas can be modified to create the perfect course for your child or children.
Ready! Set! Go! Enjoy!
These cards are a digital resource and you will be sent a link for a PDF download. For your convenience, we have designed the resource to have 4 cards for each A4 page.
8 Gross Motor Activities for Kids
How to make your own obstacle course
