OBSTACLE COURSE
You can make an obstacle course from anything you have at home, with a little imagination. If you are lucky enough to have an outdoor space, all the better, but this can easily be replicated indoors.
It is important to encourage your child to use their upper and lower body during the obstacle course, so mix up the elements and see what you come up with.
We used:
A rake and some boxes
This encourages your child to use their upper body as they crawl under the handle. The handle could be lowered to make this more challenging.
Early Years Toolkit
A ladder
The ladder laying down is a great way to develop coordination with the confined steps and temporary balancing on one leg.
Early Years Toolkit
Two paint pots and an old brush handle
This element really works the leg muscles as they need to take a big step up and over, without knocking off the handle.
Shelf and more paint pots
The shelf is great for practicing balance. Made high enough, they will have to use their upper body to hoist themselves up, too.
Early Years Toolkit
Early Years Toolkit
As you can see, we used a mixture of elements to encourage a full body workout! For the older children, you should get them involved with the design and setup as much as you can.
Ways to extend:
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Every element can be made more challenging by making them taller, shorter, longer, and more windy - just have a play!