A roundup of recommended obstacle ideas for obstacle courses
An obstacle course race is one of the classic events at school sports days.
Various obstacles are set up between the start and the finish, and it’s a race where competitors aim for first place while overcoming them.
What obstacles you include greatly affects both the difficulty and the excitement of the event.
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of obstacle ideas you’ll want to incorporate into your obstacle course race.
We’ve included plenty of obstacles that require not only speed, but also dexterity and luck.
Use these ideas as a reference to create an obstacle course race everyone can enjoy!
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Recommended obstacle ideas for an obstacle race (1–10)
hula hoop
In kindergartens and elementary schools, children often play with hula hoops, don’t they? So why not incorporate hula hoops into an obstacle course? You can create your own rules, such as “Clear if you can keep it spinning without dropping it for X seconds” or “Clear if you can spin it X times.” Adjust the rules according to the participants’ ages and the number of players.
It’s also a good idea to prepare an alternative obstacle for anyone who really can’t spin a hula hoop.
Candy hunt
At sports festivals, one of the most entertaining, variety-show-style highlights is the candy hunt.
You place candies in flour in a bat or bowl, and competitors try to find the candy without using their hands! Since they can’t use their hands, they have to plunge their faces into the flour, and by the time they find a candy, their entire faces are dusted white.
Rather than trying to keep their faces clean, participants should dive in and go all out to turn their faces completely white—doing so makes the event even more exciting.
bread-eating race
How about including a bread-biting segment within the obstacle course? Bread-biting can stand alone as its own event, but if you’re short on time and need to limit the number of events, combine it with the obstacle course! Hang bread from a pole stretched across the course using strings and clothespins, and have competitors take the bread using only their mouths—no hands allowed.
Giving the bread they grab to the participants as a take-home prize will surely delight them.
It’s recommended to place this as the final obstacle of the race.
Recommended Obstacle Ideas for Obstacle Races (11–20)
Jump in a burlap sack
A race where participants hop inside burlap sacks, also known as the bagworm race.
It’s easy to panic, get your legs tangled, and take a tumble.
A helpful tip is to hold the front edge of the sack, stay calm, and make big forward jumps.
I see—if you try to hop too quickly in time with the background music, you’re more likely to fall and you won’t make much progress.
Burlap sacks are easy to buy online or at garden stores.
You can hop in the sack from start to finish, or set up a sack-hopping section as one of several obstacles.
balance beam crossing
If you want to add an easy obstacle, I recommend a balance beam walk.
The rules are simple: just cross the beam without falling off.
It’s a perfect level of difficulty for events like kindergarten sports days.
On the other hand, it’s also great for community sports days where mostly adults participate, and adults may actually find it surprisingly challenging (lol).
To be safe, lay down mats around the area so that even if someone falls, they won’t get seriously hurt.
Ping-Pong ball carrying
How about incorporating a ping-pong ball carry—balancing a ping-pong ball on a ladle as you move—into an obstacle course? Ping-pong balls are very light, so even a slight wobble can send them flying.
This creates a dilemma: you want to move faster than the other competitors, but you can’t drop the ball.
It’s an event that demands both speed and precision.
If you want to increase the difficulty, switch from a ladle to a spoon—the challenge ramps up instantly, so it’s highly recommended.
Balloon popping
If you’re looking for an obstacle idea with a dash of humor, balloon popping is a great pick.
Tape a balloon to a chair with duct tape, and participants pop it by sitting on it.
If they do it right, it’ll pop in one go—but sometimes it just won’t burst…! Since there’s a bit of luck involved, it’s perfect for an obstacle course that isn’t just about running speed.
It’s likely to be a bigger hit in obstacle races for middle and high schoolers or adults rather than for small children.