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!
- [Obstacle Course Relay] Recommended Ideas & Fun Gags to Add to Your Sports Day
- For the kindergarten sports day! A list of obstacle course ideas
- [Get Fired Up!] Classic Sports Day Events: Ideas for Popular Races and Games
- [Unique] Fun sports day events that both kids and adults can enjoy
- [For Middle Schoolers] A Comprehensive Introduction to Fun Sports Day Events We Recommend!
- [Mini Sports Day] Carefully selected indoor-friendly events that really get everyone excited!
- Top Songs to Hype Up Sports Day and Athletic Festivals [2026]
- Recommended for sports days and recreational events! Easy-to-dance Disney classics and popular dance songs
- From classic to quirky: prompts that will liven up a borrow-it relay
- [Sports Day Cheer Songs] A roundup of classic cheer anthems and recommended parody-song picks [2026]
- [Sports Day] Songs for footraces: tracks that make kids want to run [classics & J-pop]
- [Senior Class Events] A collection of game ideas to liven up a sports day for 5-year-olds
- Perfect for Sports Day! Obstacle Course Ideas Recommended for 2-Year-Olds
Recommended Obstacle Ideas for Obstacle Races (11–20)
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.
hurdle
Perhaps the most popular event involving clearing obstacles is the hurdles.
The history of hurdling is long; it is said to have begun when people who couldn’t ride horses amused themselves by leaping over obstacles.
As a track and field event, the earliest recorded competition was held at the University of Oxford in England in 1864.
It was also contested at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.
The key is to hurdle at as low a height as possible to minimize time loss.
muscle training
If you suddenly want to add more obstacles, strength training is also recommended.
For example, you could do a set number of sit-ups or push-ups partway through.
This way, you don’t need to prepare any items.
It can also be used as a handicap for each team.
The more exercises there are, the more time it will take—and it will sap their stamina, too.
Try setting a reasonable type and number of reps.
It could also be fun to prepare multiple cards and have participants do whatever is written on the card they draw.
horizontal bar
A horizontal bar event that puts the spotlight on every participant.
Show off classic moves using the bar, such as forward circles and pullovers.
Adjust the bar height to match each person’s athletic ability and body size.
It’s great because you can get started right away—just set up the bar.
Cheering and applause build a sense of unity in the venue.
Give this event a try; it’s the kind that makes everyone present want to root for the participants.
somersault
This obstacle involves laying mats along a section of the course, and participants advance through that section by doing somersaults.
I think it’s perfect for obstacle races involving kindergarteners and lower elementary school children.
To prevent collisions between competitors, it’s safer to provide one mat per lane.
Also, adding an auxiliary rule that allows those who can’t do somersaults to simply roll along is fine too, so everyone can have fun.
Dribble Dash
Dribble Dash is recommended as an obstacle race for participants of elementary school age and up.
In this event, you advance through a designated section of the course while dribbling a basketball.
Those with basketball experience can do it with ease, but it may be quite difficult for people who haven’t played much basketball.
If you’re holding it at a school sports day, it might be a good idea to set special rules—such as prohibiting members of the basketball team from participating, or having basketball team members do soccer juggling instead.
Recommended Obstacle Ideas for Obstacle Races (21–30)
Ladder crawl
Ladder-crawling, a classic event in obstacle relays, is a simple yet surprisingly deep competition.
Depending on body type and other factors, it can vary greatly in how easy or difficult it feels.
A useful tip for slipping through smoothly is to place your hands farther along the ladder and move your body as if you’re gliding through without worrying about bumping into it.
In the past, people seemed to use ordinary wooden ladders, but nowadays there are ladders specifically made for ladder-crawling events that you can buy or rent.
Give it a try and have fun!
