A roundup of recommended obstacle ideas for obstacle courses

Bean picking

First graders tackle a team obstacle course! Can they jump rope and pick up beans? Super balls, DIY playground, snacks, learning, discipline

Chopsticks are something we casually use in everyday life, and there aren’t many chances to check whether we’re using them correctly.

To let everyone verify their own chopstick skills, have them try a task that requires fine motor movements.

A recommended pattern is picking up small beans and transferring them to a bowl; if you turn it into a race, it tests not only accuracy but also speed.

The stronger the desire to finish faster than others, the more likely people are to get flustered and their movements become unstable—another factor that makes the competition exciting.

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kappamaki

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Rock-Paper-Scissors Obstacle Relay

This is an obstacle relay where you play rock-paper-scissors against a teacher waiting at checkpoints or turn-back points, and you can’t proceed unless you win.

The rules are simple, but since you can’t move forward on a tie or a loss, the outcome remains uncertain until the end, which adds to the fun.

For adults, you could make the rules tougher—like returning to the start if you lose—to make it even more exciting.

It’s a relay that tests not only speed but also luck, giving even those who aren’t great at sports a chance for a dramatic comeback.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Become an animal

When it comes to unique obstacle course ideas that make everyone smile, pretending to be animals is a great one.

Participants dash through the course while acting like various animals such as dogs and cats.

Watching them aim for the finish line while making animal sounds and gestures is heartwarming.

Have the kids draw a card with a theme animal and become a rabbit, frog, crab, and so on.

Choose animals with distinctive sounds or movements as the themes whenever possible.

It’s an event that conjures up adorable images of children fully embracing their animal roles.

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mutō

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Rubber bar jump and crawl

[Play using equipment] Circuit play

It can be a good idea to incorporate rubber-band over-and-under activities, which have a deep appeal.

“Over” means jumping over a stretched rubber band, and “under” means ducking under one.

Stretch rubber bands between two rows of cones and have participants move through them.

Try setting the rubber bands at different heights.

That way, a game-like element emerges where participants must decide whether to go over or under.

It’s interesting because it’s not just about moving the body in a simple way.

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yamamoto

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Aim for the goal without dropping the ball!

Obstacle Relay, Part 1

The activity involves carrying a ball to a designated point without dropping it, and the difficulty varies depending on the method used to carry the ball—that’s a key aspect.

You can enjoy it in various ways, such as solo patterns like placing the ball on a tool to carry it, or pair patterns like holding the ball between two people’s backs as they move.

How to judge when the ball is dropped and from where to restart are also important points for running a fair competition, so assign referees to carefully monitor the situation.

It seems best to design the content based on which abilities you want to bring out—such as balance or partnership.

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kappamaki

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Fruit-picking competition

Strawberry picking: a contest to see how many you can eat

This is a fruit-picking obstacle race.

You choose your favorite fruit, and the activity changes depending on what you pick—for example, you might cross a balance beam, crawl through a tunnel, or get lifted high.

Afterwards, you stick your fruit onto a tree the teacher is holding, and it’s fun to complete a tree full of fruit.

You can pick fruit based on the exercise you want to do, or choose your favorite fruit and then do the corresponding activity—either way, it will be an enjoyable obstacle race.

It can also be enjoyed as a parent-child event.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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hopscotch

Kemper

For an obstacle race at a kindergarten sports day, it’s a good idea to include hopscotch-style jumping (ken-ken-pa).

Set down small hula hoops or make loops with rope, and have participants go through them: one loop is “ken” (one-foot hop), and two loops are “pa” (landing with both feet).

Small children likely play ken-ken-pa regularly, so they should really enjoy it.

You could even add it to an obstacle race for adults—surprisingly, some might stumble, which could make it even more exciting.

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Hane Keisuke

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