A roundup of recommended obstacle ideas for obstacle courses

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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tightrope walking

[Ages 3–5] Build motor skills with a roaming activity circuit!

One sport that makes use of balance and can be enjoyed easily is tightrope walking.

In this version, you place a jump rope or similar item on the ground and move along it without falling off.

Since there’s no risk of injury even if you step off, you can participate with peace of mind.

That also means you can try crossing with dynamic movements or even dash across boldly.

You can also take advantage of the jump rope’s characteristics by laying it out not just straight, but in a zigzag or in shapes.

Adjust the length of the jump rope to match the shape you want to create.

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yamamoto

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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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vaulting box

[Explanation] A must-see for elementary schoolers! The difference between kids who can vault over the box and those who can’t is their eye line! A former gymnast explains everything in detail. Watch the video and learn to vault! Free release of straddle vault and front handspring over the box.

I think the vaulting box is one of the activities kids practice during regular PE time even in kindergarten.

That’s why it’s a classic obstacle idea and gets included in many obstacle races.

For races with kindergarteners, you can set it low—like one or two tiers—while for elementary school students who regularly practice vaulting in PE, you can raise it to five or six tiers, adjusting the difficulty by age.

On the other hand, many adults can’t clear a vaulting box, so it’s better to set it lower for them.

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Hane Keisuke

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mountain climbing

Mountain climbing is an activity that excites people with its impactful appearance.

As the name suggests, it’s a sport where you run up a sloped “mountain.” A convenient way to set it up is to use a vaulting box and mats.

First, prepare a vaulting box at your preferred height.

Then prepare a slightly lower vaulting box and place it next to the first.

Lay mats over them to form a mountain shape, secure everything firmly, and you’re done.

The appeal lies not only in climbing up but also in being able to descend from a high place.

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yamamoto

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