Indoor Obstacle Course

You've just bought an apartment or moved into a new neighborhood. What is the first thing you do? You throw a weekend party for your neighbors to get to know them, of course! Also, you want to get rid of the packaging material. But, instead of throwing all the stuff away, why not make an indoor obstacle course for kids? In an indoor obstacle course, there is a series of fun challenges that kids have to overcome to reach the end. The kids have to race till the last obstacle to win. An indoor obstacle course will ensure a fun weekend party for adults as well as kids. Not only can you use the packing material, but anything extra lying in your basement, can be used. By having your own indoor obstacle course, your kids won't have to wait till summer to enjoy it in kids summer camps. But always remember that you are designing an obstacle course for kids, so do ensure that safety comes first.

A few considerations like space available, number of kids and age of the kids, among other factors should be taken into account before designing the indoor obstacle course. Indoor obstacle course games should be interesting enough to keep the kids occupied till the the last challenge. Let us address every challenge in an obstacle course as 'station'. A few probable stations that could be included are tunnel station, crawl station, jumping station, hula hoop station, revolving chair station, balancing station, and tossing station. Also, as an obstacle course is a fun activity, it should not needlessly tire children. Following are some obstacle course ideas.

Few Tips for Indoor Obstacle Courses

Start your obstacle indoor course with those stations which will be a natural warm up exercise for kids.

• Preferably, begin with a zigzag crawl station. Ropes can be used for this. Place a few chairs (in two columns) about four feet apart, such that the ropes can be tied parallel to each other. Ask the kids to crawl under the ropes from one end and emerge from the other. Tie the ropes in such a way that kids can crawl in a zigzag manner.
• Once kids emerge from the crawling station, they can race towards an indoor inflatable castle (you'll probably have to rent one). Ask the kids to jump at least ten times and then go to the next station. This is an ideal jumping station that will fetch you lots of praise. The kids can reach the next station by hopping in gunny bags.
• Now that they are all worked up, design a station based on tossing the balloon. Inflate a few balloons and ask the kids to hit the ceiling. The one who hits the ceiling three times gets to go to the next station.
• At times, tossing the balloon can be a bit difficult, so make the next station easier. Arrange a few chairs and cover them with a sheet so that this can become a tunnel station. See to it that the tunnel is a little dark from inside, so that emerging from the tunnel itself becomes exciting.
• Kids enjoy hula hoops a lot. You have to have a hula hoop station in your indoor obstacle course to make it more interesting. Revolve the hula hoop five times around the waist and go to the next station.
• After all these physical activities, kids will be very hungry. This is simply an opportunity for a refreshment station where you can keep healthy snacks.
• For a hand eye co-ordination station, ask them to throw a few baseballs at some targets (hang sweets at different locations). If the targets are hit, they get to keep the sweets and go to the next station.
• Fifteen revolutions on a revolving chair station can be made mandatory. This will increase the fun quotient of the entire indoor obstacle course.
• Take a couple of skate boards. Get the kids to skate from one point to another. This is your balancing station.
• Treasure hunt station in an obstacle course sounds a little bit unconventional but it's all about having fun with kids, right? Write down a few clues (on chits) and hide them at various locations in the house. Place a few toys in those locations. Kids will have to find the toy and overcome the obstacle.
• Once all the obstacles are crossed, you can choose to end your indoor obstacle course with a puzzle or a tongue twister. This will be a great way to end a fun activity (the answer to the puzzle can be a lesson as well).

Not only for weekend parties, but an indoor obstacle course can be an offbeat idea that you can arrange for birthday parties and many other occasions. Do plan an indoor obstacle course every year before your kids are too old for it!