An indoor obstacle course can be an oral language adventure zone! This activity provides physical activity and practice in receptive language skills (following directions), number words and positional words.
Examples of obstacle course items (but use your creativity!)
- couch or chair
- table
- pillow
- small blanket or sheet
- book
- cardboard box
- painter’s tape
Step 1: Set up an obstacle course in a room in your home. For example, you might use a room with a couch or chair and a table. Add some other props around the room (a pillow, a square made on the floor with painter’s tape, a small blanket, a book, a big empty cardboard box, etc.). Be creative in setting up the obstacle course!
Step 2: Give your child an instruction and then do it along with her. For example, you might say, “Hop two times inside the blue square.” Then each of you would step inside the square and hop while counting, “One, two!”
Step 3: Other actions might include:
- Sit down four times on the couch.
- Put the sheet over your head.
- Take the sheet off of your head and put it back on the floor.
- Walk backwards until you get to the table.
- Stand next to the table.
- Go under the table.
- March to the couch.
- Pat the couch two times.
- Lift the book up five times.
- Make the book touch the floor three times.
- Walk like a robot to the pillows.
- Walk like a tightrope walker (along a long piece of painter’s tape on the floor).
Step 4: Encourage your child to go through the obstacle course a few times with you and then ask her carry to out some actions independently as you give the instructions.
Decrease the number of actions. Complete every part of the obstacle course with your child.
Have your child direct some of the actions. You might ask her, “What should we do next? How many times should we do it?” If it’s safe, go for it!
