If you enjoyed the "kitchen chemistry" experiments in our first staycation series post, look what we’ve got for you for outdoor summer fun this time. Great ideas for a kid-sized backyard obstacle course that you can assemble yourselves! Your children can be actively occupied for hours, out in the fresh air and sunshine. Just what summertime is all about!
Some of these DIY obstacle courses you can put together with just your family stash of active fun toys, accessories, and gear. Others may need a few add-ons (see our product links at the end). But the great thing is you can customize your setup to suit your kids’ ages, fit your yard space, and keep within your budget. (*this post contains affiliate links)
Backyard Obstacle Course Ideas for Kids’ Summer Fun
Kid safe and kid friendly. Cute and colorful. And a mix of active challenges for running, jumping, crawling, tossing, swinging, aiming and even getting doused with water! These tips and more in the 7 finds below for building a kiddie obstacle course in your backyard.
1 – Using a kiddie playground set – Inspired Motherhood shows how you can create "stations" for the course using a mini slide, a sandbox, and a wading pool. Balloons, hula hoops, pool noodles, and streamers add a festive look.
2 – Fun challenges for bigger kids – Pretty Real put together a bit more challenging course, while still using basic supplies. Tweens to pre-teens would love this agility run, sack race, balance beam, water balloon race, and even an army crawl!
3 – Rainbow Obstacle Course – Color makes your DIY course even more fun, as Laura of Sunny Day Family shows—using a ready-made set with a rainbow tunnel, cones, and rings. But she made it a learning experience, too, with an "obstacle course design" printable to get the kids in on the planning and assembly.
4 – DIY Tire Obstacle Course – Four old tires and spray paint in the brightest colors! That’s how Mommy Jaime of Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails magically created a basic stepping-jumping-crawling-rolling obstacle course, perfect for preschoolers on a porch.
5 – Banzai Aqua Blast Obstacle Course – Nothing like splashing in water under the summer sun! Amazon offers this ready-made outdoor set, with sprinklers, plastic hurdles and rings, and a splash pad for hours of water fun.
6 – DIY Obstacle Course Slip ‘N Slide – Using components from an activity kit, Jean of Artful Parent shows how her kids planned and put together a series of obstacles—poles to run around or jump over, a wading pool to step through, a plastic tarp to slide on with water and dish soap, and an awesome pool noodle archway!
7 – Ultimate Obstacle Course Kit – This semi-DIY option from Family FED demonstrates how to assemble your own playtime kit—with just 4 rubber playground balls and 8 traffic cones. Then, download and print their 60 easy obstacle course challenge strips, and enjoy!
Obstacle Course Components You Can Buy
Need fun add-ons for your DIY backyard obstacle course? See what we found, just a click away on Amazon:
- CTSC 95 Foot Zip Line Kit with Stainless Steel Spring Brake and Seat
- JUSDO Soft Beaded Jump Ropes (4 Pack)
- ArtCreativity Detachable Hula Hoops for Kids (Set of 6)
- 4E’s Novelty Beach Balls for Kids (6 Pack)
- Potato Sack Race Bags (4-pack) and 3-Legged Race Bands (4-pack)
- Floating Pool Noodle Foam Tubes, Assorted Colors (6-Pack)
- ROCH Soccer Cones Sets for Training (25 pcs)
