A rainy Tuesday afternoon can feel like an eternity with active toddlers. We had already played every game I could think of, read every book on their shelf, held a marathon painting session, and taken an extra bath to recover from the painting session.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it to bedtime when one of my kids started pushing around their climbing box.  Inspiration struck and our up and down indoor obstacle course was born.

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Up + Down Obstacle Course

This activity works on understanding the concepts of up and down, while practicing the gross motor skill of stepping up and down. It is also brilliant for surviving toddler energy.

Materials

Items for stepping up and down, such as;

• Climbing Boxes
• Sturdy Child Size Step Stool
• Pillows
• Large Books

Set Up

Position your boxes and stools around a room to create a course.

Activity

Tell your toddler(s) you’re going to do a fun obstacle course.

Have them line up behind you and demonstrate the course for them with energetic “up!” and “down!” as you go over the obstacles.

From there encourage them to do it again and again.

Variations

• Try doing it backwards
• Go the opposite way
• Have their stuffed animals try the obstacle course
• For older kids: Time them to see how fast they can go.

Clean Up

Put all the obstacles back in their usual places – with the help of your toddlers of course.

A-Z Play at Home Ideas

This post is part of the A-Z Play at Home Series hosted by Teach Me Mommy. Here are more fun, easy ideas for the letter U.

• Under the Umbrella from Teach Me Mommy
• Umbrella Paper Craft from The Gingerbread House

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