INSIDE: Here is a fun way to play in the snow in your backyard! Create a backyard obstacle course this winter! This is an amazing way to keep kids big and small entertained outside on a snowy day!
Have you made your kids an obstacle course in your backyard? You will after reading this. They are such a fun an easy activity for toddlers and preschoolers and even older kids. In fact I had my 6 year old help me make this course for herself and her siblings. We first made an obstacle course in our backyard back in the spring and it was such a hit we made a version in the fall with leaves and now this one in the snow. If you live in a snowy climate this is a must try this winter!
How to Create a Winter Backyard Obstacle Course Kids Will Love
To create a great course you need to have a few physical elements:
- jumping
- hopping
- crawling
- throwing
- riding
- balancing
- sliding
- bowling
- zig zagging
- tossing
To create the opportunity for the above movements use a few key supplies. But you what you have in your backyard. Get older kids involved in making and cleaning up the obstacle course. This make a great problem solving activity for big kids:
- Cardboard box
- Skipping rope
- Toddler slide
- Hula hoops
- Bicycles
- Sidewalk chalk
- Bowling set
- Ball Pit Balls
- Basket
- Storage Bin
- Painter’s Tape
- Basketball net
- Balls
- Buckets
Building Your Winter Backyard Obstacle Course
Of course when creating an obstacle course in the snow using the snow as an obstacle is the best part! If you are lucky enough to have lots of snow you can build a maze; make mounts to jump over or run around; make snow angles; or get your sled or skis involved! The possibilities are endless! We unfortunately didn’t a ton of snow at the time of us doing this obstacle course. So instead I used some other items that we had in our backyard such as plastic toys and chairs and sticks!
Slide to Start
To start our course I used our plastic slide. We used it in the spring and it makes a great first obstacle.
Branch Jumping
Next, I set up some fallen branches and sticks so that my kids could jump over them.
Crawling Tunnel
Creating a tunnel in the snow was the hardest one. We didn’t have enough snow to create a snow tunnel something that I will definitely do the next time we get a huge dump of snow. I used two chairs backing each other with the lid to our sand pit on top! It worked!
Chair Obstacles
Next, I set up some chairs for them to run around. My 6 year old got this part but it took my 2 year old a few time to get the hang of running through and around the chairs.
Dig and Drive
For this stage I set up a dump truck and wagon. We couldn’t ride our bikes in the snow, obviously, so I had them dig in the snow and fill the dump truck. Had I thought about it I would have pulled our sled from the front of the house to use here! They dumped the snow into the wagon and then ran it up the side of our deck and back.
Balance on the Rope
For a balancing challenge I lay a skipping rope in the snow and had them balance on in. Super easy!
Frisbee Toss
Next, was the frisbee toss. They had to throw the frisbee into our empty sand pit. If you have packing snow this would be the perfect time to make some snowballs to throw. Unfortunately we had fine power snow (it was very cold) so no snowballs for us.
Basketball Throw
For the final challenge was a basketball toss challenge.
Winter Backyard Obstacle Course Tons of Fun
This was just as fun as the obstacle course that we did in the spring. I only wish that we have more snow in order to create obstacles with. Fingers cross we do before the end of winter!
Looking for more Fun Winter Activities? Check out these fun ideas:
- 50+ Winter Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
- 30+ Snow Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers
- Snowflake Activities & Crafts
- How to Make Fake Snow: 5 Recipes using only 2 ingredients
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
