Obstacle Course Games You’d Enjoy Playing

A family picnic can sometimes get really boring. With nothing to do except eating the heavily laid picnic baskets, trying explaining to uncle the things that are happening with your career, playing dumb charades, there's nothing left to do but simply confine to your music player or a book and wait for the day to end. You know what this spells? B.o.r.i.n.g!

Why limit the day to a dull one when you can add that extra zing to it? How are you going to do that? By playing some obstacle course games, of course. Aren't those for kids only, you ask? Myth. If there's nothing to lose, why not get to it and make a success of that picnic? Here are some games that you can include in your picnic and have a great time.

There are several activities that go into making an obstacle course. Here are examples of these obstacle course ideas that you can look into. Some examples of games that you can use to design your own obstacle course, are given next.

Obstacle course games are great for both, kids and adults - they'll get the energy levels soaring high, the kids in a tizzy of activity and the adults having the time of their lives. Plus, one can always increase the difficulty level of the games and the rounds according to the age group that is playing them.

Since the level of difficulty is already quite high, all you can do is add some bricks at regular intervals (make the distances huge cause you don't want kids getting hurt) and make them walk. They have to reach from one point to the other while doing a zigzag round through the bricks.

For example, the kids (or adults) have to start off with 5 jumping jacks, then run and pick up a basketball and try to shoot it into the hoop, before proceeding to do 50 counts of a jump rope.

One way to set up Hula Hoop Run is given: Place 5 - 6 hula hoops (through which you have to jog), 2 - 3 chairs (under which you have to crawl), tie a strong rope to a tree, if you have one (on which you have to swing), place a garbage bag (hop into it and run), then do the catwalk across a thin wall without slipping.

For example - the swinging from the rope can be done 5 times back and forth. Here are some other items that you can use as obstacles in the course:

• Ladder pockets for running through.
• A rope to jump over from side to side.
• Draw in a hopscotch and do a round of that.

You can either do this as a team with one selected member carrying through the course, or play this game individually. In both cases, the course needs to be timed. The one with the best time wins this outdoor family game.

• Use a skipping rope where one uses a swing and then both of them have to jump together. Have a designated 10 - 20 jumps. One cannot proceed if they haven't completed that.

• While one partner starts off at the starting line, the other has to place newspapers at his feet. The other can only step on the newspapers. The duo that crosses the end line first, wins. This game can be played simultaneously with all the teams and is a great indoor obstacle course to choose.

• Tie the left foot of one and the right foot of the other and then hand them a sack to hop across. Make it more difficult by placing hula hoop jumps in between.

And there you have it, some of the most fun obstacle course games that you can choose. So try them out and have fun!