Five ways children benefit from obstacle courses
1. Strength and Balance
When children encounter obstacles in an obstacle course, they develop and enhance strength and balance. It’s a great way for kids to get a full-body workout. It makes them stronger and enhances their sense of balance at a young age. The strength and balance skills developed on an obstacle course transfer effectively to other sports like soccer or gymnastics.
2. Memory and Problem Solving
In life and school, kids need to be able to remember lots of information. They also need to learn how to solve problems based on sequencing information and actions. By running an obstacle course, children develop and enhance these skills.
It helps children solve problems as they learn how to maneuver up, over, or through obstacles. They also learn how to adjust to changing conditions and memorize the fastest way to progress through the course. These skills will help them throughout their life.
3. Sensory Processing
An obstacle course is also a great opportunity for children to develop sensory processing skills.
Learning these senses and how to adjust to them helps them develop motor skills, coordination, and adaptation.
4. Motor Skills
Fine and gross motor skill development is essential during childhood development. Fine motor skills help children learn how to hold a pencil or grip small objects. Gross motor skills help children walk, run, jump, and climb. Obstacle courses are the perfect environment for children to learn and enhance these vital motor skills that will benefit them for a lifetime.
5. Coordination
Sometimes called bilateral coordination, this is a skill children struggle with at an early age. Complex coordination involves moving separate body parts at the same time to complete a task. Think about the many muscle groups and body parts required to climb over a wall or weave through an agility obstacle.
Developing these coordination skills improves overall health and fitness and helps kids for years to come.
