It's the "Mom, I'm Bored" summer edition of Works For Me Wednesday over at We are That Family."Obstacle courses" are one of my kids' favorite activities. I sit outside and give them several instructions in a row, actions they must complete before returning to me. For example, "Run down the driveway, circle the tree, jump on your bike and ride to the car, hop off, find two pinecones and bring them to me, then think of a song to sing with the word "dog" in it and sing it."
Or "Walk backwards slowly to the tree. Then run around the circle part of the drive. Find three objects in the yard that do not belong (trash, misplaced toy, etc.). Put them where they belong. Come back and give me five." (Making "cleaning up the yard" a game always works for me. I just get to sit back and watch!)
It does require Mom to be present, but it's great to watch their laughter - and it releases a lot of pent-up energy. I'd say it also helps them learn to remember several directions at once. They have so much fun doing this, they want to do it over and over again. They never even really care who "wins." They love it.
