Obstacle courses are so much fun in speech therapy! When I worked in the schools, I LOVED doing them…yes, like super big puffy heart loved them! I don’t do them much in the home setting because it’s just too hard to drag all that stuff from house to house.  Parents, don’t think this is just for speech therapists!  You too can set up an obstacle course at your house to help your child work on language skills!

Setting Up the Obstacle Course

It’s really pretty easy to set up the course.  Think of spring time things such as rain boots, umbrellas, flowers, bugs, mud puddles, rabbits, and rainbows.  Decide if you want to set it up outside or inside.  To prep my school speech therapy sessions, I set it up inside my room.  With each object you’ve chosen, decide how you will incorporate it.  For instance, if you have rain boots, set them apart for each other and have the child go “BETWEEN” the rain boots.  Maybe you chose to use that big mud puddle in the front yard…use it to teach “around” like “go AROUND the big mud puddle.”  Now set your course up!

Using the Course for Speech Therapy

Walk through the course with the child (or children).  As you go, tell them what they will do at each object.  When you get to a stop, you can give the direction and then ask the child (or children) to repeat the direction {for listening purposes}.  Asking them to repeat the direction also gives them the chance to use the spatial concept in context.  Then they can do it!

Here’s an example:

“We will start at the flowers and step OVER them.  Did we step on the flowers? (Children should respond with “No, we went OVER them.” or something similar to use the concept)    Next we will walk AROUND the mud.  Did we walk through the mud? (Wait on child’s response).  Walk UNDER the umbrella. Step quietly BESIDE the bunny so we don’t wake him.  Oh no, I see bugs!  Let’s step ON the bugs!  Go BETWEEN the rain boots and we are finished!”

Articulation Twist

Need to work on articulation too?  At each item, tape a target word for them to practice before moving on.  It’s that simple!

If you are doing the course inside, cut a mud puddle from brown paper and use fake flowers.  Use your imagination and have fun with it!  Get the kiddos involved with making the course too!

What would you add to the course?

Needing a fun theme idea for spring?  How about baseball?