The Warrior Dash: Toddler Obstacle Course
We all have a warrior within. I think kids are perhaps a bit more in touch with their inner warrior than most adults. Especially one kid in particular:
My nephew, Grant.
He’s 3.5 years old, is the most verbal child (or person!) I know, and his favorite story is the story of David and Goliath. He knows it frontwards and backwards and loves to reenact it, decapitation and all.
So, when I pulled Grant’s name in our family Christmas gift exchange this year, my thinking-gears started turning as I pondered what I might give my sweet nephew that he would truly appreciate. And I ultimately decided on the gift of an experience—an experience that would celebrate the mighty warrior within him—an outdoor obstacle course!
Supplies
This ended up being a super affordable gift thanks to the dollar store and cost me less than $10 to pull off. {Raise the roof.} Here were the items I either purchased or gathered:
- warrior garb: sword & breastplate
- plastic lawn chairs or barrels (8 – 10)
- boogie boards (2)
- streamers
- water balloons
- wooden planks (2)
- crates
- cones (4)
- string
- jumprope
- plastic critters
- glitter tape or streamers
- masking tape (2) that can double as a lift for the plank
- prize: golden shield
Designing the Course
I did some exploration on other blogs and on YouTube to glean some inspiration for course elements that would be easy to pull off yet packed plenty of fun for a young boy. Here’s a peek at the course I plotted out on paper in advance:
I did make a few changes to the final course, so here’s the final order of obstacles I planned:
1. The Web: streamers woven between four chairs.
Action: warrior has to crawl through without getting caught on the web.
2. The Minefield: four water balloons.
Action: warrior has to stomp out the water balloons.
3. Plank Hurdles: 2″ x 4″ planks atop small lifts like masking tape and crates.
Action: warrior has to jump over the planks.
4. Dodger’s Row: cones.
Action: warrior has to dodge the cones, running around them.
5. Under the Sea: plastic tablecloth stretched between boogie boards or chairs.
Action: warrior has to crawl underneath the sea.
6. Critter Dash: plastic bugs strung across a jumprope.
Action: warrior has to be brave and crawl through the dangling critters.
7. Ninja Battle: sword and inflated ninja filled with water in the base to weigh it down.
Action: warrior has to use his sword (or perhaps a strong punch) to defeat the ninja, however many jabs it takes!
8. The Finish Line: streamer or glittery tape strung between two bins or chairs, sliced partway down the middle for easy break-away.
Action: warrior has to run through the finish line to complete the course and reign victorious!
Prize: the golden shield!
Action: if the warrior proves victorious, he’ll win a special golden warrior shield! Look how that shield glistens in the afternoon sun….
How to “Gift” an Experience
Our family’s gift exchange took place a few days after Christmas during our family gathering at Lake Weir in Florida. I wanted to be able to have something for Grant to unwrap around the table, so I gave him his sword and breastplate, which would be his “uniform” for the experience. Right away, his eyes lit up, and I could tell he was in warrior heaven!
The Warrior Dash in Action!
Ready to see Grant-The-Warrior complete his dash? Well, you can! Because we filmed it.
You’ll see that I set up my course on the beach in one long row, but it could have easily worked on the grass in a winding trail. Use whatever space you have! Kids will adapt.
To Close
I had as much fun putting together this gift as I think Grant did experiencing it. And it truly was the gift that kept on giving because Grant, his siblings, and cousins ran the course over and over again until the sun set (and the ninja took his final breath).
My sister-in-love Holly captured the sweetest “thank you message” from Grant that I will treasure for always. (You can catch it at the end of the video.) Now, if that doesn’t inspire you to create the gift of an obstacle course for the precious littles in your life, I don’t know what will!
Hungry for More?
Gifts of experience are some of my favorite gifts to give, and I dedicated an entire section of my book Thinking Outside the Gift Box to the subject. You can learn more about my book and how to nab your copy in eBook or paperback form by clicking HERE.
Or if you’d like to read a sample chapter to whet your appetite for more, sign up below.
Have a fantastic weekend, warriors all!
You get the Best Aunt prize!!!
Aw, shucks. Now you made me blush. 😉 Thanks, Tonya!
Wow Lauren ~ great great job of capturing this special time. Loved to re-live it and the thank you at the end was priceless. That took alot of planning on you & Mark’s part!!
Thanks, Mom! The joy was truly all ours. And I love re-living that amazing time together in photos and video. Everyday can be a holiday! 😉
Kudos to you! Experiences trump “things” as gifts every time. You are going to make a great mommy1
I, too, have always found gifts of experience to be some of the most meaningful (and most remembered). Aw, and thanks for the vote of confidence, Carol!
Your nephew is one adorable kid, and what a fun idea for his Christmas present!
Aw, I agree! (Though I’m slightly biased as his auntie.) Thanks for taking the time to check it out and comment, sweet Maggie!
I about died when I heard Grant say he loved fighting the bad ninja in his precious thank you message!! Now he has a video to remember the big day too — you are such a cool auntie!
Ha ha, I know. That part slays me every time, too! Just had to share it! I didn’t think of the video as a gift, too, but you’re right. Such a fun way for us ALL to receive the gift of that experience time and time again. 😉