Couch Cushion Obstacle Course

Oh no! It’s raining outside. What should I do with my kids inside?!!

Couch Cushion Obstacle Course to the rescue!

When you’re stuck inside due to gloomy weather try this super fun activity anywhere in your home with some open space. A couch cushion obstacle course is a great way to provide heavy work, proprioceptive input , vestibular input, and work on gross motor coordination.  Gather as many sofa cushions, pillows, blankets, sleeping bags, as you can find. You can space them out as close or far away from each other as you like. They can stay contained to just one room or make a path with them throughout your entire home. Have your child walk, hop, roll, slither (whatever you want!) across each couch cushion until they get to the end! 

You may need to model (or give a demonstration) yourself to your child on what they should do. You can complete the course 1 time, and then try it a different way on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, time! For example on round one we are going to walk, round 2 roll, round 3 hop, round 4 crawl, round 5 slither. Each of these different ways of completing the course will provide different types of sensory input, helping to regulate your child and increase their attention. 

If you want to make it a little more interactive, or more difficult you can add another component which could be a puzzle, or ball/container. Take all the puzzle pieces out of the puzzle and place the pieces at the beginning of the course. Place the puzzle board at the end of the course. Have your child take 1 puzzle piece at a time with them through the course and place the piece onto the board after each trial. The course is not done until the child has retrieved all the pieces and put the puzzle together. 

Once you are finished with the course have your child/children help you clean up, by picking up the heavy cushions even multiple at a time to carry back to wherever it needs to go. This will provide heavy work input as well as muscle strengthening which can help to regulate your child.

After everything is cleaned up take this opportunity to engage your child in something structured, seated, or calming. This could be a coloring activity at the table, mealtime at the table, or possibly a movie while seated on the couch (if your child has a hard time staying seated for movies).