Spider Web Obstacle Course

This spider web obstacle course is a gross motor activity that kids love. Not only will it get them moving around the life size spider web, but you’ll see tons of whole-body movements: crouching, lunging, leaning, bending, crawling, and motoring around string spider webs! Kids love spider activities and this web obstacle course is a great addition. This gross motor coordination activity is a great activity kids love!

Spider Web Obstacle Course

There are so many reasons why occupational therapy practitioners use obstacle courses in therapy practice. This obstacle course idea is a “spin” on our fine motor spider maze. Just like in that activity, participants will develop motor planning skills in order to get through the maze.

The nice thing about this spider web course is that you can make it as easy or as difficult as you need, depending on the level of the child.

By crawling over and under the string maze, kids are developing skills in:

• Eye hand coordination
• Gross motor skills
• Visual motor skills
• Motor planning

And, as a benefit, kids that participate in this spider web obstacle course also gain benefits of heavy work, vestibular input, and proprioceptive input. Each of these sensory systems result through play.

How to Use a Spider Web Obstacle Course

Above, we mentioned a few motor skills that can be strengthened by moving through the string spider web. Let’s dive into those gross motor skills a bit further:

• Standing on one foot
• Balancing while lifting one leg up high
• Crawling
• Arching the back
• Creeping on the floor
• Standing on tip toe
• Lunging
• Squatting
• Reaching high
• Stepping over
• Reaching under

By completing these movements to move through a web of string or rope, motor skills and strengthening develop.

There are many ways to use a spier web obstacle course in an occupational therapy session or in the home. Use the course along with a visual schedule for the therapy session or even as part of a sensory diet.

1. Set up the obstacle course as a transition activity by having the child move through the web to retrieve a visual card with the next motor or self-care task.

2. They can then move through the course again to obtain another visual card on the therapy schedule.

How to Make an Obstacle Course Spider Web

One day last week, we decided to build a spider web in the living room.  Little Guy had a blast with this one!  

To make the obstacle course, use a skein of yarn or thread. String the yard around the room. Go around chair legs, over toys, or other items. If you are wrapping the yard around household items, remember that the string will pull on the objects and the string may pull on the object, so only use heavy duty objects like furniture when planning out your spider web.

Other items you can add to the spider web obstacle course include:

• Spider web deep breathing exercise– Print off the deep breathing exercise and when kids get to the printable in the obstacle course, they can stop and do the deep breathing exercise.
• Spider rings- Add a bunch to a small basket, along with tongs. Kids can pick of the spider rings and drop them into containers.

    He decided to put on his Spiderman costume.  

There was some great motor planning needed to go through this web! Motor planning is the ability to think of, organize, and carry out actions needed for a task.

Kids with motor planning problems appear clumsy, disorganized, or inattentive.

They may have problems with clothing management, shoe tying, handwriting, or any fine/gross motor task.

Big Sister had to make one too, using her preference of pink yarn.  

    Even teddy bears can pretend to be Halloween spiders.  

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

Grab the Pumpkin Fine Motor Kit for more coloring, cutting, and eye-hand coordination activities with a Pumpkin theme! It includes:

• 7 digital products that can be used any time of year- has a “pumpkins” theme
• 5 pumpkin scissor skills cutting strips
• Pumpkin scissor skills shapes- use in sensory bins, math, sorting, pattern activities
• 2 pumpkin visual perception mazes with writing activity
• Pumpkin “I Spy” sheet – color in the outline shapes to build pencil control and fine motor strength
• Pumpkin Lacing cards – print, color, and hole punch to build bilateral coordination skills
• 2 Pumpkin theme handwriting pages – single and double rule bold lined paper for handwriting practice

Work on underlying fine motor and visual motor integration skills so you can help students excel in handwriting, learning, and motor skill development.

You can grab this Pumpkin Fine Motor kit for just $6!

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.