Ninja Course with Level Cards

A six-obstacle skills course (climbing, hanging, jumping, balance, crawling, and bear walking) where each student chooses the level for every obstacle with color cards. Students combine fundamental movement skills, push themselves, and work toward personal bests.

How to play

1. Setup (4 min): six obstacles in a circle: wall bar traverse, bear crawl up an incline bench, hoop jumps, upside-down bench balance walk, crawl under the vaulting box, and climb onto a low box.
2. Each obstacle has three picture cards: green, yellow, and red (for example, hoops 20, 28, or 36 inches apart).
3. Groups of 4 per obstacle. Practice round (6 min): 1 minute per obstacle on green to learn the course.
4. Ninja round (9 min): 90 seconds per obstacle; each student picks a level and, after completing it twice, may move up. Rotate clockwise on the whistle.
5. Check-in (2 min): each student shows their highest level with 1, 2, or 3 fingers, and the teacher notes it.
6. Team cleanup and wrap-up (4 min): which obstacle was toughest, and what level do you want to reach next time?

Rules

• Everyone chooses their own level: you compete against yourself, not others.
• Safety: one student on each obstacle at a time and mats under every landing.
• On the wall bars, feet stay below 3 feet.
• If you miss, restart that obstacle, not the whole course.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: every obstacle has a blue adapted card (scooter board pull, hoop toss, wheelchair carry).
• Hearing impairment: station changes are signaled by raising a colored cone as well as the whistle.
• Lower fitness: a 30-second rest every two obstacles without losing a turn.

Learning goals

• Combine climbing, jumping, balancing, and crawling in a course.
• Choose a difficulty level that matches their own ability.
• Set improvement goals and value their own effort.

Equipment for a class of 25

• wall bars: 3
• gym bench: 3
• mats: 12
• vaulting box: 2
• hoops: 9
• challenge cards: 18

Teacher tip

Picture cards save explaining and last all year. Stand near the wall bars and the vaulting box, the highest-risk spots.

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