Old Tire Obstacle Circuit

Old car tires make a six-station circuit for stepping, jumping, dragging, flipping, rolling, and balancing. Rotating in small groups, students build agility, strength, and balance with reused equipment that lasts for years.

How to play

1. Before class: set out 18 clean, inspected passenger-car tires in six stations marked with cones. Groups of 4 (2 min to explain and demonstrate).
2. Station 1, tire run: two rows of tires; high-knee step into each one. Station 2, jumps: two-foot side hops in and out of a tire.
3. Station 3, drag: tie a rope to a tire and pull it 10 yards while walking backward. Station 4, partner flip: flip a lying tire over and over for 5 yards.
4. Station 5, roll: roll an upright tire, steering with your hands, around a cone 8 yards away. Station 6, balance: walk along the edges of a row of lying tires.
5. Rotation (18 min): 2 minutes per station and 1 minute to switch, grab water, and reset equipment.
6. Final relay (5 min): each group links three stations of its choice while the others cheer.

Rules

• Take turns at each station: one works while the others wait behind the cone.
• On the flip, lift with your legs and a flat back, always with a partner.
• At the rolling station, nobody steps into the tire's path.
• Safety: car tires only, no exposed wire, no water inside, and checked every day.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: a seated drag pulling the rope with the arms, and rolling the tire from the wheelchair.
• Autism: a card showing the station order, plus a one-minute warning before each change.
• Fitness level: chooses the light or the tough version of each station.

Learning goals

• Improve agility and balance on an obstacle course.
• Use strength safely when dragging and flipping.
• Care for and reuse equipment that would otherwise be waste.

Equipment for a class of 25

• old tires: 18
• ropes: 2
• cones: 12

Teacher tip

Local auto shops often donate used tires; wash them, drill drainage holes in the bottom, and store them lying flat. Skip truck tires, which are too heavy for this age.

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