Build gross motor skills while constructing and weaving through this spider web obstacle course! Plus more Spider themed activities for kids. You might also enjoy these toys that keep kids active indoors.
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The inspiration for this spider web obstacle course came from Eric Carle’s The Very Busy Spider. This book is this week’s Virtual Book Club for Kids pick. We had much-needed rain all weekend, and this gross motor activity complemented the book beautifully while also keeping the kids actively busy indoors. If you can’t find a copy of The Very Busy Spider, we recommend Miss Spider’s Tea Party as a substitute title.
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How to Build a Spider Web Obstacle Course
What You'll Find on This Page
We have actually built spider web obstacle courses a few times, but this was our first go at it in our California condo. It is also the first time this activity has made it onto my blog, apparently! If I still had all four kids in one room, I would have had them hang the web from one bunk bed to the other. Since Johnny escaped to his own room, we opted to use the dining room table instead.
Our dining room table is actually three IKEA tables clamped together using C clamps. We get a lot of compliments on our big table, and it is a sturdy and affordable solution. The size also means that there are plenty of table legs to secure yarn too, as well as more than enough space for four children underneath.
To build the web, I started by tying a ball of yarn to one leg of our table. Then the kids took turns pulling the yarn over to another chair leg, wrapping it around, and then passing it to someone else. This was an excellent collaborative activity for my four kids. As they passed the ball of yarn around, they offered input on where to put the string next. They did this with the understanding that whoever was holding the string got final say on where it would go next. This type of group activity is wonderful for raising kids who get along.
As you can see, they are very proud of their final product! Or, nearly final product! Anna is still putting on some finishing touches. They set it up a little high to climb over, so they took turns crawling underneath, and trying to pop their heads through the openings in the web without touching the yarn. Navigating your way through a maze like this takes a lot of concentration!
Spider Web Obstacle Course Tips
I loved having this project set up under the dining room table! It was a safe, contained space that was still large enough for the kids to move around. The web is also nearly invisible from an adult’s height, so we have decided to leave it up for a few days. The yarn is creeping down the chair legs, so maybe tomorrow they will be stepping through on their hands and feet instead of bumping their heads into the yarn. Tape the yarn to the chair legs with a little masking tape or scotch tape if you don’t want it to slip down like this. The tape won’t hurt a stained table like ours, but test on the inside of the leg of your table first if there is any chance it could remove the finish.
We have had a lot of fun using masking tape to build a similar spider web across living room furniture in the past. Masking tape has the added benefit of being sticky, like a real spider web!
SPIDER THEMED LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Here are this week’s spider themed learning activities from my co-hosts, organized by learning topic.
ALPHABET LEARNING SPIDER ACTIVITIES
- Printable Spider Web Letter Match Activity from Artsy Momma
- Spider Writing Tray from Adventures of Adam
- Alphabet Spider Sticky Wall from Toddler Approved
NUMBER LEARNING SPIDER ACTIVITIES
- Spider Web Fingerprint Counting from Messy Little Monster
- Hands-on Spider Counting Activity from School Time Snippets
SENSORY SPIDER ACTIVITIES
- Spider Web Sensory Bin + Counting Activity from My Storytime Corner
PRESCHOOL SCIENCE SPIDER THEMED LEARNING
- Spider Types Matching Cards from Kori at Home
COLOR LEARNING WITH SPIDERS
- Feed the Spider Color Catapulting from Preschool Powol Packets
- How to Make a Rainbow Spider Web from Powerful Mothering
Name Learning SPIDER Activities
- Name Webs and Free Spider Maths Lesson Plan from Rainy Day Mum
Learning Shapes with SPIDERS
- Creepy-Crawly Pattern Block Mats from Chickadee Lit
- Spider Shape Craft from JDaniel4’s Mom
- Spider Counting Puzzles from Sea of Knowledge
More Activities for Kids
Have you ever made a spider web obstacle course with your kids? Do you have another spider themed activity we should try? Come share an image on my Facebook page, or tag me on Instagram.
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
We did something like this once for the kids as part of a birthday party. It was a lot of fun.
That looks so fun both to create and to do!
The kids definitely enjoyed making it, and they are still enjoying playing in it!
Oh, this looks like so much fun! I always love seeing pictures of your kids playing so well together!
I am thrilled that they are such good friends.
Your table solution is soooo clever, as is this spider web activity!