Three-legged obstacle course
You’ll need
- Equipment for an obstacle course
- Neckers or rope
Before you begin
- Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There’s also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
- Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
- Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help.
The World Scout Moot is a global event for Scouts and Guides aged 18 to 25. It's held every four years in different countries, bringing young people together to make new friends, discover new cultures and enjoy exciting adventures.
The next Moot will be held in Portugal in 2025. The event has three parts: a semi-independent expedition, a large camp with Scouts from around the world and a special experience after the main event. Portugal’s a beautiful country in Southern Europe, known for its fascinating history, stunning beaches and warm weather. This year’s participants will have the chance to explore Lisbon’s historic streets, relax by the sea and take part in outdoor activities, such as hiking and surfing. Learn more about the 16th World Scout Moot.
The activity also has its origins in Portugal, where it is traditionally called Irmãos Gêmeos, meaning Twin Brothers. This name reflects the idea of two people working together as closely as twins, tied together at the ankle to race. The game is popular at festivals, schools, and community events across Portugal, promoting teamwork, balance, and fun.
Planning and setting up this activity
- Mark out a course for people to race around. You could mark it out with cones, chalk or tape. If you want to make it more challenging, you can add obstacles along the way, such as cones to slalom through or small hurdles to step over. Use our guidance on setting up and playing active games safely.
- Obstacle ideas:
- A tunnel to crawl through or a sheet to crawl under
- Cones to slalom through
- Small hurdles
- Hoops to jump in and out of
- A football to kick in a net
- A bucket to throw balls in
Running this activity
- Gather everyone together and explain you’re going to do a three-legged obstacle course.
- Ask everyone to get into pairs.
- Each pair will work as a team to complete the course and the fastest team wins. They’ll be tied together at the ankle, just like in a three-legged race. If they fall or knock over an obstacle, they must return to the start line and begin again.
- Give each pair a necker or suitable piece of fabric to tie their legs together comfortably. Make sure to remind them to stop at the end of the activity and untie the necker or fabric before moving off, to avoid creating a trip hazard.
- When everyone’s ready, the first pair can set off.
- Keep going until everyone’s had a go.
- Once everyone’s had a go, you can repeat the race, add in some extra obstacles or switch the pairs around.
Reflection
This activity was all about teamwork, coordination and communication. You worked with a partner to move together and try not to fall or wobble. How did you manage to stay in time with each other? How did you support each other? You had to communicate a lot. How did you communicate with each other? Did you listen to your partner? How would you rate your communication out of 10? There were lots of obstacles too. Which one did you like the best? Which one was the easiest? Did you find any obstacles challenging and how did you complete them? What other obstacles could you add in? If we were to do this activity again, what would you do next time?
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.
- Contact games and activities
Make sure everyone understands what contact is acceptable, and monitor contact throughout the activity.
- Active games
The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.
- Outdoor activities
You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.
- To make this activity easier, you could have pairs tie their wrists together or hold hands while moving through the race. You could also shorten the course or remove obstacles to make it easier.
- To make this activity harder, you could create a more complicated obstacle course, such as crawling through a tunnel. You could also increase the distance of the race or add more pairs of legs tied together, such as working in threes.
- Make sure any equipment is accessible for everyone. Some examples include making sure to use colours that can easily be identified for anyone who’s colourblind, or bigger objects, such as larger buckets, to make it easier to throw into.
- You can have someone help teams navigate the obstacles. For example, have someone hold a sheet while people crawl under it.
- If anyone doesn’t feel comfortable playing the game or taking part in the activity, let them take on another role instead. Some examples are timing, scorekeeping or refereeing.
- People can move at their own pace, so you don’t need to make it competitive unless it works for everyone. You could adapt the competitive element too. For example, you could reward good communication, creativity or teamwork, instead of speed or being the first. Remind people to encourage each other and that it’s not about winning, but about taking part, working well as a team and having fun.
- For anyone who may struggle to tie their legs together, you could have pairs tie their wrists together or hold hands while moving through the race.
- Any equipment should be laid out with enough space for everyone, including anyone using a mobility aid. For example, you could have cones spread further apart to allow a wheelchair user to manoeuvre through them.
- Always make sure people know what they're doing and which way to go, such as having a demonstration of what to do, adults to help guide people, or signs and arrows to show the route.
- If anyone struggles with balance, you may want to add safety mats to the sides of obstacles, have spotters to help support them, or put foam barriers on any sharp edges or corners.
- If a person's prone to running away, make sure that your playing space is safe and well-supervised. You may need extra adult supervision, especially at possible exit zones. You may need to include this information in their support plan or in the risk assessment.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
If you enjoyed this, you could try some of our other activities for Moot 2025.