Hula Hoops are a great and inexpensive way to implement collaboration, physical activity, and problem solving skills to your classroom. The possibilities with these circular toys are endless, but here’s our top ten ways to use a hula hoop in class!
- Hula Hoop Pass- This is a great team building activity that gets everyone in the circle working together. Everyone holds hands. The team works together to pass the hula hoop all the way around the circle without disconnecting hands. Once the group has mastered the hula hoop going in one direction, try sending two hula hoops: one clockwise and one counter clockwise. Still too easy? Try 3!
- Tic Tac Toe Relay– Set up the hula hoops in a 3×3 grid. Create two teams in class. With the teams in lines, one player from each team races to the grid and places a team token in a hula hoop. First team to 3 in a row wins! Ready to level up? Teams can either add a token or take one away from the opposing team.
- Human Tic Tac Toe- Set up the hula hoops in a 3×3 grid. Create two teams in class: X’s and O’s. Each team member gets a number. A caller yells out a number and that player from each team races to the hula hoops and makes their letter in one of the places in the grid. The first person in position with their action gets to keep their spot, the loser does not. First team to three in a row wins!
- Traffic Jam- This is a team challenge which can take all class! Set up 9 hula hoops ina straight line. Break the class into two teams of 4. Teams face each other, each person in an individual hoop with the center hoop empty. The goal is to get every person to the other side of the line. However, students cannot move backwards, they can only move one space forward at a time, they cannot jump over a teammate, and you cannot share a hoop.
- Musical Hoops- Kids of any age love musical chairs, so why not play with hula hoops! Instead of a kid getting out, have the student who does not get a hoop ask a question to the class that everyone must answer.
- Fruit Salad- Each person in class gets a hoop, with the exception of one classmate who stands in the middle. The person in the middle shares something about themselves. If a classmate has that in common, they must leave their hoop and find a new one. Everyone changes positions and a new player is in the middle with a new commonality to share.
- Hula Hoop Obstacle Course- Who doesn’t like making their whole classroom into a giant obstacle course! Break your class into many groups and have many courses! Ready to level up? Blind fold your students and have them guide each other through the obstacle course.
- Dolphin jumps- Another quick team building activity! Person A tosses the hula hoop on it’s side along the floor. Person B tries to run and jump through the hoop while it’s moving.
- Rock- Paper-Scissors relay- Set up hula hoops in a path in the classroom and divide the class into two teams. Teams start at opposite ends of the hula hoop path. Players jump through the hoops as fast as they can until they come face to face with their opponent. The players then complete a round of rock-paper scissors- the winner continues to jump though the hula hoop path, the losing team sends a new player out to stop the winner. The first team all the way to the end wins!
- Hula competition- It can really be as simple as using the hula hoop in the way it was intended to be used! Set up a bracket during March Madness and hula away. Hula hoop on your waist, arm, leg, neck… the possibilities are endless!
We can’t wait to hear what kind of fun you’ve cooked up with your kids this week. Let us know if you tried one of these activities in class!