Hula hoop obstacle course: 21 Hula Hoop Activities – Teaching Expertise

21 Hula Hoop Activities – Teaching Expertise

Hula hoops may seem like a simple tool in comparison to the numerous high-tech toys and games available today. However, they’re great instruments for helping kids learn skills, develop their muscles, and improve their gross motor movements. Hula hoops are easily available, inexpensive, and safe. Additionally, kids will have fun trying to control a moving hoop! Whether you’re a parent organizing birthday parties or a teacher trying to hone kids’ physical skills, these fun hula hoop games and activities will keep them entertained! 

1. The Hoop Game

This is one of the simplest games to play with hula hoops, bean bags, and water bottles. Lay a hula hoop on the ground and place plastic bottles in the middle. Now, kids have to target the water bottles; trying to knock them over using bean bags. This is one of the best activities for kids because they learn target practice and develop their motor skills! 

Learn More: Final Site

2. Hula Hoop Pass

This is a great hula hoop team-building activity that also serves as the perfect party game. Make the kids stand in a circle and hold hands. Now, ask them to pass the hoop around the entire circle without separating their interlocked hands.

Learn More: Guide Inc.

3. Hoop Rolling

Hoop rolling is one of those fun hula hoop games that are great for developing locomotor skills. Make a line with chalk, provide each student with a stick and hula hoop, and ask them to roll the hoop along the traced path. Once they get the hang of hoop rolling, add obstacles like bowling pins and traffic cones along their path.

Learn More: Wikipedia

4. Rope And Hula Hoop Activity

This simple hoop activity improves kids’ practice in gross motor movements. Simply tie a rope to the hoop and hang it from a tree. Give the kids small objects like balls and arrows, and ask them to aim and throw them through the hoop.  

Learn More: Happy Hooligans

5. Hula Hoop Basketball

Traditional netball hoops are very small so if you have little kids, you can try this variation. Secure a hoop to a pole or a door with cable ties. Give the kids soccer balls and ask them to aim at the hoop; attempting to toss their ball through the ring and score a point.

Learn More: Moms.com

6. Jump Rope With Hula Hoop

Try this amazing variation of jump rope using a hula hoop. You can also make it a race and have your learners compete to quickly skip their way to 100! 

Learn More: Dana Pederson

7. Hoop Catch

Also known as up high, this simple game is sure to challenge your students. Have your kids toss the hoop as high as possible and catch it before it touches the ground.

Learn More: New Folks

8. Hula Hoop Toss

Divide the kids into two teams and assign one hoop per team. Position the hoops a few feet away from the start line and give each team a bag full of bean bags. Set a timer and have each team compete to throw their bean bags into their hula hoop. The team that gets the most bags in the hoop wins the game!

Learn More: Empowered Parents

9. Hula Hoop Challenges

This challenge tests kids’ basic hula hooping skills. Give each kid one hoop and ask them to start spinning on cue. The last one to remain spinning without dropping their hoop wins the competition.

Learn More: The PE Specialist

10. Hula Hoop Relay

For this hula hoop relay course, divide the kids into teams and make them stand in a line, holding hands. Give each team one hoop. The children must quickly pass the hoop to the final play before the whistle sounds.

Learn More: Tip Junkie

11. Hula Hoop Rock Paper Scissors

Divide the kids into two teams. Set up a line of paired hoops that is equal to the number of participants. Members of opposing teams stand near the first pair of hoops and play rock, paper, scissors (RPS). The player who wins moves to the next hoop, while another member takes their place on the first hoop; playing RPS with the same member of the opposite team. The team that is able to occupy all the hoops wins the game!

Learn More: SSWW.com

12. Ring Around The Bottle

This one will soon become one of the kid’s favorite hula hoop games. Divide the kids into two teams and assign one soda bottle per team. The kids must aim to make the hoop land over the bottle. The team that covers the bottle with hoops first wins the game!

Learn More: Work R Fun

13. Physical Challenge

Make kids stand in a hoop and give them physical challenges like standing on one leg, becoming a chair, and so on. The child who lasts the longest wins.

Learn More: Playground Parkbench

14. Washer Toss

This engaging game will have your kid playing with hula hoops for hours. Align the hula hoops and assign a score to each hoop. The closest hoop gets the lowest score, and the farthest gets the highest. Ask kids to aim washers at the hoops and score their best.

Learn More: Playground Parkbench

15. Hula-Hoop Hopscotch

This evolved version of hopscotch is one of the most fun hula hoop games. Place the hoops in patterns and have your little ones engage in a game of hopscotch.

Learn More: Playground Parkbench

16. Hoop Targets

To play this excellent hula hoop game, assign one hoop and one knockable target (empty plastic bottle, bowling pin) per participant. Spread the hoops across the ground and place the targets in the middle of the hoops. Every participant has to guard their target while knocking off the opponents’. Spread cheap tennis balls or small-size balls across the activity area. When they receive the start signal, the kids pick up the balls and begin.

Learn More: Play Sport

17. Hula Hoop Tag

Ask kids to spread themselves out in an open activity area. Designate 2-3 kids as taggers and give each one a hula hoop to use in order to tag the others. When someone is tagged, they must perform a particular physical activity.

Learn More: Asphalt Green

18. Hula Hoop Obstacle Course

Use a couple of hula hoops to prepare an obstacle course. Ask the kids to run through, over, and under; moving from hoop to the next to complete the obstacle course.

Learn More: Your Therapy Source

19. Hula Hoop Tic Tac Toe

To play this simple party game, form teams X and O and give each team different colored bean bags. Arrange 9 hula-hoops in the form of a TTT board. Ask alternate team members to aim at the board and attempt to get three in a row.

Learn More: Asphalt Green

20. Dolphin Island Tag

Spread some hula hoops across the activity area. The hoops are islands or safe zones. Appoint a leader to give commands. When the leader declares swimming time, all the dolphins must “swim” to avoid being captured. They must return to the hoop base for safety.

Learn More: Moms.com

21. Circus-Inspired Hula Hoop Game

Decorate a hoop with yellow and orange construction paper so that it appears like it is on fire. Now, make the kids, aka circus animals, jump through the hoops. Hold the hoop higher to increase the difficulty level.

Learn More: Hi Sawyer

Hula Hoop Activities – The OT Toolbox

A hula hoop is a great old-school toy and specific hula hoop activities can be used to not only build strength, coordination, balance, and motor planning, but can be used in other areas such as learning, sensory, and visual motor, as well as gross motor coordination. Hula hoops are versatile and inexpensive, while being colorful and attractive, to spark the interest and motivation of children. There are a wide array of hula hoop activities that can be done, in addition to the traditional method.

Hula hoop Activities are great!

Hula hoops can be used indoors or outdoors and with children and adults of all ages. That’s right all ages. In addition to the conventional manner, there are several imaginative and thoughtful hula hoop activities that are fun and safe for all!  

Hula hoops are cheap and easy to find. If you don’t have, or can’t find a hula hoop that’s okay, you can make your own hula hoop! The directions are included in this post. People can decorate it however they wish, making it a special craft activity too. 

Take a look at some fun, creative hula hoop activity ideas to get kids up and active, and a little ‘hoopy’ this season! 

The hula hoop games and activities below are great for outdoor lawn games this summer, but they can be included in indoor therapy obstacle courses or games to get kids moving!

Gross Motor hula hoop games:

• The Floor is Lava Games– These are fun games for home on a rainy day. Use a hula hoop as a “safe island” when playing is game. They work on jumping, leaping, hopping, rolling, and crashing.
  
• Hula Hoop Jumps – provide heavy work input through the core and gross motor muscle groups, to improve regulation, and body awareness. 

• Rabbit Hole – is a cooperative gross motor group activity that helps to teach the concept of personal space, using a hula hoop, and safety cones.  

• Hula Hoop Run activities – use several hula hoops positioned out on the ground, or floor to create a “tire run” pathway for kids to hop, jump, or leap through. There are several pattern ideas included, which will address gross motor coordination, balance, and agility while having fun too!

• Hula Hoop Pass – Grab some friends and a hula hoop! Children hold hands while standing in a line or a circle, while working to move the hula hoop around the group, stepping in and out of it, ducking through it, while holding hands. This works to shift the hoop to the next person, until it makes it from the first, to the last person within the group. This is an incredible coordination and motor planning activity that helps to build group cooperation and teamwork.

• Don’t Jiggle the Spiders! Much like our spider obstacle maze, you can wrap yarn around a hula hoop and thread spider rings through the string. Then, children can move the hoop as a hand-held obstacle course has a fun way to have children work on balance and body control as they work to move through the spider web, designed on a hula hoop, and try not to ‘jiggle the spiders’ while doing so. 

• Basket of Toys- Here is a fun twist on the traditional toy scavenger hunt. In this game, you scatter small toys or water balloons and hula hoops on the ground. Children work to move the toys and balloons using their feet to their specific hula hoop. What happens if they pop a balloon while kicking? They must visit the Toy Master (and adult or a specific player) and complete a motor task to earn another balloon. A fun way to work on gross motor skills, motor control, and eye-foot coordination. 

• Hula Blockers is a fun hula hoop game in which each player stands in their own hoop tossing a bean bag into another player’s hoop, while simultaneously attempting to defend their own hula hoop space, blocking another player’s bean bags from landing in their space.

Add these Gross Motor Coordination Activities for more fun. Or check out these Gross Motor Toys for some fun games.

Sensory hula hoop actitivies:

• Hula Hoop Mobile – here is a fun visually stimulating idea for children with visual impairments, or other challenges, that might benefit from a colorful hanging mobile that has texture, sound, weight, and visual appeal. It can be used for individual play, or as a group activity.

• Sensory Hula Hoop Video – need a fun sensory tool for babies? Then this Sensory Hula Hoop video might be a fun DIY for you! It includes a variety of visually stimulating materials as well, as texture and sound. It can be placed flat on the floor to encourage tummy time, or hung above a baby lying supine, to encourage reach and exploration. Note: Always choose baby-safe materials to prevent injury. 

• Baby and Toddler Tummy Time Activity- Another spin on the sensory hula hoop activity, is to attach baby rattles and baby toys around the circle, then have babies start with tummy time in the center of the hoop. This is a great tool for adding novel activities to tummy time. The circular positioning of the toys around the hoop encourages babies to reach, visually scan, roll, and pivot on the upper body, as they move and stretch to reach, and engage with different toys. 

• Hula Hoop Canopy – If you’re feeling really ambitious you can create a Hula Hoop Canopy with lights and sheer curtains. It makes a great addition to a calming corner.

• Hula Hoop Tunnel Activity – Make a tunnel with several hula hoops and you can even add scarves or longer strips of streamers for children to move through making it a gross motor AND sensory experience in one!

Eye-Hand Coordination hula hoop games:

• Hula Hoop Web – use masking tape to create a Hula Hoop Web in the hoop. Have children toss cotton balls or pom-pom balls to stick to the web.

• Hula Hoop Target – Hang a hula hoop from the ceiling or a tree, and you have an instant target for ball tossing.

• Hula Hoop Bullseyes- Lay different-sized hula hoops on the ground, creating a bulls-eye target. Place numbers inside the hoop to create targets, to score points when tossing a bean bag.

• Place safety cones on the ground for children to toss a hoola hoop around the cones, to score points. 

• Hula Hoop Basketball – Hang a few hula hoops from a basketball goal for young children to have their Hula Hoop Goal for ball play. A great way to have younger kiddos enjoy their own skill level of basketball. 

• Flight School – Create this fun game by having children fold paper airplanes, then try to fly them through hula hoops that are hung from the ceiling. Include children of all ages with this fun activity, as you can hang the hula hoops at different heights to accommodate any skill level.   Another way to play when hanging the hoops at different heights, would be to use a point system, and score points based on the different heights of the hoops.  

Learning games with a hula hoop: 

• Around the Clock hula hoop activity is a fun way to work on time with kiddos in the classroom, during therapy, and at home! 

• Hula Hoop Zones Activity- Use red, yellow, green, and blue hoops to work on the Zones of Regulation™ curriculum in the classroom and during therapy. Read more on this activity.

• Find and Rhyme game is a great way to work on rhyming with young children! All you need are some hula hoops, and plastic plates. It’s similar to a scavenger hunt for words. Here is an explanation.

• Personal space – Need to help children understand personal space? The use of a hula hoop is the perfect tool! They can sit or stand inside of it, to help them visualize their own personal space, and the space of others. I’ve seen them used while sitting at a table during snack time to help children understand their personal space.

make your own hoop

Here are the instructions for Making a Hula Hoop. They include a brief explanation of the three most common types of tubing people use to create one. If you think you need more detailed instructions for creating a hula hoop, take a look at How to Make Your Own Hula Hoop, and see how they designed their hoop using irrigation tubing. 

Want another fun idea for creating a hula hoop? I found this Snap Together Hula Hoop that children can work on building before using!  This type of hoop makes it easy to transport and adds another element of motor skills while building and deconstructing.

more outdoor fun

There’s only one last thing to say about hula hoops, remember to join in the fun yourself and enjoy some screen-free playtime with kiddos! 

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Regina Parsons-Allen is a school-based certified occupational therapy assistant. She has a pediatrics practice area of emphasis from the NBCOT. She graduated from the OTA program at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute in Hudson, North Carolina with an A.A.S degree in occupational therapy assistant. She has been practicing occupational therapy in the same school district for 20 years. She loves her children, husband, OT, working with children and teaching Sunday school. She is passionate about engaging, empowering, and enabling children to reach their maximum potential in ALL of their occupations as well assuring them that God loves them!

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