Hula Hoops have been around a lot longer than the 1960s. In ancient times  Egyptian children made games out of hoops of dried grapevines.  Medieval doctors of the 1300s in England, blamed the use of hula-hoops for dislocated backs and heart attacks. In the early 1960s, Whammo became a household name with its promotion with the hoop.  They continue to remain popular.  Some games include:

HOOPSTER

 Start by establishing a course--a straight line to a goal (a chair or trash can, for instance) and back, or create a trail around obstacles. Have children take a hula hoop and roll their hoop around  the obstacles. This exercise helps teach coordination and agility. 

HORSE AND BUGGY

One partner steps inside the hoop and holds it at waist level.  That  first person is the horse.  The second player is the driver.  He steps in front of the driver in the hoop, and sets the pace as the horse skipping and hopping. Together they gallop around a designated area.  After a few minutes, they switch places and get to play the opposite roles.  This exercise teaches people to work together and make cooperative decisions about moving in the same direction.

SPACE SHUTTLE RELAY

First and second players run together inside the hoop and go around a turning cone.  After they have turned around, they return to the team.  The first player drops out and joins the end of the line.  The second player picks up the third player and runs together to the turning cone. They proceed around, and back.  The second player drops out and the third and fourth player run together around the cone and pick up the next player.  The game continues until everyone on that team has had a chance to be in a cone twice, working with a partner.  This game teaches sequencing and hand-eye coordination. 

THREAD THE NEEDLE

In this contest, the members of each team join hands in a circle with a hula-hoop hanging from one person's arm.  When play begins, the person with the hoop must step through it and pass it to a neighboring player without letting go of her teammate’s hands.  The next player does the same thing.  The team that gets the hoop back to the starting player first wins.  This game is great because a wide variety of ages can play.  The game is more challenging when students of various heights have to work together to move the hoop from one person to another.

HOOPING AND HOPPING BASES!

Hooping and Hopping is a game of tag with players hopping after one another. To play the game children must have the balance and coordination to hop of one foot for relatively long periods of time.  “IT” hops on one foot, and tries to tag each player by hopping towards him .The players are chased by the tagger  and can only be safe when they are inside a hula-hoop.  If they are tagged, they become “IT.”

THE CAR GAME

Have the children pretend that their hoop is a giant steering wheel.  Children will drive their car at waist level and have designated areas where they may drive their “car”.  Sounds like a car add to the game. You can add to mood  as a group instructor, by playing songs about cars or playing CDs with vehicle sound effects, etc.  They must always stop their “car” when meeting  a pedestrian or another non-driver.   This game is great if you have a lot of space and very active learners. 

 RACE CAR DRIVER

This is the same game as before, except that the children drive in a safe, large area.  Sounds of screeching and turning sharp corners are encouraged.  Student must continue to be careful of obstacles and pedestrians in their way. 

HULA HOOP HOPPING

Put a fresh spin on an old game of jump rope.  Use a very large hula-hoop to jump and skip around the neighborhood.  Hoops for this exercise are easier to use if they are big enough for the child to jump through.

 HOOP TOSS

Materials: Cardboard, toilet paper, cans, empty soda bottles.

Scatter cardboard boxes, cans, toilet paper tubes, or empty plastic soda bottles around the yard with space in-between each object.  Write point numbers on each box or bottle.  Take turns gently tossing hula-hoops to encircle the boxes.  The player with the most points wins! 

MUSICAL HOOPS

Materials:  CD player, music, index cards with exercises on them, and a pair of dice.

Scatter hoops around gym with index fitness cards inside hoops.  Students move freely from one hoop to another.  When music stops, each student goes to a hoop and reads the fitness card.  One   student is selected to roll the dice.  Whatever the math problem comes up on the dice students will perform the activity listed on the fitness card.  If there are two sixes rolled for example: 6+6=12, students will perform twelve of that particular activity.  Some examples of fitness cards include: jumping jacks, crunches, mountain climbers, situps, push-ups, running in place, skipping in place, and free choice.

Hula Hoops are more than mere children’s toys.  They teach coordination, agility, and direction. What a fun way to exercise at any age!

References

Dieden, Bob Games to Keep Kids Moving!  P.E. Activities to Promote Total Participation, Self-Esteem, and Fun Grades 3-8, Parker Publishing, 1995

Hula Hoop Games

http://familyfun.go.com/parties/events/feature/famf68games/famf68games2.html

Hula Hoop History

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/pop/hula-hoop.htm

Landry, Joanne M. and Landry, Maxwell J., Ready-to-Use P.E. Activities for Grades 3-4, Parker Publishing, 1992

Wise, Debra Great Books of Children’s Games, Mc Graw Hill, 2003