The festive season is here! Yay! We have already observed 4 public holidays so far in the last couple of months and many more are on the way. While that is amazing, it also brings with it school holidays. And you know what that means! Finding creative and off-screen ways to keep your kids engaged so they do not chew your head out. Or each other’s, if you have two or more kids in the house!
Luckily, we have a solution that will Blow. Your. Mind. Not kidding! The simple outdoor game of hula hoops can be such a fun way to keep your kids occupied for hours and hours each day. Plus, it is healthy since it truly works out your body so there are no complaints there, right!
Check out these hula hoop games that will keep your kids jumping and frolicking without you having to entertain your kids all the time.
- Put a ‘spin’ on the classic
- Score hoops
- Multi kid hoop challenge
- Rolly hoops
- Hoop scotch
- Ring toss
- Jump rope with hoops
- Hoop pass
Oh yes! That was pun intended. You can turn the classic hula hoop spin into a competitive game. Challenge your kids to hold onto and spin their hula hoops, and whoever can spin it the longest gets a prize! You can even up the ante once your kids get a hang of the classic spin. For example, you could swing the hoop on their arms or add two hoops and ask them to balance both. The added incentive of a prize at the end will definitely get them to work it out with hoops!
Think of it as amateur basketball. Except there is no real basket. And there is really no need for a ball!
This hula hoop game for kids is just pure fun! You can hang a hoop onto a tree or up on a beam in your ceiling or anywhere it is convenient and create a cool target game. All your kids have to do is throw water balloons, beach balls or foam darts through the hoop to score a point! Make it more challenging by having the hoop as a moving target!
Got a couple of kids over? Well, line up all four to five of them together under a hula hoop that hangs around their waist. Remember, no cheating! That means they cannot use their hands to balance the hoop.
Now ask them to wiggle the hoop up their necks or down to their ankles. Again without the use of their hands. If you have got more kids, you can divide them into groups and the group that jimmies the hoop or down faster without cheating wins!
Hula hoop game instructions do not get any easier than this! For this one, the only extra prop you need is a piece of stick.
Remember how you used to roll a hoop down the hill or up it with only a piece of stick that kept it moving? This game is just that. Watching your kids play it will be a pure nostalgia moment, we are sure!
You can also turn this into an obstacle course, placing items such as bottles, cardboard boxes and more along the way to keep things interesting.
Yep, we love punning around here!
Anyway, as for the hula hoop game instructions for this one, just lay out multiple hoops in your front or backyard instead of drawing hopscotch squares with chalk. Your kids can then hop through these hoops to play good old hopscotch!
Call it a life-size version of ring toss! The objective here is to get the hula hoop around a beanbag. Just place two beanbags four or five apart from each other. Give each kid a hula hoop and ask them to nab the beanbag by tossing their hoop on it. Since this game can be intense, we think you should only let older kids like tweens and above play it.
Though a little tricky, hula hoops can come to the rescue when you do not have a jump rope. Or have an old and tattered one that is practically of no use. You have to follow the same rules of a jump rope with a hula hoop to put a spin on your average skipping!
This is a super fun party game! Just put the hoop around one kid’s arm and ask them to pass on the hoop from their arm to another kid’s arm without using their hands or dropping it on the floor. Kids will love it!
Hula hoop benefits for you and your kids
The great thing about hula hoops is that it packs in a wallop of benefits! Here are some that will convince you to go hooping this season with your kids:
- It is inexpensive
- It is simple
- It is quite an exercise
- It is good for the brain
- It is good for anxiety
A lot of toys and games these days are quite frankly, expensive enough to burn a very visible hole in your pocket. On the other hand, an activity like hula hoops can help you save the bucks and keep your kids engaged!
Who says you need to build a complicated toy train track to have fun? Especially when you know your kid will get bored of it after a few hours? Hula hoop games though are super simple to pull off. And their sheer variations are enough to keep your child engaged for a long time.
Hula hoop is the kind of game that gets your whole body grooving and moving. Which makes it a great way to get your kids to be physically active and fit. It builds muscles and burns calories, after all.
Another one of hula hoop benefits is that its moves create a definitive connection between the body and the brain. This, in turn, can improve your child’s concentration levels. Plus, their coordination skills will see a boost too.
Yep, kids get stressed too. And if you want to help them blow off some steam, hula hoops can help. Playing with them releases endorphins, which will have a calming effect on your kid.
Finding creative ways to keep your kids hooked to fun-time that is not screen-based can be such a challenge. However, we think these hula hoop games should ease that challenge up a bit. In fact, at EuroKids, we use fun activities to develop essential skills in kids in a fun way. If that has got you curious about what else we have to offer when it comes to preschool education, visit us!
