Hula Hoop Activities for PE: 31 Fun Hula Hoop Games and Challenges for Elementary Students
Updated: 15 hours ago
Hula hoops get kids moving, and they're a lot of fun! They're a great go-to for any elementary or middle school PE teacher. You can use them in many different ways, and they help students build muscular endurance, agility, balance, coordination, reaction time, and speed. It's no surprise that hula hoops are a staple in PE games and activities around the world.
Hula hoop activities work in the gym, on the playground, or at home, and they make it simple to teach a variety of skills and PE concepts. They also do a great job of holding students' attention. Ideally, each student has their own hoop or shares one with a partner. Hula hoop games work for many different group sizes, too. In a game, a hoop can be a target, a base, a safe zone, or a spot to hold equipment.
Quick Answer: Hula hoop activities for PE include fitness moves like jumping in and out of the hoop, handling tasks like passing and tossing, rolling and spinning challenges, twirling around the waist, arm, or leg, and partner games like hoop duels and short line relays. They build agility, balance, coordination, and muscular endurance with one simple piece of equipment.
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Why Hula Hoops Work So Well in PE
If your equipment closet is limited, hula hoops make great station activities. You can pair them with other PE equipment or tie them to your unit's lesson focus. For more ideas, check out my post on 15 PE station ideas.
If you have a large class, students can share hoops in pairs or trios. Hula hoop activities also work well at home, which is a nice way to get families involved and build support for your PE program.
Hula hoops are fun, and they also help you meet your standards. When students move with hoops, they're working on SHAPE America's Standard 1: Develops a variety of motor skills.* The movements and activities you choose can easily line up with your national, state, or district standards.
31 Hula Hoop Activities for PE Classes
Use these 31 hula hoop activities to keep your students active in class and beyond. I've grouped them into five categories so you can find what you need quickly.
Have students practice each task on their own, teach each other, or work through the activities at stations.
1. Fitness Movements
Circle the Hoop: Walk, run, skip, gallop, hop, or jump as you travel around the outside of the hoop.
Jump In and Out: Jump in and out of the hoop with 2 feet for a set amount of time.
Hop In and Out: Hop in and out of the hoop on 1 foot for a set amount of time. Switch feet.
Scissor Step: Do scissor steps inside the hoop, switching your feet for a set amount of time.
Jump the Hoop: Jump 2 feet to 2 feet across the hoop. Turn around and jump back.
Run and Jump: Take a few running steps, take off from 1 foot, and jump completely over the hoop, landing on 2 feet.
Hula Hoop Challenge Tasks
2. Hula Hoop Handling Tasks
Pass the Hoop: Pass the hoop around your body from one hand to the other. Try going in both directions.
Step Through: Hold the hoop up and step your body through it. Then step back through the other way.
Head Balance Step Through: Balance the hoop on top of your head. Slowly step through it one foot at a time, then step back through.
Hoop Jump Rope: Use your hoop like a jump rope. Turn it over your head and jump over it each time it reaches the ground.
Toss and Catch: Toss the hoop up in the air and catch it with 1 or 2 hands. Try clapping or touching the ground while it's in the air.
Hoop Balance Challenge: See how long you can balance the hoop on one foot or your hand.
The visuals shown above come from my Hula Hoop Task Cards on TPT.
3. Rolling and Spinning
Roll for Distance: In a large open space, roll a hoop and see how far it goes before it falls over.
Roll and Jump Through: Roll a hoop slowly in a straight line in front of you. Run and jump through it while it's still rolling. See if you can do it more than once.
Spin and Run: Spin the hoop like a top. Run and touch the closest wall before it stops spinning.
Spin Jack: Spin the hoop like a top. Do as many jumping jacks as you can before it stops spinning.
Spin and Plank: Spin the hoop like a top. Hold a plank until it stops spinning.
4. Twirling the Hoop
Waist Twirl: Twirl the hoop around your waist in either direction. See how long you can keep it going.
Neck Twirl: Twirl the hoop around your neck in either direction. See how long you can keep it going.
Lasso Twirl: Hold 1 arm up and twirl the hoop on it like a lasso spinning above your head.
Side Arm Twirl: Hold 1 arm out to the side and twirl the hoop forward or backward.
Two Leg Twirl: Twirl the hoop around your legs in either direction. See how long you can keep it going.
One Leg Twirl and Jump: Twirl the hoop with just 1 leg. As it comes around, jump over it with your other leg.
5. Partner and Trio Challenges
Balance Challenge: Invent new ways to balance the hoop, then challenge each other to try them.
Step or Jump Through: Your partner holds a hoop beside them and walks toward you. Step or jump through it as it passes by.
Hula Challenge: Challenge a partner to a hula hoop duel. See who can keep it twirling the longest.
Build a Hula Hut: Build a hut with 6 hoops: one on the bottom as a base, 4 leaning sides, and one on top as a cap.
Partner Toss: From a safe, comfortable distance, toss and catch a hoop with a partner.
Create a Move: Make up a movement using your body and 1 hoop, then challenge a partner to do it. Use your imagination, stay in your space, and move safely.
Throw It Through: One partner holds a hoop at different heights while the other throws a ball through it. Change up the throwing distance. For more ideas, see my throwing stations post.
Short Line Relays: In short lines of 2 to 4, students take turns doing a hoop challenge and returning to the line.
3 in a line Hoop Relays
Final Thoughts
The possibilities for hula hoop fun are endless! With a little creativity, you can come up with your own challenges and games to keep your PE classes active and engaged. From rolling and spinning to twirling and tossing, there's something here for every student. My 10 Ways to Use a Hula Hoop poster is a handy visual for your gym wall. For more equipment ideas, check out my posts on beanbag games, pool noodle games, juggling scarves, jump rope skills, cup stacking, playground ball games, and balloon games.
Which of these hula hoop activities will you try first? Let me know your favorites in the comments below.
*National Physical Education Standards are used under license from SHAPE America. © 2024, SHAPE America, https://www.shapeamerica.org/. All rights reserved.
Need Resources?
Do you need PE Equipment-Based Challenge Cards that make it easy to teach activities like the ones in this post? Would it help to have visuals with clear instructions and colorful graphics? I've got you covered!
Fill in the form below to download 28 FREE PE Equipment Challenge Cards with a variety of manipulative and movement skills to use in your PE classes.
This PDF digital download includes four cards from each of these equipment challenge sets: 1. Balloon Challenges, 2. Beanbag Challenges, 3. Pool Noodle Challenges, 4. Hula Hoop Challenges, 5. Playground Ball Challenges, 6. Jump Rope Challenges, and 7. Cup Stacking Challenges.
This freebie set will give your PE curriculum a boost for years to come!
If you want to really expand your PE program, check out my 20 Set PE Equipment Challenge Card Super Bundle. It includes more than 480 equipment-based teaching visuals from 20 different sets!
You can find this bundle in my TPT store: PE Activities Using Gym Equipment: 20 Resource Skill and Movement Super Bundle
This visual collection helps you teach a wide range of movement and manipulative skills using 20 traditional pieces of PE equipment: balloons, beanbags, stacking cups, pool noodles, juggling scarves, hula hoops, tumbling mats, long jump ropes, short jump ropes, scooter boards, cones and poly spots, dice, Lummi sticks, long-handled implements, short-handled implements, basketballs, beach balls, footballs, playground balls, and soccer balls.
About Pete Charrette
Pete Charrette is a National Board Certified physical education teacher and former Georgia PE Teacher of the Year with more than 30 years of experience teaching elementary PE. He is the creator of Cap'n Pete's Power PE and has developed more than 1,000 PE and health resources used by teachers around the world. Pete loves helping PE teachers build programs their students enjoy.
