Hula Hoop Games

In times, when play stations and NVIDIA rule the roost, outdoor games sort of seem obsolete to the younger generation. Despite the high tech entertainment consoles, the fact remains that real time sports are an integral part of growing up. So, to motivate children to breathe some fresh air, take a few ideas from simple hula hoop games. The key to encouraging kids to participate in outdoor activities is to keep them as easy as possible. In a fast paced and overtly competitive world, a few easy takes is not a bad idea to start with! The best part about these games is that the equipment is cheap and extremely easy to use.

Hula Hoop Activities for Kids

Contest
Get together all the kids and start a hula hoop contest. The one who can rotate the hoop the longest around any body part, obviously wins! With practice, it can be rotated around the hand, neck and legs too. This helps in toning the body by working the muscles as the ring hula hoops!

Skip
This is like an old wine in new bottle. Replace the skipping rope by a hula hoop and jump around the neighborhood. However, to play this, make sure you pick the largest hula hoop. A small hoop will get you stuck in it.

Obstacles
You must have seen great many obstacle courses, but nothing compares to the fun a hula hoop obstacle course would add! Create obstacles in your backyard, like 10 meters and 10 spins. Next would be with double rings around your waist. You can change the successive obstacle to 20 spins in hand and neck and so on. Have a time set for completion of the obstacle course and watch the kids run helter-skelter to complete it!

Run
This game is fun if you can get onto a slope. Take a hula hoop and push it down the slope. Ask the child to run along with a stick, aligning the hoop with the ground every now and then, preventing it from becoming flat. Mark a finish line, where the child has to stop running. If the ring falls flat before that then you get half the points. On the other hand, if you reach the finish line with the hula hoop still standing, you are a clear winner of 10 points!

Basket
To play this game, hang the ring from a branch of a tree. Make the children stand in a line at a distance away from the ring. Turn by turn, children will dribble the ball and try to basket it in the ring. This game is a modification of basketball and hula hoop, which helps children to build their concentration. If the child manages to throw the ball in the ring, he wins 5 points, if not then he has to do 15 spins!

So, these were some of the games that can easily be played with children in your backyard or on the streets. Outdoor games, such as these must be encouraged, for they help children in building character, team spirit and important of all, make new friends!