10 ways to use Hula Hoops in drama teaching
Are you looking for ways for your students to use hula hoops? These activities are great for both drama classes and as part of a teacher's classroom programme.
Theatre
Sports
Game:
Many Uses of an Object
|
Think
outside the square what could the hula hoop be? Is
it a giant coin, steering wheel, board game counter or the sun?
Pass the hoop around the circle and challenge imaginations.
This
game can be mimed - students love to watch and guess.
I
encourage students to add dialogue to support their action – Eg: Steering
wheel - let’s turn left here and then another right!
|
Role Play
|
Use
your hula hoop as a car, spaceship or a horse and set off on your adventure!
Create
a story sequence, which the students mime or act out. Great way to develop narrative
story structure.
|
Movement/Effective
Communication /Eye Contact
|
Scatter
the hoops around the room.
Students
move around the room any way you choose, such as different speeds, or
animals.
When
you call stop (or stop the music), find a hoop and share with your partner
a topic given by the teacher. Eg: What is your favourite ice-cream and why.
Then
continue moving around the room and repeat.
|
Improvised
Story Telling
|
Inside a hoop have a range of different objects like, a pencil, hat, ball, wand etc.
One
student starts a story (theme may be given such as ‘the day at the beach’).
When
a bell (or other sound is made), the student speaking must finish their
sentence.
The
next student in the group must choose an object from inside the hoop and somehow
add it into their turn of the story telling.
|
Team
Building / Problem Solving
Game:
Pass the Hoop
|
Stand
in a circle holding hands.
The
hoop must pass around the circle without breaking the link.
You
can have a race between groups or time the challenge.
Group
size can be variable to suit.
|
Team
Building /Concentration
Game:
Hula Hoop Choir
|
In groups of 5-10 choose a conductor and a
simple song /nursery rhyme such as ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’.
If the conductor is in the hoop the choir sings.
If the conductor jumps out the choir must stop.
To challenge add in additional hoops. An extra
hoop could be clapping, stomping etc. The conductor can then keep the choir
on their toes by moving in and out of different hoops.
For younger students you could make visuals to
go with the hoops to help them remember what each hoop is for.
|
Team
Building /Gross Motor Skills
Game:
Rabbit Hole
|
Place a hula hoop on top of some cones. The aim is to see how many students can fit inside the hoop. Explain that the students ( rabbits) need to go back to their rabbit hole before the hungry fox finds them! Students need to carefully climb into the hole without knocking the hula hoop. Once the coast is clear and the fox has headed off to the river for a swim, the students can carefully climb out of the hole. Alternatives include, jumping in and out, team challenges – which group can climb in the quickest, crawl into the rabbit hole (going under the hoop) or play a game of tag - the fox chases children back to the holes – but if a child knocks over the hoop they join the fox etc. |
Hula
Hoop Stepping Stones
|
Great
for little ones. Students can bounce, hop, skip, tiptoe into and over a
series of hoops.
Try
going sideways or in reverse. Pretend you are a frog bouncing over the lily
pads or a busy kangaroo looking for some dinner. The possibilities are
endless!
|
Hula
Stations
|
Have
a series of hoops set up in a circle.
In
partners (or small groups) move around each station carrying out the task written
on a card in the hoop.
Activities
could relate to anything you are working on.
For example: create a group improvisation, turn the rolled up
newspaper into three interesting props.
Teachers
to support your writing programme, it could act as a writing brainstormer,
characters, setting, plot etc…
At
the last hoop, groups can share their work/performance
|
Team
building – problem solving social skills
Game:
Crossing the River
|
You
may need a few hoops for this depending on your group size.
Use
rope or masking tape to indicate land on either side of the room.
Explain
that the between the rope, is a river containing very hungry crocodiles. The
challenge is for your group (4-6 students) to cross over using the two hoops
provided.
If
you step out of the hoop, you need to start again.
First
team safely across the river is the winner !
|
Hula hoops provide lots of creative scope in your
teaching programme and are a great tool for building spatial awareness. They can also be used for (particularly
outdoors):
- Climbing through
- Rolling and chasing
- Throwing and catching
- Stepping on and flipping up
- Spinning on arms
- Jumping into and out of
- Walking, hopping, skipping etc around the hoop (walk around hoop with one foot in the hoop and one foot out)
- Throwing items into like bean bags or balls
All these are great gross motor skill development ideas. And teachers, when class is dismissed
you can hula as you complete your work! It’s a win win!