Your child needs to exercise regularly to maintain good health. Hula hooping is one way to encourage your child to get active in an entertaining way. There are many activities and games that can be played with a hula hoop and teaching your child to use one will provide a wide range of opportunities to engage in physical activity.
Step 1
Choose a hula hoop that is the right size for your child. Hooping, a website dedicated to the sport of hula hooping, suggests selecting a hoop that comes between stomach and nipple height when holding it upright on the ground in front of him. Your child will be more successful learning how to use it if the hula hoop is not too large or too small.
Step 2
Go outside to begin practicing. The outdoors is an ideal place to learn to hula hoop because your child will have plenty of room to move around as he learns the basics. Your child can learn to rotate the hoop around his waist or he can begin by getting a feel for the hoop by rotating it on his arms or legs, suggests Jodene Lynn Smith, author of "Activities for Gross Motor Skills Development."
Step 3
Show your child how to rotate his hips without the hula hoop first. Ilchi Lee, author of "Power Brain Kids: 12 Easy Lessons to Ignite Your Child's Potential," recommends circling to the right five times and then to the left five times. Then, show your child how to place the hula hoop around his waist and encourage him to circle right and then left while trying to keep the hoop up. Encourage him to try large circles and small circles to see what works best for him.
Step 4
Practice proper form to help your child master his hula hooping skills. Lee recommends showing your child how to stand with his feet parallel and shoulder- width apart. Keeping his knees straight will also enable him to learn how to hula hoop.
Encourage him to try different stances to see what combination of movements makes hooping easier for him. Hooping adds that your child should also shift his weight from front to back to help keep the hoop around his waist.
Step 5
Play games with the hula hoops to maintain interest and increase skills. Smith writes that free play and fun exploration will enable your child to become more familiar with his hoop; he is more likely to stick with it until he becomes good at it. Contests can encourage participation by seeing how many times your child can hoop before it falls or by seeing who can keep the hula hoop up the longest.
Using other body parts can encourage success by keeping practice fun. Show your child how to hoop using his neck, arms or legs.
Tips and Warnings
- Allow your child to choose his own hula hoop to encourage him. Reassure your child that it takes practice to learn how to hula hoop well. You can try practicing with him to model how to keep at it.
- Make sure you and your child hoop far enough apart that your hula hoops or body parts do not collide.
Things You'll Need
- Hula hoop
References
- Hooping: How to Hula Hoop
- "Activities for Gross Motor Skills Development"; Jodene Lynn Smith; 2003
- "Power Brain Kids: 12 Easy Lessons to Ignite Your Child's Potential"; Ilchi Lee; 2007
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