TinyStepper
Toddler crouching in a hallway rolling a ball toward plastic bottles set up like bowling pins

Hoop Jumping Course

Jump in, out, and between hoops laid flat on the floor.

Activity details

18m–4y10 minshighbothHula HoopMasking Tape

Instructions

Tiny Steps

Get ready
  • Lay hula hoops or tape large circles on the floor in a winding path
  • Start with hoops close together for younger toddlers, further apart for older ones
  1. Lay hula hoops or tape large circles on the floor in a winding path
  2. Start with hoops close together for younger toddlers, further apart for older ones
  3. Demonstrate jumping from hoop to hoop: 'Stay inside the circles!'
  4. Hold hands with younger children for the first few rounds
  5. Call out different movements: 'Jump! Hop on one foot! Tiptoe! Spin inside the hoop!'
  6. Rearrange the hoops into new patterns — zigzag, circle, random scatter
  7. Race through the course and try to beat your own time

Parent tip

Set out hula hoop and masking tape before inviting your toddler in so the first minute feels smooth.

Child smiling on a cushion after active play with a ball and scattered cushions nearby

What success looks like

Flushed cheeks, big smiles, and a calmer child afterwards. If they want to do it again, you’ve found a winner.

Lay hula hoops or tape circles flat on the floor in a path and challenge your toddler to jump from one to the next without touching the floor in between. You can lay them in a straight line, a zigzag, or overlapping pattern — each arrangement demands different movements and builds different motor planning skills.

Why it helps

NHS physical activity guidelines for under-5s list hopping, jumping and skipping as examples of the energetic activity toddlers need every day. Jumping between targets develops dynamic balance, bilateral leg coordination, and motor planning — the brain must calculate distance and plan the landing before each leap. Following verbal instructions about which hoop to jump to or what movement to use practises auditory processing and response inhibition, both key executive function skills.

Variations

  • Place a different-coloured object in each hoop and call out colours to jump to.
  • Add a 'freeze' rule — when you clap, they must freeze inside whichever hoop they are in.
  • Use the hoops as bases in a game of musical hoops — remove one each round.

Safety tips

  • Ensure hoops lie flat and do not slide on the floor — place them on carpet or use tape circles instead on hard floors.
  • Keep enough space between the course and furniture to prevent collisions.
  • Spot younger toddlers by walking alongside, ready to steady them on landing.