Loop The Hoop

Kids have to learn to cooperate if they want to play Loop the Hoop — this after-school activity requires a lot of group coordination but produces a lot of goofy fun.

For this game to really take off, round up as many of your child’s friends as you can. The loopy-ness increases when there are more kids playing.

What You’ll Need:

• Hula hoop
• Stopwatch (or watch with a second hand)

Instruct the children to stand in a circle and hold hands. The object is to pass the hula hoop around the circle. It’s not as easy as it sounds: Tell the kids they can’t let go of each others’ hands. When the group begins, the hoop should dangle from one player’s arm. To move the hoop around the circle, that player will have to step through it and slide it along his or her other arm to the next player’s arm. Continue until the hoop has gone around the whole circle. Tell players to watch out for those feet, arms, shoulders, and heads!

Amoeba

Players stand in a circle and hold hands. A trash can is in the middle of the circle. The leader says 3-2-1-go at which point players, while holding tightly to the hands of the players next to them, try to pull the circle back so that other plays are pulled into the trashcan.

If a player touches the trash can, they are out. If two players let go of each others hands, both of those players are out. The last one remaining wins.

Balloon Tag

Materials: Balloons (one for each person) and string/dental floss. Each player gets a balloon and a piece of string. Before starting players must blow up their balloon and tie one end of the string (string is no longer than 1 ft) to their ankle and the other end to the balloon.

The facilitator makes sure that players know the confined area they have to stay in. When the facilitator says go, players must try to pop other player’s balloons by only using their feet.

When a player has his or her balloon popped, he or she must exit the playing field. The last one remaining their their balloon is the winner.

Something that can be helpful is to decrease the playing field size as more players are eliminated.

Community Chalk

This after-school activity is a great outlet for any kid tired of boring sidewalks. Kids don’t have to be artistic to take the community chalk challenge and brighten their world, but artistically inclined children will especially love this after school activity.

What You’ll Need:

• Sidewalks or blacktop
• Colored chalk

Give each child colored chalk and tell them they are to build (color) a community. Assign them each a specific building to draw (library, school, bank, church, stadium, etc.), then after construction is complete, have a discussion about why each particular element is important to community. Take pictures of the kids next to their beautiful art!