Cooperative Activities
K - 1 Buggy Rides 3 - 6 The Bus
K - 1 Scooter-mania 3 - 6 The Glob
K - 2 I Want a Home 3 - 6 Minefield
K - 2 Hold that Floor 3 - 6 Kong Pong
K - 2 Copy Machine 3 - 6 Nerf-Ball Passover
K - 2 Traffic Tag 4 - 6 Sneak Attack
K - 2 Parachute Fun 4 - 6 Moving Islands
K - 2 Ring of Fun 4 - 6 Slalom Blindfold
1 - 2 Animals 4 - 6 Nine-person Skip
2 - 3 The Snake 4 - 6 Balloon Fooseball
2 - 5 Man From Mars 5 - 6 The Tadpole
2 - 6 Keepers of the Castle 5 - 6 Titanic Challenge
2 - 8 Cooperative Hoops 5 - 6 Human Knot
3 - 4 Cone Scramble 6 Cooperative Team Handball
3 - 5 Frogs and Ants 6 Cross-Over Blanket Volleyball
3 - 5 Loop Da Hoop

PPEP-PALS Lesson Sharing
Teacher & School: Lynn Perry & Chad Hunt, Sheppard Elementary; Zack Dee, Petaluma Junior High
Activity Grade Level
Cooperative hoops 2 - 6
Equipment Needs
  • Cones to define general space
  • A hoop or bicycle tire for each student
Facility/Playground Needs
Lesson Objective (Psychomotor and/or Cognitive): To have students understand the concept of inclusion and that everyone belongs no matter the situation.
Teaching Hints:

Please encourage students to invite "stragglers" (students who wander around who aren't inclined to get in the hoops) into their hoops. This needs to be an inclusion activity and sometimes there are students who don't like to be close to others in such a small area.

This activity is best used with students who have a good understanding of pathways and moving easily in general space.
Description:

Each student has their own hoop to stand in the middle of at the beginning of the game. Hoops should be spaced safely throughout the playing area. On the signal (i.e. teacher signal or beginning of song) students begin to move randomly throughout general space avoiding the hoops. For younger students you probably want to have them move in different locomotor pattern (i.e., walk at a low level).

When the music stops (or on the teacher signal) students must get back into a hoop as quickly as possible (only one student per hoop). Now you are going to make this harder by removing 2/3 hoops. Before playing the game ask the students what they are going to have to do to make this successful. You may want to talk about helping each other out and emphasize why you are doing this.

Play the game again, but now when the music stops or on the teachers signal, the students have to get into a hoop but they are going to have to have more than one student in the hoop to be successful. Continue removing hoops until you have 5-7 students having to share one hoop.

Take time at the end to talk about the strategies they used to help each other out. Emphasize the good things that you saw when they helped each other out.
Alternatives/Modifications
  • When moving in between hoops you can have the students move in different locomotor patterns (i.e. walking at a low level).
  • When there gets to be more students in the hoops, the rules can be changed so they can only have one foot in the hoop and the rest of their body parts must be outside the hoop, but not touching the ground. Now they must work together with the other people in their hoop to keep everyone balanced.
Reference