Roll and Catch Your Hoop
Make a lightweight cardboard or tape hoop, practice rolling it across smooth ground, and learn timing and hand and eye coordination by catching it safely.
Step-by-step guide to Roll and Catch Your Hoop
Step 1
Place the lightweight cardboard on a flat table or floor.
Step 2
Use a ruler or dinner plate to trace a large circle on the cardboard.
Step 3
Draw a smaller circle inside the first so the cardboard ring is about 1.5 to 2 inches wide.
Step 4
Ask an adult to cut along the outer circle.
Step 5
Ask an adult to cut out the inner circle so you have a cardboard ring.
Step 6
Wrap strong tape around the ring edges to make them smooth and stronger.
Step 7
Use a marker to add a bright stripe so the hoop is easy to see while it spins.
Step 8
Go to a smooth floor or hallway and mark a start line on the floor with the small piece of tape.
Step 9
Place the soft towel a short distance past the start line in case you miss a catch.
Step 10
Stand behind the start line and hold the hoop vertically in front of you.
Step 11
Roll the hoop forward gently so it spins along the floor.
Step 12
Watch the hoop as it rolls and when it slows step forward to catch it with cupped hands.
Step 13
Move back a little and repeat the roll-and-catch to practice timing and coordination.
Step 14
Share your finished hoop and your favorite catch on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use instead of lightweight cardboard or strong tape if we can't find them?
If you don't have lightweight cardboard for steps 1–3, use a flattened cereal box or poster board and replace the strong tape in step 6 with duct tape or packing tape while tracing the circle with a dinner plate as in step 2.
My hoop keeps wobbling or stops quickly—how can we fix it?
Check that your ring is an even 1.5–2 inches wide as drawn in step 3, press and smooth the tape around the edges in step 6, and roll on the smooth floor or hallway from step 9 so it spins straighter and longer.
How can we adapt the activity for younger or older children?
For younger children have an adult help with the cutting in steps 4–5, make the ring bigger and move the towel closer to the start line in step 10, and for older kids make narrower rings, increase rolling distance or add timing/scoring challenges using step 11–12.
How can we personalize or extend the roll-and-catch game?
Personalize your hoop by adding bright or glow tape in step 6 and painted stripes in step 7, then extend the game into relay races or distance contests from the start line in steps 9–11 and share your favorite catch on DIY.org as in the final step.
Watch videos on how to Roll and Catch Your Hoop
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Throwing & Catching lesson - skills for Early years & KS1
Facts about hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills
📦 Cardboard is lightweight, easy to cut, and recyclable, which makes it a kid-friendly material for quick DIY hoops.
🎯 Catching a rolling hoop teaches prediction of motion — kids learn to watch speed and direction to time their grab.
🛠️ Duct tape can make a homemade hoop tougher and smoother; overlapping strips build a stronger rim for rolling.
🤹 Hand–eye coordination is a skill that helps athletes, musicians, and kids catching rolling hoops all improve timing and accuracy.
🌀 Hula hoops exploded in popularity in the 1950s — they became a global playground favorite almost overnight.
How do you set up and play Roll and Catch Your Hoop?
What materials do I need to make a lightweight hoop for rolling and catching?
What ages is Roll and Catch Your Hoop suitable for?
What are the benefits of rolling and catching a hoop, and how can I keep it safe?
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