Why are Hula Hoops great for kids? Our Jnr Gym Kids have certainly been getting very tricky with their hula hoops in the gym.  Our hooptastic skill of the week is Hoop Skipping! In Under 5's we use hula hoops lots... Hula hoops are great to crawl through, jump in and out of, spin, chase - and of course SKIP with!  Oh, and they are loads of fun for kids!  In our recent Teddy Bear theme, where we looked at rotation, we had lots of fun spinning and skipping with our hoops! Hoops move slowly enough for children to be able to track, so are great tools for learning to skip. And hoop skipping is tricky stuff!  Manipulating a hoop to skip works on motor planning, timing & control.  It builds wrist & grip strength (helping with holding a pencil and learning to write) & develops children's spatial awareness and locomotion skills. Playing purposefully with a hoop is recommended by many physiotherapists to help develop gross motor skills in children.  Body awareness and good gross motor skills are important for children to develop good posture and to help ensure they are ready to move confidently around school and participate in games and sports with their peers. Check out this cutie's great hoop skipping at gymnastics!