The Growing-Up Path: One Hoop for Every Year

To celebrate the class’s birthdays, each child travels along a path of six hoops where every hoop is a year, moving the way they did at that age: crawling, walking, running, jumping and more. It works different ways of traveling and awareness of what their body can already do.

How to play

1. Set up three paths of six hoops in a row and chalk each year’s number next to its hoop (2 min).
2. The teacher explains the growing-up path: hoop 1 crawl like a baby, hoop 2 walk, hoop 3 run, hoop 4 two-foot jump, hoop 5 hop on one foot, hoop 6 any way you like; everyone tries it slowly (3 min).
3. Each child travels to the hoop of their age, stops, says “I’m … years old!” showing fingers, then carries on to the end and walks back around (3 min).
4. Everyone’s birthday: around the hoops, blow out a giant pretend candle and do as many jumps as years you are old (2 min).
5. Future jumps: each child invents how they’ll move when they’re six or seven, and the rest copy (2 min).

Rules

• Wait until the friend ahead leaves the hoop.
• In each hoop, do that year’s move.
• We celebrate everyone’s years.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: each hoop has a seated gesture (baby clapping, waving, fast arm moves…) and the child rolls alongside the hoops.
• Visual impairment: use brightly colored hoops and a buddy who calls “Hoop!” at every change of move.
• Less skill: hop while holding a hand; more skill: switch hopping foot in every hoop.

Learning goals

• Practice different ways of traveling: crawling, running, jumping, hopping.
• Notice what the body can do as we grow.
• Celebrate together with no one left out.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Hoops: 18
• Chalk: 3

Teacher tip

This celebrates everyone’s birthday at once, including children who don’t have parties at home or whose birthdays fall in the summer. Demonstrate each hoop’s move very clearly, since 3-year-olds tend to run straight through.

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