Tracing the Edge of My Hoop

Sitting inside their hoop, children slowly trace the edge with one finger while breathing: half a lap breathing in, half a lap breathing out. Children practice slow breathing and calm attention.

How to play

1. Sit inside your hoop with legs crossed and back straight (1 min).
2. Put one finger on the edge and trace it very slowly, like an ant out for a walk (1 min).
3. Half a lap breathing in through your nose and the other half breathing out through your mouth (2 min).
4. Now trace the edge with your toes, nice and slow, still sitting (1 min).
5. Lie down with the hoop around you, close your eyes and take three very slow breaths (1 min).

Rules

• My finger moves very slowly, like an ant.
• I breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth.
• I stay inside my hoop.
• I stay quiet so I can hear my breathing.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: place the hoop across their lap or on a table in front of the wheelchair.
• Visual impairment: a strip of textured tape on the hoop marks where the lap begins and ends.
• Autism: may do it next to the teacher with the room lights dimmed.

Learning goals

• Control breathing on purpose.
• Match a slow movement to breathing rhythm.
• Calm down with quiet focus.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Hoops: 25

Teacher tip

Mark a start point and a halfway point on each hoop with a piece of tape so they can see where to switch from breathing in to breathing out. Do the first lap yourself out loud, very slowly.

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