Hoop Rollers
Hoop Rollers
A Fun Youth Group Game
Watch the Tutorial Video
Hoop Rollers challenges students to roll dodgeballs with just the right amount of force to land them inside hula hoops. It’s easy to set up, works with almost any group, and there’s even a deeper meaning that can be used to teach a lesson!
Overview
Perfect Pass is one of the best youth group games or church team-building activities for large groups. It keeps everyone active, laughing, and working together toward a goal.
Ideal # of Participants: Any Number!
Where to Play: Indoor
Age of Participants: Elementary School / Middle School / High School
Approximate Time to Play: 10 to 30 Minutes
Materials Needed: Dodgeballs, Hula Hoops, Painter’s Tape
How to Play to Play Hoop Rollers
Split your group into teams of 3–5 people each, and have each team stand behind an established line. Give each team a dodgeball and place a line of 5 hula hoops in front of them.
The goal is to roll the dodgeball with exactly enough force to make it come to rest inside one of your team’s hula hoops.
If a player successfully rolls the ball into a hoop, they can run out, retrieve their dodgeball, and bring the hula hoop back to their team.
If they miss, they simply retrieve the dodgeball and return to their team, leaving the hula hoop where it was.
Players take turns rolling the dodgeball, trying to perfectly place it inside each hula hoop down the line.
Steal Hula Hoops From Other Teams
To make Hoop Rollers more competitive, set up a second line on the opposite side of the hula hoops.
Once a team has successfully collected all five of their hula hoops, they can stand behind this second line and roll their dodgeball toward opposing teams’ remaining hoops.
This gives teams the opportunity to steal additional points before the round ends.
Once all of the hula hoops have been collected, count how many each team has earned and reset the play area for the next round.
Game Variations
To keep the game interesting, consider using one of these variations every round!
- Make each hula hoop worth 2 points in the second round, and worth 3 points in the third round.
- Give each team more than one ball to roll.
- Change the type of ball that teams have to use.
- Increase the distance between the teams and the hula hoops.
At the end of three to five rounds, add up each team’s total points. The team with the most points wins!
Discussion Opportunity
Hoop Rollers isn’t just a fun church youth group game. With one small adjustment, you can turn it into an active learning experience that leads into a powerful lesson about perfection and Christ.
Give each team a secondary challenge that they can complete to earn a huge prize: If your team is able to perfectly roll the ball into every hula hoop while playing, without missing a single time, you will get a prize. This challenge is technically be possible, but practically impossible unless the team plays perfectly.
Afterward, this experience can be used to talk about just how high the bar of perfection really is and what that means for us as Christians.
Lesson Handout
Want to make this easy to share with your volunteers or students? Download the “Hoop Rollers” Lesson Handout (PDF) below!
Where Games Meet God's Word...
Most leaders just look for games to play, but miss their true value. When used well, games help teach your lesson, because experiential learning is by far the most effective way to teach a lesson that sticks.
If you want to see this principle in action, check out Uplift, our FREE youth group lesson that is built for engagement. It contains a fun game, but then your students’ experience from the game ties into the Christ-centered message you’ll teach.
