If you are hunting for fun, movement-based ABA Activity that gets clients away from the table without sacrificing clinical rigor, let me introduce you to one of my all-time favorite session staples: Cranium Hullabaloo.

Years ago, I walked into a session I was supervising and got to jump in while my RBT played the original electronic version with our client. It was an instant hit with both of us. I loved how easily we could embed categories, gross motor actions, colors, shapes, and everyday objects into high-energy play. It was an absolute goldmine for rapport building and Naturalistic Environmental Teaching (NET).

A while back I went on a mission to find a version for my own session bag, only to find out it had been discontinued years ago. Naturally, I did what any determined clinician does when they find something that works: I made my own.

This DIY version turned out to be even better than the original because you can customize every single landing pad to match your client’s specific skill level and goals. By pairing active movement, upbeat music, and silly actions, homemade Hullabaloo transforms any open floor into a dynamic learning environment.

What Is Homemade Hullabaloo?

In a traditional Hullabaloo game, players dance around the room to music and freeze on specific floor pads when an instruction is given.

For an adaptable ABA activity, you create customized landing pads layered with three distinct clinical stimuli:

1. A specific shape (e.g., triangle, circle, square, star)
2. A specific color (e.g., red, blue, green, yellow)
3. An item from a target category (e.g., musical instrument, animal, food, vehicle)

Because each pad combines a shape, a color, and a category picture, a single spot allows you to run multiple trial variations without cluttering the learning environment. For instance, a green triangle pad featuring a horn can instantly target:

• Color: “Jump to green!”
• Shape: “Freeze on a triangle!”
• Receptive Category (FFC): “Find a musical instrument!”
• Feature / Function: “Stomp on something you blow into to make music!”

Materials Needed for This ABA Activity

You don’t need an electronic game system or expensive clinic equipment for this setup:

• Colored paper, felt squares, or foam pads (red, blue, yellow, green)
• Markers or printed target pictures
• Scissors
• Painter’s tape (secures paper pads flat to carpet or hardwood to prevent slips)
• A music source (phone, tablet, small speaker, or singing)

Step-by-Step ABA Activity Setup

1. Cut Out Core Shapes

Cut 12 to 16 total pads across 3 to 4 distinct shapes (circle, square, triangle, star) and 3 to 4 core colors (red, blue, yellow, green).

2. Select Functional Category Sets

Choose 3 to 4 consistent categories from your client’s skill acquisition plan. High-frequency categories work best:

• Musical Instruments: horn, drum, guitar, piano
• Animals: dog, cat, elephant, fish
• Foods: pizza, apple, banana, cookie
• Vehicles: car, airplane, boat, train

3. Layer the Stimuli

Draw or tape one category item directly into the center of each shape. Mix the features so the client must attend to specific stimuli rather than memorizing positions:

• Red circle + apple (food)
• Blue square + drum (instrument)
• Yellow star + airplane (vehicle)
• Green triangle + horn (instrument)

4. Secure the Room Layout

Tape the pads across the floor with painter’s tape, leaving 2 to 3 feet between each pad to allow ample space for hopping, dancing, and turning safely.

How to Run Trials in Session

• The Dance Phase: Hit play on an upbeat song. Both you and the client dance, hop, or march across the floor, weaving through the pads.
• The Freeze & S^D: Abruptly pause the music and deliver your discriminative stimulus (S^D)
• The Action Challenge: Pair the target with a gross motor action (“Slither like a snake to an animal!” or “Hop like a bunny to a circle!”).
• The Natural Reinforcer: When the client touches or stands on the correct pad, celebrate with enthusiastic social reinforcement, start the track again, and jump right back into play.

Clinical Goals to Target With This ABA Activity

Goal Area	Example SD
Shapes	“Freeze on a triangle!”
Colors	“Jump to a green pad!”
Categories (FFC)	“Find an instrument!” or “Hop to an animal!”
Gross Motor Imitation	“Slither like a snake to a blue square!”
Listener Responding	“Clap your hands while standing on a food!”
Manding	Pause the music and wait for a mand (“music,” “go,” “more,” or naming the song).

Stepping It Down: Modifications for Emerging Learners

If tracking shapes, colors, and category pictures simultaneously is too much, step the game down while keeping the fun intact:

• Drop the Category Pictures: Remove pictures entirely and use solid colors or single shapes to build foundational receptive identification.
• Focus on Action + Color: Combine gross motor imitation with single-color discrimination:
  • “Stomp over to red!”
  • “Fly like an airplane to yellow!”
  • “Crawl to blue!”
• Limit the Array Size: Reduce the room to 3 or 4 pads instead of 12. As scanning and discrimination skills expand, reintroduce more pads into the room.

Keep Your Session Moving

Because Hullabaloo relies on rhythm and momentum, avoid letting long pauses or trial errors stall the fun. Having your S^Ds planned and written down if necessary will help you keep it moving. 

Looking for more naturalistic, low-prep ABA activities for your clinic or home sessions? Browse our full activity bank or tune into the podcast for practical tips you can use from the driveway to the data sheet.

Ready to take the stress out of session planning?

If you love this activity, you’ll love the Better Session Bootcamp. It’s our 3-hour masterclass designed to give you practical, assent-based tools, dynamic session planning frameworks, and instant access to our complete, searchable ABA Activity Bank—plus, RBTs can earn 3 PDUs toward maintaining their certification! Click here to join the Better Session Bootcamp and start running sessions that feel lighter, more fun, and truly effective.

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