Beginners  If a child is struggling to hop on one leg repeatedly, hold the hand on the side of the free leg until they gain the confidence, rhythm, and balance to continue on their own.

Intermediate  Encourage repetitive hopping several times on one leg. If easily achieved they can practice with their other leg.

Advanced  For a further challenge, have the children hop as far as they can so covering as much distance as they can with  each hop.

Special needs  Hopping may be challenging, give support by holding the hand or arm to aid balance and leverage.

Have the children line up on one side of the room with a safe space between each child.

Use a visual marker to indicate the distance you would like them to hop.

Upon instruction, the children hop on one leg forwards from one side of the area to the other.

The children should naturally hop on their dominant leg. If they keep changing legs, try to determine the stronger leg and encourage the child to keep using that same leg.

The free leg should just hang in a relaxed manner. The knee must not be held up in front of the body while hopping as this makes hopping on one leg difficult.

Encourage continuous movement, if the children stop between each hop they may lose their balance.

If your area is small, the hopping can be done on the spot, or the children can hop forwards, turn and hop back.

Encourage the children to hop in a straight line.

Be sure there is a safe gap between the children so they do not bump into each other if they lose their balance.

Beginners  If needed place your hands over the child’s hands to help them learn how to use the wrists to lift and rotate the hoop over the head.

Intermediate  Once the children understand the activity have them rotate the hoop over the body more quickly.

Advanced  Once the forward skipping movement is easily achieved the children can reverse the grip on the hoop and rotate the hoop backward over the head and then move in a backward direction.

Special Needs  Adults will need a bigger hoop. Follow the above-given progressions for this activity.

Have the children line up on one side of the room, each with their own hoop.

The hoop is held on the floor in front of the body with an overhand grip.

First the children must step over the part of the hoop touching the floor and then the hoop is lifted up and rotated over the head using the wrists to get the leverage. The hoop is then brought back to rest on the floor in front of the feet.

This can be repeated and done more quickly as the children get more practice.

The children move forward when doing this activity.

Have the children understand that the wrists initiate and control the rotation of the hoop over the head.

Encourage the children to skip forward in a straight line and to be aware of others around them.

Beginners  If needed hold the child’s hand while skipping next to them and verbally talking them through the movements. Have them understand a bounce or hop is done twice on each leg and while bouncing the knee of the free leg is held high.

Intermediate  Help the children understand where the free leg is held while skipping.

Advanced  Have the children skip around the room lifting the knees high and swinging the arms rhythmically.

Special Needs  Follow the above progressional suggestions.

Depending on the size of the teaching area, the children can move around in a circle or from one side of the area to another.

Explain that skipping is two hops done by hopping alternately on each leg while moving forward.

Show how the knee must be lifted up in front every time the hopping leg is changed.

Have the children start by balancing on one leg with the other knee held high. Then a step-down and hop is done with the lifted leg. This action is repeated alternating legs each time.

To help the children gain the rhythm and consistency needed for skipping use the prompt words, “step–hop, step-hop”.

For some children, skipping is very difficult to learn. If possible give one-on-one attention until they better understand the activity. Encourage the child to tell himself: “step-hop, step-hop” while doing the activity.

The children who are able to skip and move at a quicker pace can be moved to a separate area to practice so that the slower children do not get bumped.

Beginners  If needed give support by holding the hand or arm for the transition from the hop to the jump and to jump over the obstacle.

Intermediate  Encourage continuous movement. If the activity is easily achieved, have the child start a little further back and walk forwards before the activity. The movement flows from the walk into the hop, the jump and the jump over.

Advanced  Have the children start four or five meters away from the hoops, run forward and then do the hop, jump and over. Have the hoops a little further apart.

Special Needs  Follow the above progressions and assist with balance as needed.

If you have two hoops per child that is best but if not the children can be in pairs and take turns or be split into small groups.

Two hoops must be placed one behind the other, approximately 50 cm apart.

An object to jump over must be placed after the second hoop. This can be a low bench, a soft toy, a stack of books or a pile of beanbags.

The children stand behind their own set of hoops or in a line.

Starting with the feet together, a child does a hop into the first hoop, immediately jumps to land with the feet together in the second hoop and then immediately jumps over the object in front of them keeping the legs together.

When hopping into the first hoop the free leg should be held in a relaxed manner, not with the knee held high.

The aim is for all three movements to follow on one after the other.

The leg hopped on is usually the dominant leg. If you notice a child alternating their left and right leg for the hop, establishing the dominant side should be considered.

This is a preparation skill for doing long jumps or to run and land on a trampet or a springboard.

The object to be jumped over must be safe and should not hurt the children if they land on it with their feet.

Beginners  The rope should be swung around slowly, to begin with, to help the children understand the timing of the jump.

Intermediate  Increase the speed of the rope rotation according to each child’s ability.

Advanced  Have the children stand away from the rope and move in to jump the rope while it is rotating and to then jump as many times as they can.

Special Needs  Follow the above progressions and ideas.

Tie three or four ropes together until it is a length of approximately six to eight meters.

Two adults or an adult and a child stand opposite each other holding the ends of the rope at a distance that allows the center of the rope to hang close to the floor.

Have each child start the activity by standing mid-way facing one of the rope holders and side on to the rope with their feet together,

As the rope is swung around the child must jump over it as it comes near to their ankles, judging when it is the right time to do so.

Let each child have a few turns jumping over the rope.

If needed verbally prompt the children to help them learn the timing of when to jump.

If a child is struggling have them turn around and face the opposite way. This may make a difference.

Be sure the children who are waiting stand well back so the swinging rope does not hit them as it passes by.

Beginners  If hoping is still difficult, hold the child’s hand through the hopping phase but allow them to do the jump to two feet alone.

Intermediate  The sequence can be repeated using their non-dominant leg to add further challenge.

Advanced  Encourage the children to gain as much distance as possible when doing the hops and the jump. This can be done using both the left and right legs.

Special needs  Repetition will develop confidence and rhythm. Only one or two hops can be done initially and add the third to the sequence if ability allows.

Have the children line up on one side of the room with a safe distance between them.

Moving forward, the children do first one hop and a jump, followed by two hops and a jump, followed and ending with  three hops and a jump.

The jumps are done with the feet together.

This sequence or pattern is repeated continuously.

This activity can also be a way for the children to leave the room or when transitioning from one place to another.

Instruct the children to move forward in a straight line during the activity to avoid colliding with others.