Jumping, hopping and skipping
Physical Education · Early Years · The School
Three different moves
A JUMP takes off from two feet and lands on two feet. A HOP takes off from one foot and lands on the SAME foot. A SKIP is a step and a hop together, one side then the other. They look similar and they are not the same, and knowing which is which is the first step.
Landing softly
Landing with straight, stiff legs is hard on your body and easy to wobble from. Landing with BENT KNEES lets your legs act like springs and soak up the bump. Land quietly — a quiet landing is usually a soft, well-balanced one, and it is a good thing to listen for.
With a grown-up
All of this is done in a hall or outside, with a grown-up watching, on a floor that is not slippery, with space around you. This lesson is for learning what the words mean and what your body is doing; the moving itself happens with somebody there.
Do each one three times and say the legs out loud. JUMP: two feet off, two feet down. HOP: one foot off, the SAME foot down. SKIP: step onto one foot, then hop on it, then step onto the other — step-hop, step-hop. Now try a hop where you land on the other foot: that is a leap, and it is a fourth thing. Landing is always the same rule: bend your knees.