Jumping, hopping and skipping
Physical Education · Early Years · The School
Three different moves
A JUMP takes off from two feet. It lands on two feet. A HOP takes off from one foot. It lands on the SAME foot. A SKIP is a step and a hop together. You do one side, then the other. They look similar. They are not the same. Knowing which is which is the first step.
Landing softly
Do not land with straight, stiff legs. That is hard on your body. And it is easy to wobble. Land with BENT KNEES instead. Then your legs work like springs. They soak up the bump. Try to land quietly. A quiet landing is usually a soft one. It is usually well balanced too. That is a good thing to listen for.
With a grown-up
Do all of this in a hall, or outside. Have a grown-up watching. Use a floor that is not slippery. Make sure you have space around you. This lesson is for learning what the words mean. It is for knowing what your body is doing. The moving itself happens with somebody there.
Do each one three times. Say what your legs are doing 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. It is a fourth thing. Landing is always the same rule. Bend your knees.