Get Your Schoolyard Moving!

Playing with jump ropes is not only fun, it’s also a great way to get your heart going. Skipping rope is also good practice for developing coordination and balance. There are so many ways to have fun with jump ropes! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Sneaky Snake: Divide children into groups of 4-5. Have a child hold each end of a jump rope. While keeping the jump rope on the ground, the children gently wiggle the rope back and forth. The other children take turns jumping or hopping over the rope. Suggest different ways to hop and jump (e.g. hop with left leg, right leg, jump sideways or backwards over the rope, jump or hop holding hands with a partner, etc.).

Helicopter: One player spins the jump rope on the ground and the others must hop over it. If a child steps on the rope, it becomes their turn to spin the helicopter.

Jumping John: Two children turn a long jump rope. Other children take turns skipping over the rope. While they are jumping, one of the children turning the rope shouts out actions (e.g. touch your nose, jump on one leg, jump and turn, etc.) that the child must perform while jumping.

Jumping Marathon: Challenge the children to keep track of the number of jumps they can do. Children try to beat their highest number by the end of a designated period of time

Check-out our downloadable 'Two-Foot Jumping' and 'Hopping' videos, as well as their appropriate 'Cue Sheets' in our Physical Literacy Toolbox. 

Not only is it super inexpensive, but it’s great for all ages and has unlimited play potential. And really, what’s better than a “messy” activity with NO clean-up? Here are a few sidewalk chalk ideas, games, and get-them-active ideas that will keep your chalk repertoire fresh all springtime. So grab your box of chalk and head outside with your students for hours of nonstop fun!

Hopscotch: The rules are simple and children can draw their own creative hopscotch with chalk. Use your imagination and draw jumping boxes in different colours and shapes.

Tic-Tac-Toe: Using chalk draw a giant Tic-Tac-Toe game on the ground. Divide the group into teams of 6. The first two players in each team will place themselves in a square. Then the next 2 from each group and so on until Tic-Tac-Toe is achieved. While teammates are standing in the squares they must hold a balance with at least 1 part of their bodies connected with their partners (e.g. hand to foot, hand to hand, back to back, etc.).

Alphabet Twister: Write the alphabet on the floor in a square formation (fairly close together, like the game of Twister). Call out which hand or foot to place on which letter. Children will have to balance in all sorts of positions!