Happy Hops

This is a really simple way of practicing hopping whilst at home, and a fun challenge for your child to try and achieve!
How to play
Step 1:
- Have your child place their happy sack on the ground
- Ask them to try and hop over it with one foot, and then with the other
Step 2:
- Once they get the hang of hopping over the obstacle, ask your child to make a hopping pattern over the sack
- Now you have a go and try and complete the challenge your child just did
Step 3:
- You can introduce another happy sack to make the hops bigger
Variations
Make it easier
- Regress into jumping and slowly progress to hopping
- Allow a one foot takeoff, and two foot landing
Make it harder
- Start your hop from further away
- Find taller objects/toys to hop over
Activity information
Age: 3-5 years, Kindergarten, Pre-Primary, Year 1, Year 2
Equipment: Beanbags, Soft toys (optional)
Duration: 5 minutes
Skill focus
Explore these skills for teaching tips
Skill teaching
Before beginning the activity, demonstrate the proper hopping technique for your child using the following cues:
- Quiet landings (bend ankles, knees and hips)
- Bend your leg to push off
- Head up and eyes forward (look towards where you are hopping)
- Swing & spring
Physical literacy tips
- Let your child choose a toy to start with