Skip to My Lou

Develop jump rope skills in this fun game for older, or more proficient skippers. Skip to My Lou is a good progression from Jump Rope. Visit this game on the KIDDO website to learn how to simply breakdown the skill of skipping.
Designate a playing space free of obstructions, with enough room for children to skip and move around in. Give each child a skipping rope. A rope is the appropriate size for a child if the handles reach up to their armpits while they are standing on it and pulling the handles up.
Step 1:
- When the children are spread out in the space, begin skipping with the rope
- Children can see how many skips they can do without catching their feet, or how many they can do in 1 minute
Step 2:
- Introduce skipping challenges - ideas include;
- Jump on one foot instead of two
- Criss cross the feet, or the rope
- Jump with a partner (one holds the rope)
- You (and a helper) twirl a long rope and children must run through it
- You (and a helper) twirl a long rope and all children must continue jumping until a mistake is made
- Run and skip at the same time
- Twirl the rope 2x before landing
- Twirl the rope backwards
- Try out Jump Rope on the KIDDO website to help introduce skipping
- Try Double Dutch skipping!
To learn jump rope, first practice without equipment. Encourage children to;
- Keep their eyes up
- Bend their knees when jumping
- Soft landings
Skip to My Lou is a good progression from Jump Rope. Visit this game on the KIDDO website to learn how to simply breakdown the skill of skipping.
- Allow children space to explore how they feel comfortable with a skipping rope
- Set up free-skipping stations for confident children, or stations with intentional skipping activities to guide less confident children