Teaching Children to Jump

Jumping is an exciting motor milestone that requires strength, balance, coordination, body awareness, and motor planning. Give your child opportunities to practice jumping on a variety of surfaces and in different environments. Bare feet can provide additional sensory feedback from the ground beneath them, while surfaces like grass, padded mats, carpet, and hardwood each offer unique challenges.

And don’t forget the power of peer modeling! Children naturally observe and learn from others, making jumping games with siblings, friends, or peers a fun way to encourage new motor skills.

• Jumping forward with one foot leading: ~18–24 months
• Jumping in place with two feet together: ~22–30 months
• Jumping off a small platform and landing on two feet: ~24–30 months
• Jumping over small obstacles: ~30–36 months
• Jumping forward with two-foot takeoff and landing: ~30–36 months
• Hopping on one foot: ~4–5 years

It is important not to rush a child’s motor development. Jumping develops gradually and builds upon a series of skills. Children may first experiment with weight shifting, jumping down from a small surface, jumping over objects, jumping up, and eventually hopping on one foot. As these skills develop, children begin combining single and double leg movements in more complex activities such as hopscotch.

Motor milestones occur along a continuum. Every child develops at their own pace. Our job is to provide opportunities to explore, practice, and have fun as new movement skills emerge!

Tips to Teach Children to Jump Independently

Footprint Jumps 

Using tactile footprints provides a colorful visual target for foot placement and a textured surface for added sensory feedback.

Footprints are especially helpful when encouraging children to bring their feet together and practice a more consistent two foot takeoff and landing.

Platform Jumps

Platform jumps allow us to practice jumping down, over and up from a low height. We love using an interlocking balance beam, which provides helpful proprioceptive input, especially with bare feet.

Add tactile footprints for visual and tactile cues to encourage a narrowed base of support during jumping.

Floor Ladder Jumps

Using a floor ladder or elevated agility ladder is a great way to practice jump sequencing, power, takeoff and landing!

Hurdle Jumps

Once child masters jumping over simple obstacles like colored tape, introduce hurdles to encourage greater vertical height. Gradually increase the height as the child develops more strength, balance, and control.

Hoop Jumps

The hoop ladder is a fun tool to practice jumping while encouraging a narrowed base of support as child aims to land inside each hoop.

Change the configuration to practice jump sequences and open-close jumps, preparing children for more complex skills like hopscotch.

Hop Scotch

A foam hop scotch floor puzzle is a fun way to practice open close jumps, forward and sideways jumping, and single to double leg jumping as children progress through each number.

Jumping Red Flags

It is important to contact your Pediatrician or a Pediatric Physical Therapist if around 3 years of age your child continues to show difficulty jumping and you notice any of the following:

• Asymmetric Jumping: pushing off primarily from one side
• Limited Power: difficulty generating enough force to clear the ground
• Frequent Falls: difficulty maintaining balance or controlling the legs during landing
• Fear or Frustration: persistent resistance or fear of jumping that limits participation