The Bunny Hop - Intermediate

This is a continuation of yesterday's blog talking about jumping for Beginners (The Bunny Hop - Beginners).

Now, onto intermediate jumpers- these are kids who have experience lifting off of the ground.  Layout 5 ropes/strings on the floor, these will help jumpers to gauge distance and keep track of their progress. Then step back and give your child some space to practice jumping over each rope. The concept behind jumping (leaving the ground) is counter intuitive, so let them get comfortable with the notion. At first you might notice that there is a long pause between each jump, to account for both mental and physical preparation- this is natural. Coordinating a jump takes time and effort, but with enough practice it will soon become muscle memory.  As your jumper builds confidence you can help to increase coordination and decrease the time in-between jumps by putting on some up beat music and jumping together to the beat. The fact that you are now jumping together, coupled with the upbeat music, will help to streamline your child's jumps.  He'll need less and less time to prepare for each jump and the mental and physical skills required will become woven together. Wa-la!

Remember to be patient and positive throughout the process.  Children take cues from us, especially during the toddler and preschool years.  If your child senses that you are becoming impatient or disappointed by their progress, it is likely that they will view themselves as "bad" jumpers… and halt the learning process, or even regress. Instead, make sure that the skills that you are practicing with your child meet his ability. A good rule of thumb is to wait to introduce a new challenge (i.e. from jumping over ropes, to stringing jumps together more quickly with the help of an upbeat song) when your child can accomplish the previous skill set at least 90% of the time.  Even after introducing a new skill, make sure to return to foundation skills over and over to remind your child how much he has accomplished and to help instill a sense of mastery. 

Tomorrow we'll cover some ways to challenge more advanced jumpers!

The Bunny Hop

The bunny hop  In the spirit of the coming or spring and out long-eared, bushy tailed friends, I thought we'd talk about bunny hops today. Hopping is a great activity to practice with kids of all ages. Not only does it build strength and coordination, but, when approached thoughtfully, can be huge confidence boost as well.  

For Beginners, it's best to start with assisted jumping. Layout 3-5 ropes/strings on the floor to help your little jumper gauge distance and keep track of his progress. Then demonstrate jumping over the ropes in a simple, yet exaggerated fashion (simply count your jumps, and exaggerate everything about your jump from the knee bending to the arm swinging to the actual lift off). Then ask your budding jumper to try. If they need more guidance cue them verbally, "bend your knees, swing your arms, jump!" and/or try jumping beside them. To assist even further you can rest your arms just under their arms and let them feel the support of you holding them steady as they attempt to jump. Sometimes a child's first attemp might simply be a squat (bending of the knees while swinging his arms) before each rope, and then a step forward. While he is not jumping, this is a great foundation for jumping both physically and mentally. No matter their progress, make sure to cheer your child on to keep them feeling successful. This will help them to help build confidence and make jumping an activity that they wish to practice with you often!