Kangaroo jumping

What you need

Floor space indoors or outdoor space in your garden or local park.

Benefits

This activity develops dynamic balance, coordination, and rhythm required for activities at older ages such as running, skipping, hopping, and dancing.

The experience

Before starting off with this learning experience, you could read a book about animals and how animals move. The book ‘From Head to Toe’ by Eric Carle is an excellent example to introduce to your child before the physical experience.

• Talk with your child about kangaroos. How do kangaroos move?
• Show your child how to hop like a kangaroo. Hands are held in front of the chest with elbows bent.
• Practice hopping with your child. Encourage them to take off with both feet and land with both feet, bending knees slightly when they land.
• Play “Follow the Leader”, hopping like kangaroos.
• If there are trees and playground equipment present, you can hop around and between these obstacles.

Variation: You can add a little storyline to prompt their imaginative play while practising their hopping skills! Perhaps your child would like to create a story about a family of kangaroos?!