Jumping is a skill that requires complex muscle activation, coordination, power, and postural control...but beyond all of that jumping is so much FUN!!! Jumping is a physical skill that children start to learn around the age of 2; however there are many other prerequisite skills for jumping that are learned much before that.

Hip stability and good balance are critical for success with jumping activities. Children who have a fear of heights, or decreased balance struggle with jumping as they may be afraid to fall. Providing different types of balance activities will help a child learn the necessary balance skills as well as increased confidence and decreased fear. Some balance activities that can help are balance boards, walking on a line or a narrow raised surface, swings, slides, etc.

Stair climbing, especially going down the stairs involves having to control the body weight as it falls freely downward. These activities help develop hip strength and stability and help prepare the child for jumping. Try stairs in different places and of different heights. Encourage the child to use the railing instead of holding your hand and slowly progress to stepping without holding anything.

Activities to encourage jumping:

• Jumping down from the lowest stair
• Trampoline games
• Pillow/mattress games (use a pile of pillows or jumping on a mattress in place of a trampoline)
• Squeaky shoes jumping- squeaky shoes can be a great tool to teach kids how to jump. They squeak whenever a child steps forward. Teach children to jump and listen to the sound their shoes make.
• hopscotch or any targets placed on the ground to encourage jumping forward, this can also be progressed to jumping one one foot or hopping. 
• jump like a frog, this increases the challenge as kids have to go all the way down into a deep squat and maintain that bend in their hips and knees 

• Toss "snowballs" (cotton balls) into a small box or have a "snowball" fight.

• Print a large picture of Santa with his toy bag onto a piece of cardboard. Cut a hole at the top of the bag. Tape the picture in front of a trash can or a table and have children throw bean bags or small objects into "Santa's bag."

• Have children write a letter to Santa.

• Sensory gift box- gift wrap a box to use for your sensory activity. Use packing peanuts or cotton balls for "snow" and place small objects, candy canes, etc for the child to find in the "snow."

• Twist red, green, and white pipe cleaners together into various shapes to hang on the tree.

• Play "Santa Says" instead of "Simon Says" Santa may say things like "stand on one foot" or  "walk like a bear" or "crawl like a cat."

• Ask children to pretend to be different sized Christmas trees. With hands together pointing high above their heads, they are big Christmas trees. Bending at the knees, they are medium sized trees. Squatting down to the floor, they are little Christmas trees. You can vary the speed and order as you call out the different sizes.

• "Santa Santa Reindeer" instead of "duck duck goose."

• Draw a large Christmas tree on the pavement with sidewalk chalk. Draw several round Christmas ornaments on the tree. Put a number or letter inside each ornament. Children take turns throwing a beanbag into one of the circle ornaments and identifying the number or letter or they can jump from number to number like hopscotch. 
• Have you child help with making holiday cookies or other baking where they have to roll dough or cut out dough with cookie cutters.