16/11/2022
By 24 months of age, 50% of children can jump with both feet off the ground. By 27 months of age, this increases to 75%.
Jumping helps to develop leg strength and balance. It requires coordination of upper and lower extremity movements.
Jumping is a building block for more complex movements, specialized skills, and general physical activity.Missing skills can make participation in physical activities more difficult and cause kids to avoid them, which can also lead to social isolation from their peers.
HOW TO ENCOURAGE JUMPING
Make sure your child is able to step over obstacles without support and without falling.
Work on bouncing on soft surfaces, such as a trampoline or a pillow on the floor.
Holding both of your child’s hands, help them jump forward or down a few inches. Progress to 1 hand hold assist and then to 1 finger assist and then to no assist.
Encourage jumping with both feet leaving the ground at the same time.
ACTIVITIES TO PRACTICE JUMPING
Cut out shapes, bugs, or letters and practice jumping from shape to shape
Blow bubbles and have your child jump up to pop them
Place various objects on the ground for your child to jump over. These can include a jump rope, hula hoop, garden hose, sticks, toys, etc.
Suspend a ball in the air and have the child jump up and touch it
Hopscotch, trampoline, jump rope
Jump over (or in) puddles
