Helping Your Preschooler Improve Jumping Skills
In this Article
Out of the many preschoolers developmental milestones, jumping is usually reached at the age of 3-4 years. This is an interesting time for them as they learn to explore and physically use their abilities in many ways. Help them get around and reach the next stage smoothly!
Hop like a kangaroo.. hop, hop, hop, Jump like a monkey.. up and down’…Preschoolers learn to jump as they cross 3 years of age. While they take tentative jumps early on, once they gain confidence, they are sure to love the whole process. As parents, a 3-year-old is already a handful and this new aspect just adds to the jamboree happening at home. Here is all that you need to know about the jumping milestone in preschoolers.
Understanding 3-Year-Olds Jumping Milestone
1. When do Preschoolers Start Jumping?
Most preschoolers start jumping between 36 to 42 months. As simple as it may look, jumping requires a lot of balancing and coordination. Terminologically, it’s called bilateral coordination. This essentially means the ability to use both sides of your body to perform an activity. Apart from this, children jumping with both feet is only achievable when she has enough strength and confidence in her abilities.
2. Jumping Activities for Preschoolers
- Act out a nursery rhyme with your child like ‘the cow jumped over the moon’, ‘jump up high, listen to the music’ and any other which is her favourite to encourage her to jump.
- Teach your child about animals like frogs and kangaroos. This way you’re actually helping kids in jumping by telling her about the frog jump or the kangaroo hop.
- Prepare a pattern of circles, squares, and other shapes and ask her to jump from one shape to the other.
- Play curb hopping with her by standing on a curb with her while holding her hand and jumping on the count of three.
- Trampolines are also a big hit with all kids! Get a small one at home and watch her jump with glee.
3. How to Encourage Kids to Jump?
Encouragement is a major aspect of parenting. Preschoolers need reassurance and confidence boosting for almost all the activities they learn and perform. To encourage your children to jump, you must take care of the following:
- Explaining kids part of a good jump is a must! You must explain to her the correct way of jumping and the importance of maintaining her balance.
- Reassure you child that a small jump is safe and if performed well, it’s even harmless. Jump a few times to show her how much fun it is to jump.
Always be mindful of safety while organising jumping games for kids. If you are living in a high-rise building, you must take all precautions to childproof your house, especially the balconies and the windows.
