"HOP TO IT"!

In "Imagine That" we have been hoping and jumping to a song called "Hop to it"! I have been helping the children think of different ways in which to hop and jump throughout the song. Did you know jumping might not seem like a remarkable feat, but clearing a puddle requires balance, strength, and the precise coordination of arms, knees and hips. Throughout the elementary school years, a child jump increases an awe-inspiring average of 3-5 inches in distance and 2 inches in height per year. Kids learn to jump soon after they learn to run, usually starting at about 24 months. First a child tries taking a single step down a stair, next they'll explore other kinds of objects that are jump-offable then overable, then aroundable. At about 30 months, once kids have the leg strength to defy gravity and the balance they need for landing, jumps become more sophisticated-bunny hops, grasshopper jumps for instance,, that move the jumper not just up but forward. By 4 or 5, a child enters the golden era of jumping mastery, coordinating arms with the extension of legs and torso, resulting in a long jump with serious distance. It's a skill she'll need to launch herself over a puddle instead of into it. Unless, of course, she doesn't want to!