Teachers, when it comes time for your jump rope unit, do you struggle with getting your students to master their first jump? Many times your babies (PK - 2...sometimes older) struggle with jump rope which leads to them feel frustrated. This blog is to help address those issues!
First things First.... Ready Position
You want to set your students up for success by getting them into the proper position. It isn't anything complicated, but helping your students learn how to start is important.
Here are the keys:
Shoulders relaxed
Forearms in front of the body
Handles pointing forward
Feet together
Once they are in this position we can teach them to turn the rope.
Next.... Rainbow to the Toes
We want to teach the students to bring the rope UP and OVER their heads. Using a cue like "RAINBOW" can help them understand the shape and movement of the rope.
As the rope travels over you want the kids to allow the rope to hit their toes or trap it under their feet (totally up to you!). Giving them their toes as a target helps them master this step.
Next....RAINBOW - LOOK - JUMP
Now that your students have learned to bring the rope over we want to help them JUMP over the rope. Once the Rainbow happens have your students LOOK at the rope in front of them and then challenge them to JUMP FORWARD, OVER the rope.
Once that happens they can repeat those steps!
Practice Time!!!
Once your students have the hang of it you want to give them time to practice. When doing so its important to NOT say "Go practice 10 jumps" because that will not translate. The better thing to do is to say "Go practice 10 Rainbows and 10 Jumps". The ones who truly understand will start to mesh the two components and jump single bounce. The others who are still learning will practice the components and get better.
These tips will help your students not to feel so frustrated and should lead to success. There will still be struggles with "Ready Position", jumping too early, etc. but if you continue to stay positive and give them grace as they are working through the positions they will eventually get better with more practice!
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