GM.E.86 BEGINS TO JUMP WITH SUPPORT

This is the first of the jumping skills, which are so necessary for a fluent walking gait.

In GM.A.46 (holds into furniture and bounces) the child demonstrates her ability to go from bent knees to straight knees while taking weight through them. If this skill is not familiar to you, refer to it now.

Bouncing with support (perhaps on a bed or trampoline) should be easy for your child now, but do check that she does this with bent knees. If she keeps her legs straight, refer to GM.A.46 and to skills from other sequences involving bearing weight through bent knees – especially GM.B.71, GM.B.77 and GM.B.78.

How to Assess

Materials: A flat surface at some height, such as a table or change table.

Method: Take your child’s hand, demonstrate jumping and encourage her to jump. Score plus if your child makes a deliberate attempt to jump. Do not expect her feet to leave the ground, but she should bend her knees and spring up.

How to Teach

Encourage your child to jump to you whenever she gets off the change table (if you still use one). Put her on her bed and ask her to jump off.

Don’t allow her to just fall towards you; she must bend her knees and attempt to spring towards you.

If she does not bend her knees, place your child in the squatting position described in GM.B.91 (squats to play without losing balance). Once she is comfortable in this position, start to play ‘Jack in the box’. Use a song such as:

Jack in the box

So quiet and still

Can you jump up?

YES, I will!

At the appropriate point in the song, encourage your child to push up. Help her to succeed by holding her around the chest under the arms and lifting her in continuation with her push.

You will undoubtedly tire of this before she will – it establishes the idea of jumping as fun!

Gradually reduce the amount of lift you give and encourage her to push harder.

You could also try bending and stretching up in time to music and pushing off with the legs on a seesaw.

Continue these exercises until your child is bending her legs and pushing up in her attempts to jump, as described under How to Assess above.