Outdoor Fun: Give a Jump Rope a Try

I'm afraid to write it. Living in northeast Ohio, I'm aware how the weather can change from sunshine and singing birds to blowing swirls of snow before I finish this post. Yet I'll go ahead a say that spring seems to be on its way! It's time for running and playing outside again.

We get a lot of folks in the store this time of year looking for fun outdoor activities. We have plenty. We have stomp rockets, Beam-os, and kites (oh my!). All of these are fun, active ideas for outside play. But the often overlooked toy is a jump rope. In fact, when I suggest a jump rope, many people literally wrinkle their noses as they ask, "Any other ideas?" Okay, I kind of get it. A jump rope is anything but a new concept. But I'd like to make a case for getting your kids a jump rope or two this season.

1. Jumping rope is great exercise. Ten minutes of jumping rope is equivalent to running one mile! But it's not as hard on the knees as running.

2. If you add music and/or rhymes to the jumping, it's now building the brain right along with those leg muscles. The added rhythm and coordination involved in jumping to a chant or beat gets the brain working more in tune with the body.

3. It can be played alone or with friends. Taking turns twirling and jumping is a great way for kids to play together and encourage one another. A single-length rope is great for alone practice time and speed building.

Still not convinced? Maybe the jump rope rhymes below will inspire you to try. Have a rhyme of your own you remember? We'd love for you to post it! Pictures of your kids jumping? We'd love to see them to help inspire others! Happy jumping!

RHYMES:

Down in the valley
Where the green grass grows
There sat ______(girl's name)
Sweet as a rose
She sang so long and she sang so sweet
Along came ______(boy's name)
And kissed her on the cheek.
How many kisses did she get that week?
(count & jump until you miss)

********
Apples, peaches, pears, and plums
Tell me when your birthday comes.
(Jump to the months until you come to your birthday month and then count to your date.)

*********

Cookies in the jar, candy in the dish;
How many pieces do you wish?
1, 2, 3, 4, . . (count & jump until you miss)

*********
Teddy bear, teddy bear turn all around (spin as you jump)
Teddy bear, teddy bear touch the ground (touch)
Teddy bear, teddy bear tie your shoes (jump on one foot while you "tie" one shoe)
Teddy bear, teddy bear read the news (hold hands up like your reading paper)
Teddy bear, teddy bear go up stairs (alternate feet while jumping)
Teddy bear, teddy bear say your prayers (hold hands in position and close eyes)
Teddy bear, teddy bear turn out the light (reach hand up to flip the switch)
Teddy bear, teddy bear spell "good night"
G-o-o-d N-i-g-h-t (try to jump and spell as fast as you can)

********
Cinderella, dressed in yella
Went upstairs to kiss a fella.
Made a mistake,
Kissed a snake,
How many doctors did it take?
1, 2, 3,...(Count & jump until you miss)

Keep Kids Active Indoors in the Winter

Keeping kids active during the winter months can be a real challenge. True, there are days of sledding and snowman building. But there are also many, many days of weather too cold to be outside for more than 15 or 20 minutes. So I've been searching for ways to get them active indoors that don't involve them jumping on my bed. Here's what I've found so far:

1. Super Skipper: We love this toy at our house! An electronic base plays music as it twirls a jumping stick around. It has 3 speed settings, so it's easy for each child to set a pace he is comfortable with. It's also nice because more than one child can jump at a time, and no twirler is required! If the child successfully jumps the full cycle of the level, a little celebratory music plays. This toy truly has given my three kids hours of active, jumping fun in the house.

2. Sack Races: For little ones, let them use some old pillow cases as potato sacks and hop from one end of the room to the other. Make it more challenging by making an obstacle course with pillows and stuffed animals.

3. Chinese Jump Rope: This type of jump rope is really an elastic band. The idea is that two kids loop it around their ankles to make a rectangle with it. The third child does the rhymes, jumping into the box, out, on, etc. as fast as she can. Then, the rope gets raised a little higher, and a little higher each turn. We recently brought one of these to a play group with kids ranging in age from 4 to 12. All of them were laughing and playing. If you don't have three kids around, you can loop the rope around the bottoms of chair legs for your little jumper to have fun.

4. Treasure Hunts: You can make these as easy or complicated as you like. The idea is to get them searching high and low, upstairs and downstairs, for little clues and treasures. For younger kids, you can pick a letter of the day and have them search in the house for items that begin with that letter. Each time they spot one, they can run back to you to report it while you write it down. Older kids might enjoy a riddle hunt. For this version, write just a word or two that hints at a place in your house to find the next clue. For instance, "hot dogs" might make them go open the meat drawer in the fridge. There they would find a clue that says "surf" for surf the web and a clue next to the family computer. At the end, there could be a tiny prize (a fun eraser, a new coloring book). Remember, the prize isn't the point; the hunt is the true fun!

5. Create a Road: Get a roll of painter's tape (Note: don't use regular masking tape as it will be too hard to remove cleanly) and let your kids tape out a course for their toy cars in the kitchen. It will provide hours of fun for them laying out the course under the table, around the legs of chairs and then driving their cars along it.


Do you have some fun ideas to keep kids moving indoors? We'd love to hear them!