B. Active Living / C. Movement Competence · Active Living and Movement: Moving with Purpose, Safety and Skill

Jump, Fly, Land: Jumping and Moving with Control

C1 A1.3 A1.2About 35 minutes

Learning goals

I can name and do the five basic jumps.
I can use the three phases of a jump: take-off, flight and landing.
I can land softly and with control, bending my ankles, knees and hips.
I can change my jump for height or for distance, and join jumps into a combination.

Words to know

take-off
The part of a jump where you push off the ground.

flight
The part of a jump when you are in the air.

landing
The part of a jump when you come back to the ground.

absorb
To soak up force, like bending your knees to make a landing soft.

stick the landing
Land and hold still, balanced, without stepping or falling.

standing long jump
A jump for distance from two feet, starting from standing still.

Remember from Grade 4

In Grade 4 you learned three ways to travel through the air: a hop (one foot to the same foot), a jump (two feet to two feet) and a leap (one foot to the other foot). You joined them into travelling combinations to a beat.

This year you will learn all five basic jumps, the three phases of every jump, and how to land with control, every time.

Thud or whisper?

Try this: jump on the spot with straight, stiff legs. Listen. THUD! Now jump again and bend your knees as you land, like a cat landing on a fence. Listen. ...shhh.

The quiet landing is the controlled one. Your bent legs absorb the force, like a spring or a car's shock absorbers. That protects your joints and keeps you balanced, ready for the next move.

The five basic jumps

Every jump starts on one or two feet and lands on one or two feet. That gives five basic jumps:

Take off from	Land on	Name or example
Two feet	Two feet	Jump (a bunny jump, a standing long jump)
One foot	The same foot	Hop
One foot	The other foot	Leap (over a puddle)
One foot	Two feet	A running long jump landing, or into the double squares in hopscotch
Two feet	One foot	Out of the double squares in hopscotch, onto one foot

The five basic jumps.

The five basic jumps, shown with footprints (L = left foot, R = right foot). Read each one from take off at the bottom to land at the top.

The three phases of a jump

Every jump has three phases: take-off (bend, swing your arms and push), flight (in the air) and landing.

Take-off: Bend your knees and hips. Swing your arms back, then swing them forward and up hard as you push through your feet.
Flight: Keep your body tight and controlled. Eyes look forward (not down).
Landing: Land on the balls of your feet, then let your heels come down. Bend your ankles, knees and hips to absorb the force. Keep your knees over your toes, not caving inward. Arms reach forward for balance. Hold still for 2 seconds: stick it!

Jumping high or jumping far

You change your take-off depending on your goal:

For height (like reaching for a rebound): swing your arms straight up and push up. Your body goes up tall.
For distance (like a standing long jump): lean forward, swing your arms forward, push out, and reach your feet ahead of you to land.

To measure a standing long jump, measure from the starting line to the back of the heel that lands closest to the line.

Arctic sports: jumping with amazing control

Inuit and other Northern peoples have Arctic sports that test strength, balance and jumping control. They are played today at community events and at the Arctic Winter Games.

In the one-foot high kick, an athlete jumps off both feet, kicks a hanging target with one foot, and must land on that same kicking foot in balance. The target can be hung higher than the athlete's head! In the kneel jump, athletes start kneeling, swing their arms and jump forward to land on their feet, as far as they can.

These events take years of training. Enjoy learning about them, and leave the high kicks to trained athletes and coaches.

Jumping safety

For big jumps (like long jumps), land on grass, a carpet or a mat, not concrete, ice or wet floors. Small hops, like hopscotch, are fine on a dry, flat driveway or sidewalk away from the road.
Check your landing spot first: no toys, rocks or people.
Never jump off high things like furniture, decks, walls or tree branches.
Land on your feet, not your knees or hands, and bend.
Stop and rest if your ankles, knees or shins hurt.

Worked example

Let's name the jumps in hopscotch

In hopscotch, the squares go: single, single, double, single, double. Which basic jumps do you use?

Single to single: one foot to the same foot = a hop.
Single to double: one foot to two feet (one foot in each square) = the one-to-two jump.
Double to single: two feet to one foot = the two-to-one jump.
Turning around at the end: many people jump and turn on two feet = a jump (two to two).

Hopscotch uses four of the five jumps: hop, one-to-two, two-to-one, and two-to-two. Add a leap over a square to use all five!

Worked example

Let's fix a landing

Amira does a standing long jump. She lands with straight legs, her knees bend inward, and she falls backward onto her hands. How can she land with control?

Straight legs: bend ankles, knees and hips as she lands to absorb the force.
Knees caving in: keep knees over her toes, about hip-width apart.
Falling backward: reach her arms forward as she lands and lean her chest slightly forward, so her centre of gravity stays over her feet.
Practise: first do small jumps and stick each landing for 2 seconds, then jump farther.

Bend to absorb, knees over toes, arms forward, chest slightly forward, then stick it.

Just for fun

Why are tree frogs so good at sticking their landings?

They have sticky toe pads! You don't, so you'll have to bend your ankles, knees and hips instead. 🐸

Hands-on activity

Jump lab

You need: sidewalk chalk (or tape indoors), a measuring tape or metre stick, a skipping rope, paper, a pencil and a grown-up. Do the landing practice and long jumps on grass. Hopscotch can go on a dry, flat driveway away from the road (or use tape indoors).

Landing practice: do 5 small two-foot jumps on the spot, sticking each landing for 2 seconds. Can you make them quiet?
Five-jump challenge: do each of the five basic jumps and say its name out loud.
Standing long jump: mark a start line. Do 3 jumps and have your grown-up measure each one in centimetres, from the line to the back of your closest heel. Circle your best.
Hopscotch: draw a hopscotch course (or lay it out with tape indoors). Hop through it and name the jumps you use.
Rope combo: with a skipping rope, try 8 two-foot bounces, then 4 hops on your right foot, 4 hops on your left foot. Repeat.
Make a jump combo with 4 different jumps in a row and a stuck landing at the end. Teach it to your grown-up.

Safety: Follow the jumping safety tips. Keep the skipping area clear of people and objects.

Your turn

Name the three phases of a jump.

What is a hop? What is a leap?

Which body parts bend to absorb a landing?

Where should your knees point when you land?

Should your arms swing up or forward for a long jump?

How do you measure a standing long jump?

Do it and check: Do a two-foot jump and stick the landing.

More practice: warm-up

How many basic jumps are there?

Two feet to two feet is called a...?

Is a stiff-legged landing loud or quiet?

Name one place that is not safe to jump from.

In which phase are you in the air?

More practice: on your own

Sara's standing long jumps were 118 cm, 125 cm and 121 cm. What is her best, and how much farther is it than her shortest?

Explain why bending your knees makes a landing safer.

How is a jump for height different from a jump for distance?

Name the basic jump: you take off from one foot over a puddle and land on two feet.

In the one-foot high kick, which foot must the athlete land on?

Challenge

Create a jump combination using all five basic jumps in a row. Name each jump.

Why does reaching your arms forward help you not fall backward on a long-jump landing?

Leo's long jumps over 4 weeks: 105 cm, 109 cm, 109 cm, 114 cm. Describe his progress and give one tip to keep improving.

Check your understanding

Quiz

One foot to the other foot is a...

What are the three phases of a jump?

How should you land?

For a long jump, how should you swing your arms?

Which is the safest place to practise jumping?

How many basic jumps are there?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 5 students work on jumping and moving with control. This lesson teaches the five basic jumps, the three phases of a jump (take-off, flight, landing), safe landings that absorb force, and adjusting a jump for height or distance. It builds on Grade 4, where students learned to hop, jump and leap in travelling combinations. It also introduces Arctic sports played by Inuit and other Northern peoples today.

How to help at home:

Measure standing long jumps together a few times over several weeks and celebrate progress.
Play hopscotch or skipping games; ask your child to name the jumps.
Listen for quiet landings and praise them.

Common difficulties:

Stiff landings. Cue "soft like a cat" and "stick it for 2."
Knees caving in on landing. Cue "knees over toes."
Not using the arms. Have them try a long jump with arms still and then with a big arm swing, and compare the distances.

Safety: Jump on grass, carpet or mats; avoid concrete, ice and wet floors. Discourage jumping off furniture, decks and walls. Persistent knee, ankle or shin pain should be checked by a health care provider.

Social-emotional learning: Measuring and improving their own jumps builds positive motivation and perseverance; slowing down to control a landing, instead of rushing, is a small lesson in managing stress and staying calm under pressure.