Parents Skipping

[guest301]

It is quite amusing to watch when my 4 1/2 year old skips. She goes to rec classes and they do skipping part of warm ups (part of race across the gym). Skipping is the hardest thing she works on. Her little mind cannot comprehend this trick. Lol

What makes it more fun is that me and all the moms who there with their kids know how all around advanced dd is. She can do much harder tricks than that like: cartwheel, one arm cartwheel, opposite leg cartwheel, backbend kickover, balk walkover, back bend standups, pullover, roundoff dismount and handstand dismount off the beam. .... Yet cannot skip. Lol

Not stressing at all over it just think it's funny.

 

[Jaks]

My 9 year old dd cannot skip across the floor either, it looks like she is galloping when she tries. My 9 year old dd is very small for age - the size of a 4 year old and has always had mobility delays, she has low muscle tone - this is improving and hyper mobility of the hips.

My just turned 6 year old can skip across the floor and has been able to since she was nearly 4, but she still cannot get her cartwheel properly, she some times does not get her legs high enough or she bends her legs, or if does does kick up high enough she usually land with her legs crossed of each other. The only way she can do it well if she does it over a block or over my legs. She even ties to use her other hand first and that is getting better ( she is a lefty)

it's funny how some children attempt to do so something which results with funny visual results.

 

[cbifoja]

Skipping is hard! LOL Took mine a long time to learn how to skip too. I told my other parent friends that on her report card, my daughter received a needs improvement in PE and skipping was specifically cited as a reason!

 

[Quadqueen]

My 7 year old DS just started gymnastics a few months ago. He has ROBHS down pat but cannot do jumping jacks to save his life

 

[2gymmies]

Skipping is hard because it is alot going on quickly - we used to slow it down to step hop, step hop, step hop and most kids could do it in slow motion, but speed it up to actual skipping speed and their little minds just can't keep up! It is sooooo cute to watch them try though!!!

 

[Quadqueen]

My DS could also ride a two-wheel bike without training wheels at 3 years old....but those jumping jacks still alude him LOL!!!!

 

[Muddlethru]

I could not understand the fasincation and thrill all my kids had in trying to get my attention to watch them skip. I can't remember nor do I even know at what age they were able to skip. But at one point, all of them would skip everywhere they went. This thread just opened my eyes to something I'd probably been so oblivious. They must have struggled learning to skip and were so proud to show me when they were able to do it. And of course, I was doing the "wow, great" without even looking and caring. In my defense, they always had something to show me EVERY minute and usually while I was cooking, cleaning, rushing, helping another kid, doing laundry, on the phone . . .

 

[cbifoja]

^^^^Right?

Sometimes I feel like Bella is going to say, "Hey Mom, look. I'm inhaling! Now I'm exhaling! Wanna see it again? Inhaling! Exhaling!"

 

[Deleted member D3987]

yet skipping is the most important component for all things 'hurdle' in gymnastics. it was something we never had to teach until grade schools took this basic of all human movement out of the P.E. curriculum about the middle 80's. ball sports, ball sports, ball sports...blah, blah, blah.

 

[lhmom]

This brings back memories of watching my daughter on pre-team looking absolutely uncoordinated trying to skip. It was so cute and totally hilarious. Still wish I'd gotten it on video.

 

[mommyof1]

I thought my daughter would never learn to skip until her ballet teacher had the class practice marching with high knees, then add a hop as they lifted their knees. Presto--instant skipping! The "step hop" explanation just never clicked for her, but somehow hopping while marching made much more sense.

She still cannot coordinate the arms and legs for jumping jacks, though.

 

[Quadqueen]

when I taught beginner gymnastics classes, we used to put the kids inside a hula-hoop and have them raise their knee...then gently pull the hoop forward and they would naturally skip.

 

[shelovestoflip]

I'm a teacher and believe it or not, on our screening, we assess whether children can skip, gallop, hop and alternate feet walking down stairs. 90% or so of children have these skills coming into Kindergarten but I can tell you that more often than not, those same children struggle with a variety of other tasks in the classroom, whether packing/unpacking backpacks, opening lunch containers, using scissors, writing.....Some children need to be directly taught these skills and we do this!

Interestingly, too, parents will often tell us these same children walked late, talked late, never crawled, didn't cross midline (or still don't) doing tasks.

I always recommend a beginner rec class to parents because I think these classes really help children break down these motor skills!

 

[MaryA]

I was in "remedial gym class" in elementary school (not sure where DD's atheletic genes came from, but not from me) and I have a clear memory of being up on the stage of the multipurpose room, skipping around in a circle with the other atheletically challenged kids. I don't remember how old I was at the time, but definitely old enough to be embarassed by having to practice skipping. I suppose that would have been late 1970's or early 1980's, so before skipping was removed from the phys ed curriculum. Who knew?

Of course, back in elementary school, the TRUE test to see if you had what it took to be popular or not (at least, that's the way I saw it) was whether or not you could do a cartwheel AND go hand-over-hand all the way across the monkey bars. I could never do either of those things. I remember having my kids at a playground when they were maybe in kindergarten and watching them both turn cartwheels and go hand-over-hand across the monkey bars and thought "Phew! What a relief!" Maybe they will both avoid my perpetual state of geekiness!

 

[Faith]

DD1 couldn't skip until she was around 5. She did an in-house comp and had to do 3 skips, then a forward roll. Couldn't skip at all, she just sprinted across the floor, and about every 5 strides did an enormous hop . We tried and tried to teach her, but not a chance. Suppose I should have noticed the fast twitch then I still don't think I've seem her skip except when DD2 does it, she prefers to just run, it's faster...

DD2 has just learned at 4.5, and now skips everywhere.

 

[cbifoja]

yet skipping is the most important component for all things 'hurdle' in gymnastics. it was something we never had to teach until grade schools took this basic of all human movement out of the P.E. curriculum about the middle 80's. ball sports, ball sports, ball sports...blah, blah, blah.

Preach!!!!!!

 

[cbifoja]

we used to put the kids inside a hula-hoop

<---- runs away screaming to hide.

I never could hula hoop. I ended up coming to the conclusion that the field of gravity in my immediate area is stronger than everyone else's. THAT'S the only reason I can't hula hoop.

 

[Quadqueen]

<---- runs away screaming to hide.

I never could hula hoop. I ended up coming to the conclusion that the field of gravity in my immediate area is stronger than everyone else's. THAT'S the only reason I can't hula hoop.

You don't need to know HOW to hula hoop...the child just stands inside it and the coach holds it just above the child's waist and kind of pulls them forward. BAM - they start skipping without even realizing it!!

 

[MaryA]

<---- runs away screaming to hide.

I never could hula hoop. I ended up coming to the conclusion that the field of gravity in my immediate area is stronger than everyone else's. THAT'S the only reason I can't hula hoop.

Hey... wasn't that you skipping in a circle with me in remedial gym class...

 

[Amusibus]

hmmmmm... my pre-teamer has been skipping since age TWO but still goes down stairs like a toddler! They say Asperger kids can be delayed with some of these motor skills, so I consider her gymnastics to be therapeutic in this respect. She can't hula hoop very well but has a killer cartwheel since age 4. But her fine motor has been assessed, and she is delayed by 18 months to 2 years behind her chronological age. So a mixed bag. hmm...