Why Can't My Child Jump

Jumping is an important gross motor skill & it is the first time that a child's 2 feet leave the ground at once. This can often feel like a big milestone for some kids and so supporting your child if they feel nervous or cautious about jumping can often be tricky as you may not know where to start.

As a parent you might be wondering; what age should a child be able to jump? what age should a child be able to hop or cycle a bike? How can I develop my child's balance skills or strength? Should my child be able to jump by 3 or 4 years old?

Firstly, its important to remember that every child is on their own developmental path so skills like jumping can develop at different ages depending on a number of factors including muscle strength, praxis, motivation, exposure and fitness. However, if your child isn't jumping by 2.5 - 3 years old as we always say, it's never too early to get some support & advice. 

Researchers at DCU in Ireland found that 1 in 4 children in their study couldn't run properly, 1 in 2 couldn't kick a ball and less than 1 in 5 couldn't throw a ball. The findings also found that children were delayed in relation to important fundamental movement skills such as running, catching and jumping. 

Our Gabadoo Team know how important fundamental movement skills are as a basis for more complex skills such as cycling a bike, skipping and playing team sports so working on these skills from an early age is so important. 

There are tons of activities you can do to develop your child's strength and confidence to jump and our Gabadoo Team are here to support you. 

What Area of Focus should I choose for my Gabadoo?

Gross Motor Skills

So if you are looking for support around developing your child's jumping, ball skills, cycling, hopping or running, complete a Gabadoo, select 'gross motor skills' as your Area of Focus and make sure to include videos that showcase your child's posture and them doing a variety of movements in a variety of different environmental spaces e.g. on the grass, on a flat surface, walking over uneven surfaces, imitating different movements etc. One of our experts will review your information & send you back individualised, solution-focused strategies and fun activities you can use to develop your child's gross motor skills.