The 30-day skipping challenge with Hoppy
Ten minutes a day for 30 days with Hoppy, from first jumps to tricks and a 30-second score to beat. For home or a whole class, with a free printable chart.
Ten minutes a day is enough to take a child from their very first jumps to a string of tricks. Each day has one skill and one small challenge. On days 7, 14, 21 and 28 they set a 30-second score, so they can see how far they’ve come.
Hoppy is skip-hop’s skipping coach. On the days marked Watch Hoppy, he shows you the skill on its page: watch him, then copy him.
Before you start
- Poise first. How to stand, and how to hold the handles safely: see Poise.
- The right rope. Standing on the middle, the handles should reach just below the armpits. See the rope size guide.
- The right place. A flat, dry floor or path with room overhead and an arm’s length clear all round. Trainers on.
- Every day. Two minutes of warm-up (marching, then little bounces), five minutes on the skill, three on the challenge.
- Too hard? Repeat yesterday. There’s no rush: the 30 days are a guide, not a race.
- How to score. Count 1 every time the rope passes under the feet. After a trip, start again and keep counting from the same number.
The 30 days
Tap a skill to see how it’s done, step by step. On the days marked Watch Hoppy, Hoppy does the skill for you on its page.
Week 1: Get the rope going
- Day 1Quiet bounces
Bounce on the spot, no rope, on the balls of your feet with soft knees.
Challenge: Do 20 bounces so quietly nobody hears you land.
- Day 2Jump the rope on the floor
Lay the rope in a line. Jump over it forwards and back, then side to side, feet together.
Challenge: 10 jumps each way without touching the rope.
- Day 3Wiggly worms
Someone wiggles the rope along the floor like a snake. Jump over it.
Challenge: 10 jumps without being touched.
- Day 4Swing and stop
Hands at waist height, swing the rope over your head so it lands in front of your toes. Stop. Step over it.
Challenge: Land it in the same place 10 times in a row.
- Day 5Swing and jump
Same again, but jump over the rope as it lands. One jump, then stop.
Challenge: 5 single jumps.
- Day 6Keep it going
Link the jumps without stopping: one turn of the rope, two little bounces.
Challenge: 5 double bounces in a row.
Watch Hoppy do it → - Day 7Score day
Your first 30-second score. A grown-up counts 1 every time the rope passes under your feet.
Challenge: Write down your score.
Week 2: Find the rhythm
- Day 8Double bounce
One turn of the rope, two little bounces. Count out loud.
Challenge: 10 in a row.
Watch Hoppy do it → - Day 9Skipping backwards
Start with the rope in front of your feet and swing it backwards over your head.
Challenge: 3 backwards skips.
Watch Hoppy do it → - Day 10Single bounce
One turn of the rope, one bounce. Small jumps.
Challenge: 5 single bounces in a row.
Watch Hoppy do it → - Day 11Hopping
Hop on one foot without a rope, then try it with the rope.
Challenge: 5 hops on each foot.
Watch Hoppy do it → - Day 12Running on the spot
Step over the rope one foot at a time, as if you are jogging on the spot.
Challenge: 10 running steps in a row.
Watch Hoppy do it → - Day 13Rhyme day
Learn a skipping rhyme to skip to with your own rope.
Challenge: Skip all the way through “Salt, Mustard, Vinegar, Pepper”.
- Day 14Check day
How far have you come in two weeks?
Challenge: 20 single bounces in a row, then a new 30-second score.
Week 3: First tricks
- Day 15Side straddle
Feet together on one turn of the rope, feet apart on the next.
Challenge: 5 side straddles.
- Day 16Scissors
Feet together, then one foot in front and one behind. Back together, then swap feet.
Challenge: 5 scissors.
- Day 17Bell
Feet together, jump a little way forwards, then back to the same spot, like a rocking bell.
Challenge: 5 bells.
- Day 18Slalom
Jump from side to side, feet together, like a skier.
Challenge: 5 slaloms.
- Day 19Ex
Feet together, then crossed, then together, then crossed the other way.
Challenge: 4 exes.
- Day 20Partner day
Face a grown-up or friend who turns one rope for both of you, and jump in time together.
Challenge: 10 skips together.
- Day 21Check day
Put four tricks together.
Challenge: 4 tricks, 4 skips each, then a new 30-second score.
Week 4: Speed and stamina
- Day 22Boxer skip
Two bounces on one foot, then two on the other: left, left, right, right.
Challenge: 10 boxer skips.
- Day 2330-second rounds
Three goes of 30 seconds, with a rest between.
Challenge: Beat your best round.
- Day 24Small jumps
Jump only a couple of centimetres off the ground. Quieter means faster.
Challenge: 30 seconds without stopping.
- Day 25Long rope day
Two people turn a long rope away from you, and you run underneath it: Under the Moon.
Challenge: Run under the rope 5 times without being touched.
- Day 26One minute
Any skip you like, for a whole minute.
Challenge: Skip for a minute, starting again if you trip.
- Day 27Speed day
Single bounces, small jumps, wrists only.
Challenge: Three 30-second goes, each faster than the last.
- Day 28Score day
The big one. Same rules as Day 7.
Challenge: Beat your Day 7 score.
Days 29 and 30: Show time
- Day 29Make a routine
Put four of your tricks together, 8 skips each, without stopping.
Challenge: Practise your routine 3 times.
- Day 30Show time
Show someone your routine and your best 30-second score.
Challenge: Fill in your certificate.
The 30-day challenge in school (KS1 and KS2)
A whole class can do the challenge together. Use the day’s skill as a ten-minute warm-up in PE (on the bounce days, put Copy Hoppy on the whiteboard and the class copies him), set it as a playtime challenge run by Playground Skipping Leaders, or send it home as homework. The four score days slot straight into the Virtual Skipping League’s 30-second challenge, so every score counts for the class too.
The week 2, 3 and 4 challenges are close to skills in the Green and Blue Skipping Awards, so a class that finishes the challenge is well on the way.
How does a score compare? See how many skips is good for the expected 30-second scores in every year group.
Questions people ask
What is a 30-day skipping challenge?
A short daily skipping session, about ten minutes, for 30 days in a row. Each day has one skill to practise and one small challenge, building from first jumps to tricks, with a 30-second score on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 so children can see how far they have come.
What age is the 30-day skipping challenge for?
Children aged about 5 to 11. Younger children can start with week 1 and repeat days as often as they like; confident skippers can move quickly through week 1 and spend longer on the tricks.
What if my child can’t skip yet?
Start at Day 1. The first week is our coaches’ own step-by-step way of teaching a child to skip, and it’s fine to spend two or three days on a step. See how to teach a child to skip.
What do we need?
A skipping rope the right length (standing on the middle, the handles should reach just below the armpits), trainers, and a flat, dry space with room overhead. A long rope helps on Day 25, but any long rope or washing line held by two people will do.
Can a school do the 30-day challenge?
Yes. Use the daily skill as a ten-minute warm-up in PE, a playtime challenge run by Playground Skipping Leaders, or homework. The class pack has a record sheet for the four score days and a certificate for every child.
Is skipping every day OK for children?
Ten minutes is a small part of the hour of activity a day the UK Chief Medical Officers recommend for children. Warm up first, keep the jumps small, skip on a forgiving surface and stop if anything hurts. The days vary, and if your child is tired, simply repeat an easier day. If your child has a health condition, check with your GP first.