Free for every school
Skipathon with Hopkins
A sponsored skip for your whole school. Hopkins teaches the skips on your whiteboard, helps you run the day and cheers every pupil on. You choose the cause and keep every penny.
- Free, always
- Any date
- Your cause, all the money
- No ropes to buy
- No subscription
Four weeks to your Skipathon
How it works
- 4 weeks beforePick a date and a cause
Any day, any cause: your PTA, new playground kit, a local or national charity.
- 3 weeks beforeMake your letters
Type your details below and print the letter home and the sponsor form.
- Weeks 3 to 1Learn with Hopkins
Ten minutes of Copy Hoppy a day, or in PE, with the free lesson plans.
- Skipathon daySkip!
Hopkins opens the day, leads the warm-up and finishes with his routine.
- The week afterCelebrate
Certificates for every pupil, a thank-you letter home, money in.
Free, no sign-up
Get ready with Hopkins
Put Copy Hoppy on the whiteboard. Hopkins shows each skip, then the class copies him. These are the six skips a Skipathon needs, in the order to teach them.
- 1Skipping, double bounce
- 2Skipping, single bounce
- 3Running on the spot
- 4Hopping on one leg
- 5Skipping backwards
- 6Side straddle
Copy Hoppy on your whiteboard. Watch Hoppy, then Copy Hoppy!, skip by skip, with a big counter and Hopkins’ own music.
Open Copy HoppyWant whole lessons? Registered schools get the free KS1 and KS2 skipping lesson plans. Registering is free.
Skipathon day
Run your Skipathon
Choose a format
Each pupil counts every skip in the time they have. Sponsors give a set amount, or a penny a skip.
Five-minute blocks with rests in between, adding up to 20 or 30 minutes. Sponsors pay per minute or a set amount.
The class keeps one rope turning all session, passing it on every minute. Everyone adds to one class total.
A one-minute skip-off in the finale. Pupils sponsor their teacher.
Pick a timetable
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Warm-up skip-along to his music |
| 0:10 | Copy Hoppy: a quick reminder of the six skips |
| 0:20 | Skip block 1: five minutes, partner counts |
| 0:27 | Rest and water; partners swap |
| 0:30 | Skip blocks 2 and 3, with rests |
| 0:45 | Skip block 4: the last push |
| 0:52 | Class total on the board |
| 0:55 | Cool down while Hopkins does his routine |
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Warm-up skip-along for the whole year group |
| 0:10 | Station 1: Copy Hoppy on the whiteboard |
| 0:25 | Station 2: one-minute skip, partner counts |
| 0:40 | Station 3: long rope, Under the Moon and running in |
| 0:55 | Station 4: class relay, one rope keeps turning |
| 1:10 | Teachers v pupils skip-off |
| 1:20 | Totals, and a cool down to Hopkins’ routine |
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 9:00 | Assembly: Hopkins announces the Skipathon |
| 9:20 | Reception and Year 1 (shorter blocks, long rope) |
| 10:05 | Year 2 |
| 11:00 | Year 3 |
| 11:45 | Year 4 |
| 13:15 | Year 5 |
| 14:00 | Year 6 |
| 14:45 | Finale assembly: totals, teachers v pupils and Hopkins’ routine |
Hopkins on the whiteboard
The launch assembly: Hopkins tells the school about the Skipathon.
A skip-along to his music before anyone counts.
Copy Hoppy for any skip pupils have forgotten.
The finale: his own routine, with the music, while the totals are added up.
Counting rules
- One skip is one turn of the rope under the feet.
- Rope stopped? Start again straight away. The count carries on.
- Count in pairs. One skips, one counts out loud, then swap.
- Younger pupils count in tens on their fingers; an adult writes the total.
Letters home and sponsor forms
Make your letters
Fill this in and print the letter to parents and carers and the sponsor form, with your school’s name, date and cause printed on. Choose “Save as PDF” in the print window to keep a copy. Nothing you type is sent to us.
No account? Print a blank letter and sponsor form and fill in the details by hand. Free, no sign-up.
- A one-page letter home with your date, cause and money-in date, and Hopkins on the top.
- A sponsor form: a simple one, or one with the Gift Aid column and declaration if your PTA is registered with HMRC.
- A short privacy note and the safety line on every form.
Safe skipping
Safe on the day
- Warm up with Hopkins first, and cool down at the end.
- A flat, dry floor or playground with space all round and nothing overhead.
- Trainers, not school shoes.
- Short blocks with rests, and water nearby.
- The right rope length: stand on the middle, handles to the armpits. See the rope size guide.
- Anyone who feels unwell stops and sits out.
For every pupil
Everyone can take part
- No rope? Jump a rope laid on the floor, skip without one, or share and take turns.
- Long rope for anyone still learning: two adults turn, pupils jump in. See the long rope games.
- Seated rope swinging for wheelchair users, and a turning or counting job for anyone who wants one. More in SEND and inclusion.
- Count effort, not just skips: every pupil gets a certificate.
The week after
Celebrate
A certificate for every pupil, a thank-you letter home with your total, and a simple count of the money in. Celebrate skips and effort, never who raised the most.
Skipathon questions
How do we organise a sponsored skip?
Pick a date and a cause about four weeks ahead. Print the letter home and the sponsor form from this page, practise the skips with Copy Hoppy on the whiteboard, then skip on the day and add up the total. Collect the money in by the date on the letter. Everything here is free.
Is the Skipathon really free?
Yes. The guide, Copy Hoppy, the timetables and blank forms are free to everyone with no sign-up. Personalised letters need a free school account. There is nothing to pay and nothing to buy.
Do we need to buy skipping ropes?
skip-hop offers very good, professional-quality skipping ropes that are perfect for both the Skipathon and for learning all the skills and tricks Hopkins teaches: see our skipping ropes for schools. If you already have ropes, or you have another supplier, you are still very welcome. Hopkins just wants to see children skipping, however you go about it.
Who gets the money from our sponsored skip?
Your school, or the cause you choose. skip-hop never sees the money or takes a share.
Can we claim Gift Aid on a sponsored skip?
Only if your PTA or school is a charity registered with HMRC. Choose Gift Aid when you make your letters and the sponsor form adds the Gift Aid column and declaration. Gift Aid adds 25p for every £1.
Who can pupils ask to sponsor them?
Family and adults they know only, always with a parent or carer. Never door to door or in the street.
What age is the Skipathon for?
Reception to Year 6. Younger pupils do shorter blocks and long rope; older pupils try the single bounce and side straddle.