Free for every school
Skipathon with Hopkins
A free sponsored skip for your whole school, led by Hopkins. Pick a date and a cause, print your letters home, and skip. You keep every penny.
Every skip counts!
- Free, always
- Any date
- Your cause, every penny
- No subscription
The big idea
Every skip counts
Every pupil adds to your school’s total, whether they skip 500 times on their own or jump a long rope for the first time. A jump over a long rope counts. A partner skip counts. Every single skip counts.
Teachers, parents and Playground Leaders turn a long rope so Reception to Year 3, and anyone still learning, can jump in and count their skips. See skipping inside a long rope.
Two pupils share one rope and skip together. Perfect for children still learning to skip on their own. See partner skipping for young skippers.
Ask parents and carers to come in on the day to turn long ropes and to partner skip with their own child. The letter home asks for helpers.
A long rope game in every session
Add a long rope game to every session. It keeps everyone skipping, the little ones love it, and every jump counts.
Youngest skippers
Older skippers
How to turn, and more games: long rope games.
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 1Practise the skips
The five skips in PE or at playtime, and train your Playground Leaders to turn long ropes.
- Skipathon daySkip!
Every class skips, with long rope games in every session. Every skip counts.
- The week afterCelebrate
A certificate for every pupil and every Leader, a thank-you letter home, money in.
Your Playground Leaders
Give your Playground Leaders a starring role
Your Playground Leaders and Young Leaders, usually in Years 5 and 6, can make the day. Train them in the weeks before, and on the day they help the youngest skippers add to the total.
- Turn long ropes for Reception to Year 3.
- Partner skip with pupils still learning to skip on their own.
- Count and cheer: keep a class’s tally.
- Every Leader gets their own Skipathon Leader certificate.
How to train them: Playground Skipping Leaders.
A certificate of their own for every Leader who turns, counts and cheers. Print them in Celebrate.
Free, no sign-up
Get ready: the five skips
Keep it simple. These five skips are all a Skipathon needs, in the order to teach them. Each one has its own free page showing how to teach it.
- 1Skipping, double bounce
- 2Skipping, single bounce
- 3Running on the spot
- 4Hopping on one leg
- 5Skipping backwards
Any skip counts. Once pupils have the basics, let them get creative and invent their own.
Want 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 |
| 0:10 | A quick reminder of the five skips |
| 0:20 | Skip block 1: five minutes, partner counts |
| 0:27 | Long rope game while partners swap: Wiggly worms or Under the Moon |
| 0:32 | Skip blocks 2 and 3, with rests |
| 0:42 | Long rope game: everyone jumps in, every jump counts |
| 0:47 | Skip block 4: the last push |
| 0:52 | Class total on the board |
| 0:55 | Cool down |
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Warm-up skip-along for the whole year group |
| 0:10 | Station 1: the five skips, Playground Leaders helping |
| 0:25 | Station 2: one-minute skip, partner counts |
| 0:40 | Station 3: long rope games, Under the Moon and running in, Leaders turning |
| 0:55 | Station 4: class relay, one rope keeps turning |
| 1:10 | Teachers v pupils skip-off |
| 1:20 | Totals, and a cool down |
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 9:00 | Assembly: launch the Skipathon. Every skip counts! |
| 9:20 | Reception and Year 1: long rope games, with Leaders and parents turning |
| 10:05 | Year 2: skip blocks and a long rope game |
| 11:00 | Year 3: skip blocks and a long rope game, Leaders turning |
| 11:45 | Year 4: skip blocks and a long rope game |
| 13:15 | Year 5: skip blocks and a long rope challenge, Cluster jump |
| 14:00 | Year 6: skip blocks and a long rope challenge, Figure of Eight |
| 14:45 | Finale assembly: totals and teachers v pupils |
Counting rules
- One skip is one turn of the rope under the feet.
- Long rope and partner skips count. Every jump over the rope is a skip.
- Rope stopped? Start again straight away. The count carries on.
- Any skip counts. Double bounce, hopping or one they invented.
- Count in pairs. One skips, one counts out loud, then swap.
- Younger pupils count in tens on their fingers; an adult or a Leader 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, for every pupil
Safe and for everyone
- Warm up 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.
- No rope? Jump a long rope, jump a rope laid on the floor, or share and take turns.
- Seated rope swinging for wheelchair users, and a turning or counting job for anyone who wants one. More in SEND and inclusion.
- Anyone who feels unwell stops and sits out.
The week after
Celebrate
A certificate for every pupil and every Leader, 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.
Print your certificates
Free, no sign-up. One A4 page (landscape) per name. Leave the names empty for a blank certificate to fill in by hand.
Keep them skipping
Register your school free for the KS1 and KS2 skipping lesson plans. Register free
Free for every school: pupils record their skips and your school climbs the league. vsl.org.uk
Know a school that would love a Skipathon? Every skip counts. Email them the link
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 five skips in PE or at playtime, and train your Playground Leaders to turn long ropes. Skip on the day, add up the total and print a certificate for every pupil. Collect the money in by the date on the letter. Everything here is free.
Is the Skipathon really free?
Yes. The guide, the timetables, the blank letter and sponsor form and the certificates are free to everyone with no sign-up. Personalised letters need a free school account. There is nothing to pay.
Do long rope jumps count?
Yes. Every jump over a long rope counts as a skip, and so does every partner skip. Every skip counts, so pupils who are still learning to skip on their own can add to the total too.
How can Playground Leaders help?
Train your Playground Leaders or Young Leaders in the weeks before. On the day they turn long ropes for Reception to Year 3 and partner skip with pupils still learning. Every Leader gets their own Skipathon Leader certificate.
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. The youngest pupils jump long ropes turned by teachers, parents or Playground Leaders; older pupils skip on their own and try the single bounce. Every skip counts.
Every skip counts!