How it works
Two people hold a long rope low and wiggle it along the floor like a worm. The skippers jump over it without touching it.
skip-hop tipStart with a still rope on the floor, then make the worm wiggle more as the children get better.
Teach wiggly worms with the All-Access Skip Pass
Everything a teacher needs to teach this skill to a whole class, from skip-hop coach Lee Collinson-James:
- Setting up: the rope, the turners and where the children stand
- The rule that makes it work: only jump when the worm is awake
- Spot the fault, with the fix
- A pupil self-check and a link to the White Award
£149 a year for the whole school, or 6 months free with the whole-school rope set.
Where it fits
Wiggly worms: White Award
White Award: First Jumps
Part of the White Award test.
To pass, a pupil:
- Walks along a rope laid on the floor without stepping off
- Jumps over a still rope with two feet and lands softly
- Jumps over a wriggling rope (Wiggly Worm) without touching it
- Can do 5 soft landing bounces (jumps)
In the scheme of work
Where this skill is taught in the skip-hop scheme of work.
- EYFSLesson 3: Wiggly worms and wavesReady, Steady, Jump! · Reception
- EYFSLesson 6: Award day: White and YellowReady, Steady, Jump! · Reception
- KS1Lesson 5: Into the long ropeSkipping Foundations · Years 1 and 2
What you need
For four or more skippers at once. skip-hop ropes are designed specifically for the skills shown on this site.
SEND and inclusion
Make it work for everyone
Ideas for pupils with SEND, and for anyone who finds wiggly worms hard. Change one thing at a time.
What usually makes it hard: Judging a moving rope on the floor.
- TaskStart with a still rope on the floor, as the skip-hop tip says.
- EquipmentA brightly coloured rope is easier to see.
- PeopleAn adult walks or jumps over with the pupil, holding hands.
Seated or no-jump version. Wheel over the still or gently wiggling rope on the floor, or hold one end and make the worm wiggle.
An adapted pass is still a pass on the Skipping Awards. Use your own judgement and each pupil’s care plan. More in SEND and inclusion at skip-hop. Pupil struggling to get started? Try Lee’s tips for pupils who are struggling to skip.