Crafts: J is for Jump Rope

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Do your children enjoy jumping rope? Or perhaps you call it skipping rope? For the sake of this craft, we are going to call it, "jump rope," because J is for Jump Rope!

Background

Rope has been used for skipping for a long time. There have been examples of rope-jumping for fun and exercise in Ancient Phoenicia, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient Greece. Even though jumping rope today is often done mostly by girls, it was an activity in history that was primarily done by boys and men.

The activity of jumping rope spread through the ancient world to Medieval Europe and eventually to America, possibly by the Dutch. In fact, the version of Double Dutch has been attributed to the theory that it might have originated among immigrants from the Netherlands in Colonial America. In Double Dutch, two long jump ropes are used which are turned in opposite directions and more than one player may jump at the same time.

Jump rope can be done by oneself or with friends. Those friends can either turn the rope or jump in depending upon the length of the rope or the style of jump rope being done.

Activities

In addition to the traditional ways to jump rope, you can incorporate a variety of other games using the jump rope and skipping or jumping.

PLEASE NOTE: Exercise caution when playing any games with jump ropes. Do not leave children unattended.

• Snake in the Grass: Two children move the jump rope back and forth along the ground or floor while one child tries to jump over the snake without touching the rope
• Math Facts: Skip while reciting math facts such as counting by twos, threes, or other numbers 
• Skip to a Song: Jump rope to the rhythm of a popular nursery rhyme or song
• Helicopter: One child slowly spins the jump rope in a circle along the ground or floor while the others form a circle around that child and try to jump over the rope as it comes their way 

J Is for Jump Rope Craft 

Materials

• Construction paper 
• Scissors
• Glue sticks and white glue 
• Yarn or rope

Steps

1. Gather all materials.

2. Draw and cut out letter J on construction paper.

3. Glue the letter J onto a second sheet of construction paper.

4. Cut pieces of the yarn to attach to the letter J.

5. Glue the yarn (or rope) to the letter J.

Looking for more crafting posts? Please check out my posts: E is for Enderman and A is for Alligator.