Let's get active and try Jumping Jacks!
With the Jumping Jacks activity you can develop the following skills:
- Stamina and endurance
- Rhythm and timing
- Jumping power
This resource is suitable for Physical Education and activity for P2, P3, P4, P5, P6 and P7 (First and Second Level Curriculum for Excellence).
Watch this
Learn how to take part in the Jumping Jacks activity with help from primary school teacher, Danny Denholm.
DANNY: Hey. I'm Danny, and welcome to Let's do this, where today, we will be getting active together.
This activity is called Jumping Jacks.
This is great for developing your physical fitness.
You will need a partner, a hoop.
You can do this on your own, or with a partner. So, I've got Nia and Louis to help show you how to do this.
Step one. Partner one should start by twisting the hoop so that it spins continuously, a bit like spinning a coin. The hoop will act as a timer to complete the activity within.
Step two. When the hoop is spinning, partner two should attempt as many jumping jacks as they can, before the hoop drops flat onthe ground.
Let's do this!
Great spin Louis, well done.
Four, five, six, keep going! Eight.
23, 24. What an effort!
NARRATOR: Too tough?
DANNY: Too tricky? Then take out the hoop and just do as many jumping jacks as you can.
Two, three.
NARRATOR: Go up a notch?
DANNY: To make this more challenging, spin the hoop more slowly so that it doesn't spin so long, meaning less time to complete the exercise.
You could change the jumping jacks exercise to a different fitness activity. For example, you could perform lunges, squats, or toe touches.
NARRATOR: Danny's challenge!
DANNY: Time to bring some goal setting in. Set yourself a target of several jumps to do before the hoop falls on the ground.
NARRATOR: Final thoughts.
DANNY: Well done you fitness fanatics. Repeating this exercise is a great way to boost your stamina.
NARRATOR: Let's do this!
What you need
| Equipment | Alternatives |
|---|---|
| Hoop | Timer or a coin |
Try it yourself
Follow these step-by-step instructions and give it a go!
Image caption, Player 1: Start the timer
Player One should twist a hoop allowing it to spin continuously. The hoop will act as a timer - you need to complete the activity before the hoop falls. If you don't have a hoop, you can spin a coin on a flat surface or use a timer and set a specific amount of time on the clock.
1 of 2
Don't have a partner?
- You can use a timer and set a specific time for yourself.
- Don't have a timer? You could choose a set number of jumping jacks to complete.
How was Jumping Jacks for you?
We are all unique and have different strengths and skills. Some of us may find some skills easier than others but we can all develop and improve.
You can adapt the Jumping Jacks activity to suit your needs. If we practise our skills regularly, we can improve and progress over time.
Too tough?
If you find Jumping Jacks too challenging, don't worry!
Try these tips to make the activity a bit easier.
- You can take away the hoop (or timer) and try as many jumping jacks as you can at your own pace.
- Instead of jumping, you can side step or move your arms up and down in a seated position.
Go up a notch?
It's great to look at ways to develop our skills and we can do this by challenging ourselves.
If you enjoyed Jumping Jacks but are looking for a bigger challenge, try these tips to make it trickier.
- Give yourself less time to complete the activity so you have to do it faster. You can do this by spinning the hoop slower.
- You could change the jumping jacks exercise to a different fitness activity. For example, you could perform lunges, squats or toe touches.
Danny's challenge
Time to bring some goal setting in!
Set yourself a specific number of jumps, or other exercises, to do before the hoop flat on the ground.
Time to reflect
Enjoyment
The most important part of physical activity and movement is that you enjoy it. We all need to stay active in our daily lives in order to stay healthy. It’s a lot easier if you’re having fun.
After you’ve taken part in this activity, take some time to think about what you enjoyed and how you might approach the activity differently next time.
- What did you enjoy about this activity? How could you do more of this?
- What did you dislike about this activity? What would make it better?
- What would you do differently next time?
Developing your skills
The skills you’ve worked on in this activity are useful in other parts of your daily life and in sport.
Can you think of any activities or sports where you might use these skills?
The skills you've developed in this activity could help with:
- running around or cycling with friends
- playing most sports
- jumping and leaping activities like gymnastics, dance or trampolining
Physical activity skills. list
Learn more about the different skills you've developed in this activity and how we use them in daily life.
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