Hopping Race Course Challenge

Chalk (outdoor) or painter's tape (indoor) for marking lines

Cones, water bottles, or any markers to hop around

A flat surface with enough room for the course

Mark a start line and finish line about 15 feet apart. On a driveway, use chalk. Indoors, use painter's tape.

Place 3-4 cones or water bottles along the path as obstacles to hop around. Space them about 3-4 feet apart.

Show your child how to hop on one foot. Lift one knee up, balance on the standing leg, and push off with little hops forward. Most 3-year-olds can do 2-3 hops before putting the other foot down.

Let your child practice hopping on their preferred foot first. Stand beside them and hold their hand if they need balance support.

Line up at the start line together. Count down: "Three, two, one, HOP!" Race along the course, navigating around the markers.

It's fine if they put their foot down and start again — hopping is genuinely hard. Celebrate effort and persistence, not perfection.

On the way back, switch to the other foot. The non-dominant side is usually much harder, and that's where the real growth happens.

Advanced challenges: hop backwards along the course, hop sideways, or hop while holding a beanbag on your head.

Hopping on one foot is a milestone that most children achieve between ages 3-4. If your 3-year-old can't do it yet, that's completely normal. Practice builds the skill.

One foot will be much stronger than the other. That's fine. Practice both sides but don't force equal performance — it comes with time.

Start with very short distances (5 feet) and build up. Hopping is exhausting for young legs.

If your child gets frustrated, switch to two-footed jumping along the same course. The course is still fun, and you can try hopping again another day.

Count their hops together. Beating their own record ("You did 8 hops last time, can you do 9?") is more motivating than racing against you.