Jumping and Hopping — Up and Down

"And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God." — Acts 3:8

A Man Who Jumped for Joy!

In the Bible, there is a wonderful story about a man who could not walk. He had been unable to walk his whole life! He sat by the temple gate every day, asking people for money.

One day, Peter and John — two of Jesus' followers — walked by. The man asked them for money. But Peter said something amazing: "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" (Acts 3:6).

And do you know what happened? The man's feet and ankle bones received strength! He stood up, and then he did not just walk — he LEAPED! He went jumping and leaping and praising God!

Today we are going to learn to jump and hop, just like that happy man!

Jumping — Two Feet Together

A jump means both feet leave the ground at the same time and both feet land at the same time. Here is how to do a good jump:

1. Bend your knees — get ready like a spring
2. Swing your arms up — your arms help you go higher!
3. Push off with both feet — spring up into the air
4. Land softly — bend your knees when you land (this protects your joints!)

The most important rule of jumping is: always land with bent knees! If you land with straight, stiff legs, it can hurt your knees and ankles. God designed your knees to bend like springs — use them!

Let us try it! Stand up. Bend your knees. Swing your arms. JUMP! Land softly. Again! Bend, swing, JUMP, land soft!

Standing Long Jump

Now let us try jumping forward. This is called a standing long jump.

1. Stand behind a line
2. Bend your knees and swing your arms back
3. Swing your arms forward as you jump out
4. Land on both feet with knees bent

How far can you jump? Mark your spot and try again. Can you go farther this time?

Hopping — One Foot at a Time

Hopping is different from jumping. When you hop, you take off from one foot and land on that same foot. It is harder than jumping because you have to balance on just one foot!

Let us try hopping on your right foot:

• Stand on your right foot
• Lift your left foot off the ground
• Push off and hop forward
• Land on your right foot

Now try your left foot! Is one side easier than the other? That is okay! Practice makes both sides stronger.

Did You Know?

God designed the bones in your feet in an amazing way. You have 26 bones in each foot! That is 52 bones in both feet together! All those tiny bones work together like springs and levers to help you jump and hop. God is such an amazing designer!

A frog can jump 20 times its body length. If you could jump like a frog, you could jump over a school bus! God gave frogs special leg muscles made for jumping. He gave us muscles for jumping too — and for walking, running, climbing, and so much more!

What We Learned Today

1. Jumping uses both feet — push off together, land together
2. Always land with bent knees — this protects our bodies
3. Hopping is on one foot — it builds balance and strength
4. God designed our bodies for movement — 26 bones in each foot!
5. We can praise God with our movement — just like the man in Acts 3!