Grade by Grade
B. Active Living / C. Movement Competence · Active Living and Movement: Fit, Safe and Skilful

Jumping Far and High, Landing in Control

C1 A1.3 A1.6About 35 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can jump for distance and for height.
  • I can take off from two feet and from one foot.
  • I can land softly and stay in control.
  • I can measure my jumps and keep trying to improve.

Words to know

take-off
The moment your feet push off the ground to start a jump.
two-foot take-off
Pushing off the ground with both feet at the same time.
one-foot take-off
Pushing off the ground with just one foot.
flight
The part of a jump when you are in the air.
landing
The moment you come back down to the ground.
distance
How far something goes. We can measure it in centimetres or metres.

Remember from Grade 2

In Grade 2 you learned five ways to take off and land, like the hop (one foot to the same foot) and the leap (one foot to the other foot), and you learned to land softly with bent knees and stop safely.

This year you will jump for distance (far) and for height (high), using two-foot and one-foot take-offs, while staying in control.

How far? How high?

Stand with your feet together. Jump forward as far as you can and freeze when you land. Did you stay on your feet without stepping or falling? That was a jump for distance.

Now jump straight up as high as you can and land in the same spot. That was a jump for height.

The four parts of a jump

12341 ready2 take off3 flight4 land soft
The four parts of a jump for distance: 1 get ready, 2 take off, 3 flight through the air, 4 land soft.
  1. Ready: Feet about shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees, lean forward a little and swing your arms back.
  2. Take off: Swing your arms forward and up hard and push off the ground. Your arms help you go farther or higher!
  3. Flight: In the air, keep your body tight and bring your legs forward to get ready to land.
  4. Land soft: Land on both feet, bend your knees like a spring, arms out in front. Freeze for 2 seconds. This is called "sticking" the landing.
JumpTake-offExample
Standing long jump (distance)Two feetJump over a pretend river made with two skipping ropes
Running leap (distance)One footRun 3 steps and leap over a puddle (land on the other foot, then both)
Vertical jump (height)Two feetJump up and touch a high spot on a tree branch or a mark a grown-up holds up
One-foot jump for heightOne footRun 3 steps, push up off one foot to touch a high target, like a basketball player going for a layup
Jumping for distance and for height, with two-foot and one-foot take-offs.

Safe jumping

  • Jump on grass, sand or a mat, not on a hard floor in socks or on concrete.
  • Check there is lots of space in front and above you.
  • Wear running shoes with laces tied.
  • Land on both feet with bent knees whenever you can. Stiff legs = ouch!
  • Don't jump off high things like picnic tables or play structures.

Jumping in Indigenous games

Jumping skill and control are important in many traditional games. At the Arctic Winter Games, athletes compete in Inuit and Dene games. In the two-foot high kick, an athlete jumps off both feet, kicks a small target hanging in the air with both feet together, and must land on both feet in balance. It takes strength, timing and lots of control!

With a grown-up, you could watch a video of Arctic Winter Games events and talk about the skills you see.

Worked example

Let's measure a standing long jump

Aiden does three standing long jumps at the park. A grown-up measures each one from the take-off line to the back of his heels with a measuring tape: 95 cm, 102 cm and 110 cm. Which jump was best? How much farther was it than his first jump?

  1. Find the biggest number: 110 cm is more than 102 cm and 95 cm.
  2. Compare with the first jump: 110 − 95 = 15 cm.
  3. Why did he improve? He remembered to swing his arms forward hard on jumps 2 and 3.
  4. Did he stay in control? He froze for 2 seconds after each landing without stepping back. Yes!

His best jump was 110 cm, which is 15 cm farther than his first. Swinging his arms helped him jump farther.

02040608010012095 cmJump 1102 cmJump 2110 cmJump 3distance (cm)
Aiden's three standing long jumps. Jump 3 is the longest: 110 − 95 = 15 cm farther than jump 1.
Worked example

Let's fix a stiff landing

Priya jumps for height. She lands with straight legs and a loud thud, then falls backward. What should she change?

  1. Problem 1: straight legs. Fix: bend her knees as her feet touch down, like a spring.
  2. Problem 2: loud thud. Fix: land softly, as quietly as she can, through the front of her feet.
  3. Problem 3: falling backward. Fix: lean forward a little and put arms out in front.
  4. Test: She tries again and freezes for 2 seconds. Quiet landing, no fall!

Bent knees, quiet feet and arms in front help Priya stick her landing and stay in control.

Just for fun

A flea can jump more than 50 times its own body length. If you could do that, you could jump almost the whole length of a hockey rink!

Hands-on activity

Backyard jumping challenge

You need: two skipping ropes (or sidewalk chalk), a measuring tape or a metre stick, painter's tape or a stick to mark landings, paper, a pencil, and a soft, flat space like grass. A grown-up should watch.

  1. Two-foot distance: Lay one rope as a take-off line. Do 3 standing long jumps. Mark where your heels land. Measure each jump in centimetres and write it down.
  2. One-foot distance: Lay two ropes about 50 cm apart as a "river". Run 3 steps and leap over it from one foot. Can you make the river wider and still land in control?
  3. Two-foot height: Your grown-up holds a hand up high. Jump and try to touch it. Land and freeze.
  4. One-foot height: Run 3 steps, push off one foot and reach up to touch the hand.
  5. Check: Which jump was easiest? Which do you want to practise more?

Keep trying! Each try teaches your body something new.

Your turn

1

Name the four parts of a jump.

2

What should your arms do at take-off?

3

What is a two-foot take-off?

4

How do you land softly?

5

Is a running leap over a puddle a one-foot or two-foot take-off?

6

Your jumps were 88 cm and 97 cm. How much farther was the second?

7

Do it and check: Do a standing long jump and stick the landing.

More practice: warm-up

1

Jumping straight up is a jump for ______.

2

Should you land with straight legs or bent knees?

3

What is the part of a jump when you are in the air called?

4

Name one good surface for jumping.

5

What does "stick the landing" mean?

More practice: on your own

1

Why do you swing your arms back before a standing long jump?

2

Lily's jumps for distance were 104 cm, 98 cm and 112 cm. What was her best jump, and how much better than her worst?

3

Why is it a bad idea to jump off a picnic table?

4

Which is better for jumping high to touch a target: a few running steps and a one-foot take-off, or standing still on one foot? Why?

5

Max jumps far but always falls forward onto his hands. What can he do?

Challenge

1

Plan a 2-week practice to improve your standing long jump. What will you practise and how will you know you improved?

2

Explain why landing in control matters as much as jumping far.

3

Mia jumped 1 metre. Her brother jumped 95 cm. Who jumped farther, and by how much? (1 metre = 100 cm)

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

What is the first part of a jump?

2.

How should you land?

3.

A standing long jump uses a...

4.

What do your arms do at take-off?

5.

Which is the safest place to practise jumping?

6.

Jake jumped 80 cm, then 91 cm. How much farther was his second jump?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 3 students demonstrate the ability to jump for distance or height, using two-foot and one-foot take-offs, while remaining in control. The four parts (ready, take off, flight, land) and a strong arm swing are the key teaching points; a controlled, soft landing matters most for safety.

How to help at home:

  • Practise on grass or sand at a park. Use chalk or ropes to make take-off lines and "rivers".
  • Measure jumps together with a measuring tape (a great Grade 3 math connection: centimetres and metres, comparing with subtraction).
  • Praise good technique ("great arm swing!", "you stuck the landing!"), not only distance.

Common difficulties:

  • No arm swing. Practise swinging arms back and forward without jumping first.
  • Stiff landings. Say "bend like a spring" and "land quietly".
  • Comparing with others. Encourage beating their own best distance.

Safety: No jumping off play structures, tables or stairs. Avoid concrete and slippery floors. Keep the area clear of toys and other children.

Indigenous connection: The Arctic Winter Games include Inuit and Dene games, such as the two-foot high kick, which require great control in jumping and landing. Watching official event videos together is a respectful way to learn about these traditions.