Create · Week 03 · Program week 39
Hopper the Frog
Jump and land · Courage
Choose a jump only when the landing spot is empty, then continue a simple route.
35 minutes · ages 3–8
Try this at home
We jumped only when the landing was empty, then finished a short path.
- 1Put a stuffed animal on a pillow. Jump only after you move the toy off.
- 2Say “clear,” then jump and freeze.
- 3Try the path once by stepping instead.
Stay on the floor. If it feels wobbly, make the challenge smaller.
Talk about courage
Why is waiting a kind of courage?
Look for this: They check the landing before they leave the ground.
The story
Hopper builds a path, but he will not jump until the lily pad is free. Waiting is part of his courage.
Bend, land, and try a better one.
What happens in class
Gather and story · 4 min
- Hopper builds a path, but he will not jump until the lily pad is free. Waiting is part of his courage.
- A brave jump still looks first. If a friend is on the spot, we wait or we step.
- Children sit where they can see you and the equipment. Show the careful version once.
Warm-up · 5 min
- Review a small stick landing.
- Practice walking a curve around a cone.
- Point to an empty spot versus a spot with a cone “friend” on it.
Skill practice · 14 min
- Route: walk to a waiting line, jump to an empty spot, stick, then crawl under a noodle.
- Before the jump they look and say “clear” or “wait.”
- If they jump while someone is there, they reset and use a step instead.
- They may design a shorter route that has no jump. That plan is allowed.
Game · 7 min
- Pairs share one spot. They must take turns saying “clear.”
- After two turns each, they tell the class whether they jumped or stepped, and why.
- Finish by walking the route together with no race.
Cool-down and character · 5 min
- Thank a friend for waiting.
- Courage that can wait is the courage we want.