Working on Jumping and Kicking with Your Child at Home

The thrill of two feet leaving the ground, the joy of a ball sailing across the room — these big movements build a confident, capable body.

In short

Jumping and kicking are gross-motor milestones that grow through play, not drills. You can nurture both at home with everyday games — bouncing, hopping over lines, kicking a soft ball — that build leg strength, balance and coordination. Keep it short, joyful and low-pressure, and follow your child's lead.

Playful activities you can try at home

For jumping

• Bunny hops and frog jumps — show your child how to crouch and spring up; animal pretend-play makes it fun.
• Bubble pops — blow bubbles low down and invite your child to jump and pop them.
• Line and pillow jumps — lay a ribbon or low cushion on the floor and practise jumping over and forward; hold a hand at first if needed.
• Trampoline or bed bounces (with supervision) — gentle bouncing builds the spring and confidence two-footed jumping needs.

For kicking

• Big soft ball first — a large, light ball is easiest to make contact with. Roll it gently towards a stationary stance.
• Goal games — set up two cushions as a goal and cheer every kick that goes through.
• Stationary then moving — start by kicking a still ball, then progress to a slowly rolling one as balance improves.
• Kick and chase — combine kicking with running to build whole-body coordination.

Make it work

• Keep sessions to 10–15 minutes and stop while it's still fun.
• Celebrate effort, not perfection — balance on one leg comes before clean kicking, and two-footed jumping comes before hopping.
• Use bare feet or grippy shoes on a non-slip surface, and clear the space of hard furniture.

When to check in with someone

Most children jump with two feet around 2 years and kick a ball forward around 18–24 months, but there's a wide normal range. If your child seems much behind same-age friends, tires very quickly, avoids these movements, or you simply have a nagging worry, a friendly developmental check is the sensible next step — early support is gentle and effective.

The Pinnacle way

At Pinnacle Blooms Network, gross-motor play like jumping and kicking is woven into joyful, goal-led occupational therapy. A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre under qualified clinician care — the AbilityScore® is a clinician-administered structured assessment that gives an objective baseline and tracks your child's progress over time.

Trusted sources

Guided by CDC developmental milestone resources and American Academy of Pediatrics guidance on active play, alongside WHO healthy-development principles. These describe typical ranges for motor skills and the value of everyday movement play, not fixed pass-or-fail tests.

Next step — to understand your child's motor strengths and get a tailored play plan, book a developmental assessment at your nearest Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, or message us on WhatsApp at +91 91001 81181.

This is general information, not a diagnosis — a clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre under qualified clinician care.