When should a child reach gross motor milestones, such as jumping, hopping on one foot, or skipping?
These are common questions we hear from parents.
They arise as children start kindergarten or school and their gross motor milestones become easier to notice.
While every child develops at their own pace, there are general age ranges for gross motor milestones.
These milestones include jumping, hopping, balancing, and skipping.
Here’s a simple guide to what you might expect from around 2 to 6 years of age.
Why are hopping, skipping and jumping important?
Hopping, skipping and jumping might look like simple playground activities, but they require children to combine several movement skills at once.
They help develop:
- Balance and coordination
- Leg and core strength
- Body awareness
- Motor planning
- Agility
- Rhythm and timing
- Confidence with movement
These skills also help children participate in playground games, PE, sport and active play with their peers.
Gross motor milestones by age
Gross motor milestones around 2 years
Around 2 years, children are beginning to develop more advanced movement skills after learning to walk.
Many children are starting to:
- Jump with two feet together
- Run with increasing control
- Kick a stationary ball
- Walk up and down stairs with support
Early jumping may only look like a small bounce or both feet briefly leaving the floor. The skill generally becomes more controlled with practice.
Gross motor milestones around 3 years
By around 3 years, many children can:
- Jump forwards with two feet
- Jump down from a low step
- Stand briefly on one foot
- Run with greater control
- Walk on their tiptoes
At this age, children are developing the balance and single-leg control they will eventually need for hopping.
When should a child be able to hop?
Many children begin hopping on one foot at around 4 years of age.
Around 4 years, children may be able to:
- Hop several times on one foot
- Jump over small obstacles
- Balance on one foot for several seconds
- Jump forwards with greater control
- Begin learning more complex movement sequences
Hopping is more difficult than jumping because the child needs to generate force, land and maintain balance using just one leg.
You may also notice that one side is easier than the other when a child first learns to hop.
When do children learn to skip?
Skipping generally develops around 5 years of age, although there is normal variation.
By around 5 years, many children can:
- Hop confidently on either foot
- Hop forwards
- Skip using an alternating step-hop pattern
- Gallop
- Side-step
- Jump further and higher
- Participate in more complex playground games
Skipping can take longer to master because it requires balance, coordination, rhythm, timing and motor planning to work together.
Gross motor skills around 6 years and older
From around 6 years, children usually continue refining rather than simply acquiring these skills.
You may notice:
- Smoother, more coordinated skipping
- Faster hopping
- Better jumping distance and height
- Improved balance during movement
- More confident participation in sport
- More complex combinations of running, jumping, hopping and changing direction
These skills form part of the foundation for activities such as athletics, basketball, soccer, dance, gymnastics and playground games.
What if my child can’t hop, skip or jump yet?
Developmental milestones are guides rather than strict deadlines, and some variation between children is expected.
However, it may be helpful to seek advice if your child:
- Is not jumping with both feet by around 3 years
- Is finding it difficult to hop on one foot around 4–5 years
- Is having significant difficulty learning to skip around 5 years
- Frequently trips or falls
- Avoids running, climbing or playground activities
- Has noticeably poorer balance or coordination than their peers
- Tires much more quickly than other children
- Struggles to keep up during PE, sport or active play
- Has lost a movement skill they could previously perform
Difficulty with gross motor skills can have many causes. Some children simply need more opportunities to practice, while others may have differences in strength, balance, coordination, motor planning or overall development.
If you’re concerned, an assessment can help determine why a particular skill is difficult rather than focusing only on whether a milestone has been reached.
How to practice hopping, jumping and skipping at home
Children develop gross motor skills through movement and play, so practice doesn’t need to feel like an exercise program.
Try:
- Hopscotch
- Backyard obstacle courses
- Jumping over chalk lines
- Jumping between floor markers
- Frog jumps and bunny hops
- Stepping stones
- Dancing and action songs
- “The Floor is Lava”
- Playground climbing and balancing
- Practicing skipping together
Start with activities your child can successfully achieve and gradually make them more challenging.
The goal is to build confidence and enjoyment of movement, not perfect technique.
How can pediatric physiotherapy help with gross motor development?
If a child is finding jumping, hopping, skipping or other gross motor skills difficult, a pediatric physiotherapist can assess the underlying movement skills contributing to the difficulty.
This may include looking at:
- Gross motor development
- Balance
- Strength
- Coordination
- Motor planning
- Running and jumping
- Single-leg control
- Endurance
- Participation in everyday activities
Physiotherapy can then target the areas your child finds challenging through individualized, play-based activities.
Paediatric physiotherapy on the Gold Coast
At Ohana Physiotherapy in Robina, our physiotherapists support babies, children and adolescents with gross motor development, movement and participation.
We see children for a wide range of reasons—from parents wanting reassurance about a developmental milestone through to children who need ongoing physiotherapy support.
Appointments are available at our Robina clinic, as well as in community settings across the Gold Coast where appropriate.
If you’re wondering whether your child should be jumping, hopping, skipping or keeping up more easily with their peers, you don’t need to wait until they are significantly behind to ask.
Contact Ohana Physiotherapy to discuss your child’s gross motor development or book a pediatric physiotherapy assessment.