Stick the Landing Challenge

Students jump from the floor or from a low bench and must land like a gymnast: toes first, knees bent, arms forward and frozen for three seconds without moving the feet. The activity builds balance after a jump, safe landings and body control.

How to play

1. Set up 4 stations: loose hoops on the floor to jump into, a line for a short standing long jump, a gym bench with a mat in front of it and a row of 3 hoops in a line; split the class into 4 groups (3 min).
2. Teach the gymnast landing: land on the balls of the feet, bend the knees, reach the arms forward and hold still while saying "one, two, three" (2 min).
3. Stations 1 and 2: jump two-footed into a hoop, and jump over the line as far as possible, always sticking the landing (3 min at each).
4. Stations 3 and 4: jump forward off the bench onto the mat, and hop through the 3 hoops with a frozen landing in the last one (3 min at each).
5. Every stuck landing earns the group 1 point; if a foot moves, try again, and at the end the class adds up its total to beat next time.
6. Showcase: one volunteer per group shows their best landing, and the class rates it by holding up one to three fingers (1 min).

Rules

• Jump off the bench only forward and always onto the mat.
• Wait until the mat is clear before jumping.
• Landings should be quiet: if it's loud, bend your knees more.
• No twists or backward jumps off the bench.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: push the wheelchair to a floor mark and stop sharply, holding still for three seconds, or serve as landing judge.
• Hearing impairment: count to three with raised fingers instead of out loud.
• Advanced students: add half-turn jumps from the floor, never from the bench.

Learning goals

• Regain static balance after a jump.
• Use a safe landing technique by absorbing force with the legs.
• Value the quality of movement, not just the distance of the jump.

Equipment for a class of 25

• mats: 4
• hoops: 12
• gym bench: 1

Teacher tip

Check that mats don't slide and that the bench is stable. Reward quiet landings: kids get it right away and their shock absorption improves.

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