Long Jump Rope Activities for PE: 25 Skills and Games from Beginner to Double Dutch
Updated: Oct 26
Jumping rope in small groups with a long rope is a great way to add fun and variety to your PE classes. Long jump ropes are perfect for teaching lots of turning and jumping skills, and they build physical literacy, hand-eye coordination, and gross motor skills. The best part is that long ropes also build communication, problem solving, and teamwork. Whether your class is big or small, there are lots of games and activities you can adjust to fit your students.
Pics by Nikki @BeamTeamPE
In this post, I'll share why long jump ropes belong in PE, how to use them in your lessons, and 25 long rope skills, games, and tricks you can teach, with step-by-step directions for each one. They work for every age group and keep students engaged all year. All you need is a long jump rope, 15 to 18 feet long, for small or medium groups. You can use them inside or outside. Let's get this party started!
Quick Answer: Long jump rope activities teach turning, timing, and jumping skills while building teamwork. Start with jumping over a still rope (Level 1) and moving under it (Level 2), then lead-up jumps like pendulum swings (Level 3), front door and back door entrances (Levels 4 and 5), and advanced skills like peppers and double dutch (Level 6).
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What Are the Benefits of Long Jump Ropes in PE?
Teaching jumping and turning skills with a long rope has lots of benefits. Here are 4 reasons long jump ropes belong in your PE program:
1. Affordable and Easy to Use: Long jump ropes don't cost much, and they're easy to store, so they don't take up much space in your gym or classroom. Long rope activities are easy to set up and don't have to take a whole class period.
2. Great for Teamwork: Long jump ropes build communication, problem solving, and teamwork. To be successful, everyone in the group has to work together to time their turns and jumps. Jump rope rhymes are a fun way for groups to get creative, too!
3. Build Physical Literacy: Long rope activities build fundamental motor skills by teaching students to time their body movements to jump and turn a rope. They also build upper body mobility, hand-eye coordination, balance, agility, and gross motor skills.
4. Work for Every Age: Long jump ropes work for every age group, from elementary to high school, and you can adjust them for every ability level. They're perfect for beginners and can also challenge older, more skilled students.
How Can You Use Long Jump Ropes in a PE Lesson?
Long jump ropes are usually made of nylon or polypropylene and come in different lengths. Beaded jump ropes are a great choice because the extra weight makes turning easier. Longer ropes work best for bigger groups, and shorter ones work well for smaller groups. Before you start, talk with your class about why teamwork matters. Long ropes take two or more people to work, so they're a perfect way for students to practice working together and helping each other.
You can use long jump ropes to teach skills and tricks to small or medium groups. Students can work in trios or small groups at stations, or the whole class can follow a teacher-led lesson. Long ropes are also great for team building activities, where teams work together to complete jump rope challenges. Students learn coordination, timing, footwork, and agility while they work with others. You can also teach tricks like run throughs, pendulum swings, and even double dutch.
This post shares long jump rope skills, games, and activities for small groups, but long ropes have lots of other uses! You can use them for warm-ups, fitness units, and assessment. They're great for relays, too, which makes them a fun choice for field day and obstacle courses! For short rope ideas, check out my jump rope tricks and skills post.
Do Long Jump Rope Skills Help Meet PE Standards?
Yes! Long jump rope skills get students active, and they also teach students to work together and build a teamwork mindset. That helps students work toward SHAPE America's Standard 3: Develops social skills through movement.* The jumping and turning skills also build Standard 1: Develops a variety of motor skills.* My sportsmanship and SEL in PE posts have more ideas for building social skills.
Pic by Nikki @BeamTeamPE
25 Long Jump Rope Skills to Teach in PE
If you want to get your students pumped up and engaged, try these fun and challenging long rope skills!
Students can do these games and activities in trios or small groups at stations around your gym, or all together with teacher-led directions. Two students turn the ends of the rope while the others take turns jumping. Have students rotate so everyone gets a turn to turn and to jump.
Level 1: Jumping Over the Rope
Long Jump Down the Rope: Lay the rope flat and stand at one end. Take turns jumping as far as you can down the rope. Measure your distance on the rope, and see how many jumps it takes to get to the end.
Straight Rope Jump: Two students hold the rope still while the others take turns jumping over it. Try holding the rope at different heights.
Slanted Rope Jump: Hold the rope on a slant, with one end high and one end low. Take turns jumping over it at different heights.
Snake Jump: Turners wiggle the rope side to side, keeping it low to the ground, while jumpers take turns jumping over it.
Ocean Wave: Turners shake the rope up and down, keeping it low to the ground, while jumpers take turns jumping over it.
Level 2: Moving Under the Rope
Crawl Under: Two students hold the rope still while the others take turns crawling under it. Try holding the rope at different heights.
Roll Under: Hold the rope still while students take turns rolling under it. Try lifting the rope to different heights.
Limbo: Hold the rope still while students take turns doing the limbo under it. Try different heights.
Run Throughs: Turners swing the rope while students take turns running through from one side to the other. Say "1, 2, 3" and follow right behind the rope as you run through.
Level 3: Lead-Up Jumps
Jump the Shot: Attach a soft object (like a deck ring) to the end of the rope. Turn the rope in a circle low to the ground while students take turns jumping over it.
Pendulum Swing Jump (1 Jump): Turners gently swing the rope side to side without going over the top. Jumpers run in, jump once, and run out.
Pendulum Swing Jump (3 Jumps): Turners gently swing the rope side to side. Jumpers run in, jump 3 times, and run out.
Figure 8 Run: Turners swing the rope while students run through and around a turner in a figure 8 pattern. Use a front door entrance each time you run through.
Level 4: Turning and Jumping Rope (Basic)
Standing Start Jump: Start standing in the middle of the rope. Turners swing the rope over, and the jumper jumps.
Front Door (1 Jump and Out): Turners swing the rope toward the jumper (front door). The jumper follows the rope in, jumps 1 time, and runs out.
Front Door (3 Jumps and Out): Turners swing the rope toward the jumper. The jumper follows the rope in, jumps 3 times, and runs out.
Partner Jump: Two students start in the middle of the rope and jump together at the same time.
Level 5: Turning and Jumping Rope (Intermediate)
Jump and Spin: Start standing in the middle or use a front door entrance. Turn a quarter or half turn each time you jump.
Figure 8 Jump: Run in, jump one time, then run out and around a turner in a figure 8 pattern. Use a front door entrance each time.
Back Door (1 Jump and Out): Turners swing the rope away from the jumper (back door). The jumper runs in as the rope goes up and over, then jumps when it comes down to the floor. Jump 1 time and run out.
Jump Until You Miss: Start standing in the middle or run in. Keep jumping until you miss.
Level 6: Turning and Jumping Rope (Advanced)
Back Door (3 Jumps and Out): Turners swing the rope away from the jumper. The jumper runs in, jumps 3 times, and runs out.
Peppers: Turners slowly speed up the rope, and the jumper tries to keep up with the faster pace.
Double Dutch: Turners turn 2 ropes in opposite directions, taking turns with each hand and turning inward in small circles (like an eggbeater). The jumper jumps over each rope.
Partner Jump Until You Miss: Jump side by side with a partner. Keep jumping until you or your partner misses.
Final Thoughts
Long jump ropes are a great tool for PE. They give kids a fun way to learn to jump and turn in lots of different ways. Long ropes build coordination, agility, speed, and endurance, and they get students up and active while working with classmates. With these 25 activities and games to choose from, you'll have plenty of ways to teach long rope skills. Get your students excited by coming up with your own skills and challenges, too!
I hope this post gives you some great long jump rope ideas to try in your gym! Let me know your favorites in the comments below.
*National Physical Education Standards are used under license from SHAPE America. © 2024, SHAPE America, https://www.shapeamerica.org/. All rights reserved.
Need Resources?
Do you need PE Equipment Challenge Cards to help you teach activities like the ones in this post? Would easy-to-use visuals with clear directions and great graphics help? Here's a free set to help!
Fill in the form below to download 28 FREE PE Equipment Challenge Cards with a mix of manipulative and movement skills to use in your PE classes.
The set is a PDF digital download with four cards from each of these challenge card sets: 1. Balloon Challenges, 2. Beanbag Challenges, 3. Pool Noodle Challenges, 4. Hula Hoop Challenges, 5. Playground Ball Challenges, 6. Jump Rope Challenges, and 7. Cup Stacking Challenges.
This free set is a great addition to your PE program for years to come!
If you REALLY want to build up your PE equipment ideas, check out my 20 Set PE Equipment Challenge Card Super Bundle. It has over 480 PE equipment teaching visuals from 20 different sets!
You can find this bundle in my TPT store: PE Activities Using Gym Equipment: 20 Resource Skill and Movement Super Bundle
This visual collection helps you teach lots of movement and manipulative skills with 20 classic pieces of PE equipment: balloons, beanbags, stacking cups, pool noodles, juggling scarves, hula hoops, tumbling mats, long jump ropes, short jump ropes, scooter boards, cones and poly spots, dice, Lummi sticks, long-handled implements, short-handled implements, basketballs, beach balls, footballs, playground balls, and soccer balls. For a full long rope unit, check out my Long Jump Rope Skills Unit with 10 lesson plans.
About Pete Charrette
Pete Charrette is a National Board Certified physical education teacher and former Georgia PE Teacher of the Year with more than 30 years of experience teaching elementary PE. He is the creator of Cap'n Pete's Power PE and has developed more than 1,000 PE and health resources used by teachers around the world. Pete loves helping PE teachers build programs their students enjoy.
