FloPo | Hopping and jumping along a numbered hopscotch grid outdoors for counting 1

Step-by-Step Guidance

1. Choose a flat outdoor area with enough run-up space and a clear boundary so children can see where the game happens. 2. Draw a hopscotch grid with 10 spaces and write the numbers 1–10 clearly inside each space. Check the spacing allows safe landing. 3. Stand beside the grid and show one slow route across it, using a simple pattern of hops and jumps that matches the layout. 4. Invite children to start where they choose. Some may begin at 1, others may step onto a favourite number first. 5. As children move, model number language that matches what is happening: “You’re on 3… now 4.” Keep your voice calm and timed to their steps. 6. If using another language, offer one number word at a time alongside the familiar one, keeping it consistent (for example, “4… cuatro”). 7. When a child loses balance or misses a square, pause with them and offer a choice: restart, step back one number, or try with two feet. 8. Support turn-taking if several children want to use the grid at once by naming a simple waiting spot and noticing whose turn is next. 9. End with a brief reset of the space: brush away loose chalk dust if needed and check the area is still safe for free outdoor play.

Learning Objectives

Children may practise gross motor skills such as hopping, jumping, balancing and landing safely, linking to Physical Development. Children may also notice number order and use number words as they move, linking to Mathematics. Children may listen and respond to simple number language from adults and peers, linking to Communication and Language.

Adult Role

Stay emotionally attuned by noticing confidence, hesitation, and frustration, and respond with calm reassurance and time rather than pressure to perform. Model clear, simple language that matches the child’s movement, including number order and positional words like “next”, “before”, and “after”, and add a second-language number word only when it fits naturally. Scaffold only when needed: offer a slower demonstration, a starting point, or a balance option, then step back so children can repeat and adapt the route independently. Observe how each child chooses to move, whether they self-correct, and how they use number words with peers. Hold responsibility for safety by managing spacing, turn-taking, and checking the surface for slips or collisions.

Observation Cues

Chooses to hop on one foot or switches to two feet when the space changes. Says number words while moving, or points to a number before stepping onto it. Pauses to regain balance, then restarts without adult direction. Corrects themselves when they miss a number or land outside the square. Joins in with a peer’s counting, copying the rhythm or taking turns. Repeats a number word in another language after hearing it, even if pronunciation is approximate.

EYFS Links

Physical Development: children may develop control, balance and coordination as they hop, jump, land and recover balance, and they learn to judge space as they move along the grid. Mathematics: the numbered spaces give a clear, repeated prompt for noticing number order, matching spoken number words to written numerals, and comparing “before/after” as they move. Communication and Language: children may listen to and copy number words, join in with shared counting, and use simple talk with peers to take turns or agree how the game will run, including trying number words in another language when offered naturally.

Age adaptations

Budding Adventurers

Use numbers 1–6 or 1–8 depending on confidence, and keep the route predictable so children can repeat it. The adult offers a choice of movement: hop, jump, or step, and names the number landed on rather than correcting mid-move. Add one consistent second-language number word for a small set (for example 1–3) and repeat it in the same order each time.

Curious Investigators

Use a full 1–10 grid and invite children to decide how they will travel it (all hops, all jumps, or a mixed route). The adult introduces simple challenges that stay child-led, such as “Can you start at 5?” or “Can you find the number after 7?” and waits for the child to choose an approach. If using another language, the adult and child can alternate: adult says the familiar number, child tries the other-language number, then swap roles.

Confident Discoverers

Keep 1–10 and add child-led variations such as counting backwards from 10, starting from a chosen number, or saying the number in another language before landing. The adult supports children to negotiate turn-taking and rules with peers, stepping in only if the game becomes unsafe or exclusionary. Offer brief, specific feedback linked to movement control, such as “You paused and then hopped again,” rather than judging performance.

Ethos adaptations

Present one clearly drawn 1–10 grid and keep the surrounding area uncluttered, with a single tray at the side holding one piece of chalk and one large beanbag. Mark a clear start point and a waiting spot, and place them so children can see the route and manage turns without adult organising. Decide in advance that only one child is on the grid at a time, and keep that limit consistent so the flow is predictable. Demonstrate one slow crossing once, then move to a fixed observing position rather than walking alongside. Limit language to naming the numeral the child is standing on and brief safety phrases, and avoid questions or extra challenges that steer choices. Watch for repetition, careful foot placement, and self-correction when a foot lands outside a square; respond by making small environmental adjustments (re-marking a faded number, re-pointing to the waiting spot, or increasing the gap between children) rather than correcting the child’s movement.

Set the activity in an outdoor area with mixed, real ground underfoot (for example, a firm path beside grass) and choose a boundary that keeps children away from busy run-through spaces. Offer a small pile of natural markers (flat wood slices or bark pieces with numbers written on, plus a few stones for weighting) so children can build and rebuild the grid in different shapes, and keep a sheltered “kit spot” nearby with spare markers and a cloth for drying hands if the ground is damp. Decide where the safest jumping line is on that day’s ground and place the kit spot so children do not have to cross the landing area to fetch pieces. The adult makes clear decisions in the moment: checks footing and marker stability before children begin, agrees a simple stop signal for running near others, and allows children to choose the layout and movement without setting a single correct route. The adult stays close enough to manage risk, using short commentary such as “That patch is slippery” or “You moved 7 closer,” and steps in mainly to re-seat a marker, slow the pace if collisions build, or move the boundary if other groups approach. The adult watches how children adapt their jumps to uneven ground, how they test distance between numbers, and when they choose to revisit and change the layout, responding by offering time, space, and practical help with heavy or unstable pieces.

Create a larger invitation space outdoors with two parallel hopscotch routes side-by-side and a clear “meeting spot” marked with a circle, so children can compare, collaborate, and change the layout. Provide open-ended marking materials nearby (chalk in a few colours and spare number cards) so children can redraw squares, add arrows, or create their own number pathways without waiting for adult permission. The adult listens for children’s ideas about routes and rules and responds as a co-researcher: “You’re making 8 closer to 9—what changes when you hop?” Use reflective language rather than instruction, and document children’s number talk or route designs with quick notes or a photo for later revisiting. Observe how children negotiate turn-taking, how they represent numbers in their drawings, and how their movement choices change when they redesign the space.

Draw a simple 1–10 grid with plain numerals and keep the area calm and uncluttered, with only the grid and a single soft marker available. Choose a quieter outdoor corner so children can hear footsteps and notice rhythm in movement without competing noise. The adult models a steady, unhurried crossing with minimal speech, then remains close and observant. Number words are offered softly in time with steps, and a second-language number is added only as a gentle echo rather than a prompt. The adult watches for children settling into repeated patterns, pausing to regain balance, and returning to the start on their own, stepping in mainly to steady a child briefly or to slow the pace if the space becomes crowded.

Hopping and jumping along a numbered hopscotch grid outdoors for counting 1–10

Time & Space