Hop, skip, and jump into learning with these fun variations of hopscotch games.
They can be changed to fit any kid, making them a perfect fit.
This article may contain affiliate links to products that may help you when homeschooling preschool.
Why Play Hopscotch Games?
Hopscotch games are the perfect activity for a warm day.
They require only one thing– chalk!
In addition, they can be changed so even the youngest preschoolers can play.
When kids hop, skip, and jump, gross motor muscles are worked on.
Hopscotch is a great activity that includes all of these activities into one.
This article may contain affiliate links to products that may help you when homeschooling preschool.
How to Teach Preschoolers Hopscotch
Because hopscotch games are simple, they are ideal for teaching little ones.
Once your little one knows how to jump, have her practice jumping inside a box drawn with chalk.
Then, move to having her jump from one box to the next.
After she has the hang of that, teach her that if it is only one box, both feet go into the box.
If it is two boxes next to each other, one foot goes in each box.
Throwing a rock into one of the hopscotch boxes is a level up from basic hopscotch.
If you think your little one can handle tossing (heavy emphasis on underhand toss) a stone, you can introduce it.
Whatever box the stone lands on gets jumped over.
10 Hopscotch Games
1. Traditional Hopscotch
Add the numbers, in order, from one to ten.
One number goes in each box.
2. Even/Odd Hopscotch
Make a traditional board and have the little ones say if the number being jumped on is even or odd.
3. Alphabet Hopscotch
Inside of filling in the board with numbers, fill in the board with letters.
Adapt this to what your little one needs.
Keep the letters in order, or mix them up.
Choose to write uppercase or lowercase letters or a mixture of both.
If this is too easy for your little one, have her say if the letter is a consonant or a vowel.
4. Basic Addition or Subtraction Hopscotch
Put a plus or minus sign and a number in each box (plus 1, plus 2, minus 1, etc.).
Make the double boxes the same value to make it less confusing.
If you are still working on the concept of adding, keep the hopscotch only to adding.
If you are working on subtracting?
Keep the board to subtraction.
If your little one is ready for a mixture of both, mix them on the board.
Starting with a few addition boxes is key to making sure you don’t deal with negative numbers.
To play, have your little one pick a one-digit number to start with.
Then, add or subtract the numbers on the hopscotch board from the starting number.
Of course, if you only do subtraction, you will want to start with a bigger number (like 15 or 20).
For example, if you start with 3 and your first box says +1, your total would be 4.
If the next box says +2, then your new total is 6.
Continue adding or subtracting as the little one hopscotches down the board.
You can also add simple addition or subtraction to each square.
For example, one square would say 1+1, another square would say 5-2, etc.
When the box is jumped on, the answer is shouted out.
5. Shapes Hopscotch
Put different shapes inside the boxes.
From triangles, squares, and circles to pentagons, octagons, and trapezoids, as many or as few shapes can be included.
The shape’s name is called out when the box is jumped on.
6. Colors Hopscotch
Color in the boxes with colors.
As the preschooler jumps on the box, she shouts the color.
7. Vocabulary Hopscotch
Add vocabulary works to the hopscotch board.
When your little one lands on the box, she says the word and the definition.
8. Music Notes Hopscotch
Draw different music notes in the boxes.
Put eighth, quarter, half, and whole notes on the board.
When your little one is ready, add on different types of rests, too.
9. Name Hopscotch
Write the names of family members and friends to help your little one learn to identify names.
When writing them, use capital letters at the beginning so your preschooler sees names as proper nouns.
10. Directional Hopscotch
Draw arrows in the boxes.
Up, down, around, and behind can all be used.
Have your little one jump on the square are turn her feet the way the arrows are facing.
Hopscotch Games for Preschoolers
Change up traditional hopscotch with these hopscotch games.
These ten ideas are only the beginning.
Fill in the boxes with whatever your kid needs to work on (or review).