Indoor Tape Hopscotch

What you need

• Painter's tape, 1 roll
• Crayons or markers, 1 marker (optional)
• Rolled socks, 1 pair, rolled into a ball (instead of a beanbag) (optional)

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Choose a clear stretch of floor away from furniture, sharp corners and rugs that slide. Bare feet or grippy socks work best on smooth floors. Use painter's tape only, since other tapes can leave sticky residue or damage floors.

1. Clear the play area. Move anything you could trip on out of the way. Ask for help if you need it
2. Use painter's tape to make a grid of single squares and side-by-side pairs.
3. Mark each square with a number or dots, from 1 up to the last one.
4. Walk slowly through the grid, saying each number out loud as you step.
5. Stand behind square 1 and toss the beanbag or sock ball onto a square.
   Ask: Which number do you think you'll land on?
6. Hop through the grid, one foot on singles and two feet on doubles. Jump over the ball square.
7. On the way back, scoop up the ball while balancing, then toss to the next number.
   Ask: How can you stay steady while you bend down to pick it up?
8. Now invite a friend to hop with you, or build a new path! How many squares can you hop?
   Ask: What new hopping path will you make next?

Play it again

• Zigzag path: tape the squares in a curvy snake shape instead of a straight line.
• Number call: a grown-up calls out a number and you hop straight to that square.
• Backward hop: start at the far end and hop back to square 1 for a wobbly challenge.