Exercise

Locomotor Skills for Kids: Examples, Cues and a Lesson Map

By Dave Joisil (Mr. J) · Certified Health and Physical Education teacher

Updated

Compare walking, running, hopping, skipping, galloping and sliding, then use an original skill map to choose a focused PE lesson rather than teach everything at once.

Locomotor skills move the body from place to place. Examples include walking, running, hopping, skipping, galloping, and side sliding. Jumping can also project the body upward or across space. A useful PE lesson names the action, shows its pattern, and gives children room to try it.

This is a comparison and lesson-planning map, not another full tutorial for each movement. Movement curricula may group or name skills differently. Use the vocabulary in your local curriculum consistently, explain it in child-friendly language, and avoid treating one list as a universal developmental checklist.

Compare the movement patterns

  • Walking: travel with alternating steps and no flight phase; cue “comfortable steps along the path.”
  • Running: alternate feet with a flight phase; use a suitable open area and teach slowing down before the boundary.
  • Hopping: take off and land on the same foot; cue “same foot, then reset.”
  • Skipping: step-hop on one side, then step-hop on the other; cue “step-hop, change.”
  • Galloping: a lead foot steps and the trailing foot follows in an uneven rhythm; keep the same lead during a short attempt.
  • Side sliding: travel laterally with a step-together rhythm and no crossing of the feet.
  • Jumping: specify the task, such as taking off and landing on two feet; “jump” alone does not identify the direction or landing.

Bending, twisting, and balancing without traveling are usually discussed as nonlocomotor or stability work. Catching and throwing concern object control. They can fit the same PE program without becoming synonyms for locomotor skills.

Plan one comparison at a time

Choose two patterns children might confuse, such as hopping and jumping. Demonstrate each once. Ask children to describe or point to the takeoff and landing feet, then try one small action in a personal spot. Only add a traveling lane once the space and stopping cue are understood.

For galloping versus skipping, show the lead foot staying the same versus changing after a step-hop. Do not ask beginners to switch rapidly among every skill. A focused comparison gives the teacher a clearer observation and gives children fewer instructions to remember.

Copy-and-print: My movement lesson map

Use one sheet for one lesson. Fill the blanks before setting out equipment, then revise after observing.

  • Today's question: How is ______ different from ______?
  • Pattern to notice: takeoff foot / landing foot / direction / lead-foot change.
  • Route: ______ Start marker: ______ Stopping space: ______.
  • One spoken cue: ______ Visual or tactile cue agreed with learner: ______.
  • Access choice: ______ What the child will actually practice: ______.
  • What I saw, without a score: ______ Next lesson decision: repeat / simplify / extend.

Make the map accessible

Plan wide turning space, a slower route, a no-audio cue, or an individualized movement option. A learner using a mobility device can investigate routes and changing direction, but those actions should not be recorded as literal hopping or skipping. Describe participation accurately and follow specialist guidance where required.

Keep attempts short enough to remain controlled. Never require a movement because a child has reached a particular birthday. A classroom observation is not a diagnosis, fitness ranking, or developmental assessment.

Choose the next focused lesson

Open the galloping guide, skipping breakdown, hopping stations, or side-sliding lesson. The Gallop video illustrates galloping only; it does not demonstrate all the patterns on this page.

Skill categories and cue distinctions are informed by PDST fundamental movement skill cue posters. The comparison map is an original planning resource, not a standardized test.