A childhood dream that sat on a shelf for four decades has finally become a reality.
According to Black Enterprise, Tahira Reid Smith, who grew up as a third grader in the Bronx, imagined a machine that could turn Double Dutch ropes without needing two people to operate it. Her creative idea won a school contest, but the concept was eventually set aside and remained untouched for nearly 40 years.
Years later, Smith — now a Black engineering professor — returned to that childhood vision and used her expertise in engineering and technology to bring it to life.
Her invention, Jump Dreams, transforms the classic playground game of Double Dutch by creating a machine designed to rotate the ropes automatically, allowing people to jump without needing additional participants to turn the ropes.
What began as a young girl’s drawing became an example of how imagination, education, and innovation can come together to create something meaningful. Smith’s journey shows that ideas formed during childhood can have the potential to become real solutions when paired with determination and skill.
Beyond the invention itself, Smith’s work highlights the importance of representation in STEM fields and encourages young people — especially those from communities that have been historically underrepresented in engineering — to continue exploring their creativity.
Her story is a reminder that no idea is too small and no dream has an expiration date. A drawing created by a third grader in the Bronx decades ago has now become an innovative invention that could introduce Double Dutch to a new generation.
From a classroom contest to a real-world creation, Tahira Reid Smith proves that childhood curiosity can become groundbreaking engineering.
