We all know trampoline time is every kid’s favourite part of gymnastics class or camp programs! And what’s not to love?! There is no better feeling than floating in the air!
Every program uses trampolines differently. At my gym old gym, we offered beginner trampoline classes. Partially as a way to teach kids how to be safe on trampolines (you know, for their backyards or *shudder* trampoline parks), but also because it’s a great alternative for kids who lose interest in artistic gymnastics but still like to jump & flip!
Once the kids mastered the safety basics, we’d always save the last 10 minutes of class for a game! At first, we really only knew a couple games. Over time we learned new games & came up with a list of about 10 options we’d play regularly – and that’s what we’re sharing today!
Safety First
At my last gym, beginner trampoline classes were very popular, but these kids had a lot to learn just to jump safely. The majority of our time early in the session was spent on teaching safety basics:
- How to get on & off the trampoline safely (walking)
- Where to jump on the trampoline (the middle) & where to look (place a spot marker)
- How to stop at any time (safe landing position)
- How to control their jumps (body position, adjusting the push & timing on the trampoline bed)
- How to fall without getting hurt (practicing from standing & on soft mats).
Until we were confident the kids could prove to us they could jump safely (and show us all the above things), we generally did not play many games. Please make sure your participants have the skills and abilities to keep themselves safe if you introduce any of the games below.
Poison Ball
How to play:
- 2 players are on each side of the trampoline facing each other
- Players continuously do seat drops (feet, seat, feet, seat, etc) as the coach adds 1-3 soft objects to the trampoline bed (the more objects = the more challenge)
- Players get penalty points when:
- they jump two times consecutively on their feet
- they land two times consecutively on their bum
- a ball hits a player
- a player crosses the midline
- Players Determine a maximum # of penalty points (i.e. 10), when a player hits the max number, the other player wins and the game is over!
Charades
Rules:
- Played just like regular charades but in the air!
- The coach gives the player something to act out (an animal, an object, a movie, a character, etc)
- The player can only “act” when they are in the air!
- Give a time limit for guessing (30 sec for easy ones, 60 sec for hard ones)
Variations:
- Play in a team, where players can only guess when a team member is jumping. If they don’t get it, the other team can steal.
- Play as an individual, where anyone who guesses correctly first gets a point. The person with the most points wins.
Rock, Paper, Scissors
How to play:
- First, learn the positions:
- Rock: Seat drop with legs crossed
- Scissors: Seat drop with legs in a straddle
- Paper: Seat drop with legs straight & together
- Have 2 players on opposite sides the trampoline, facing each other and jumping at the same time
- Count down the jumps “3… 2… 1…” or similar and then next jump they do a seat drop – choosing a leg position.
- The usual RPS rules apply:
- Rock beats scissors
- Scissors beats paper
- Paper beats rock
- The usual RPS rules apply:
Variations:
- Earn a point every time you win, and first to 5 (or whatever number) wins!
- Play like Kings Court, where the winner stays on the trampoline, and the other player swaps out for the next person.
How High?
How to Play:
- One a time, players jump 10 times as high as they can
- The coach (or another player) uses a stopwatch to time how long those bounces take (from the first time their feet leave the trampoline bed to when their feet land on jump #10)
- The player with longest time wins!
HORSE (or any other word)
How to Play:
- The first player does a trick (or combination) and the remaining players get 3 tries to repeat it.
- If a player cannot repeat it, they get a letter to spell H-O-R-S-E.
- The game is over when someone spells the full word. Who ever has the fewest letters wins!
Classic Add-on
How to Play
- Player 1 starts by doing one trick.
- The next player must repeat player 1’s trick followed immediately by a trick of their own.
- The following player must repeat player 1’s trick, player 2’s trick and then add their own
- This pattern continues, everyone taking turns repeating the skills in the exact order and adding to the sequence
- A player is “out” if they fall, take an extra bounce, or make any error in the sequence
- Continue with eliminating players until only one is left!
Criss Cross
How to Play:
- Two players start in opposite corners of the trampoline
- The coach or another player make up a sequence using “criss” and “cross”
- Criss: players jump to the square beside them
- Cross: players jump to the square in front/behind them
- Example: “Criss, Criss, Cross”
- The game ends when one player can’t remember the sequence given
Variations:
- Start as a single player game
- Increase how many actions are in a sequence
- Add shape jumps into the mix (like tuck jump, star jump, etc)
How Many?
How to Play:
- Ask a player to pick a trick.combo, and then have them (or their friends) predict how many they can do consecutively.
- Try it and compare to the prediction!
- Sample tricks for this: swivel hips, back drop to front drop, seat drop to hands/knee drop, etc.
Keep Up
How to Play:
- Give each player a balloon – their goal is to keep the it in the air, while they jump!
- Add a rules like:
- the balloon isn’t allow to touch the ground/trampoline
- player must hit the balloon with two hands at the same time
- player must stay in the centre box on the trampoline
Variation:
- Add the balloon keep up to a seat war game!
