Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Fun With Rebounding Trampolines

By Jane Bracken

A rebounding trampoline, also known as a mini-trampoline, is a great way to get in shape for adults, but it can also be great fun for kids. Although most kids would rather have one of those giant enclosed trampolines in their backyards, itas much easier for parents to fit a rebounding trampoline into their budgets. Here are some fun games for your trampoline kid and his or her friends to enjoy.

In the game of Snake, two kids on opposite sides of the trampoline wiggle a jump rope like a snake over the surface of the trampoline while a third child tries to jump on the trampoline without getting abit.a When the child who is doing the jumping touches the rope, he changes places with one of the other children. If the kids are concerned about naming a winner, they can count the number of jumps each child is able to make without touching the asnake.a The highest count wins, of course.

Follow the Leader combines jumping on a trampoline with the traditional Follow the Leader game. The 'leader' begins by doing a series of jumps or tricks on the trampoline, which each child in the line must then repeat. A child who misses something in the series is out. You can choose the next leader in one of two ways. The first choice is for the game to continue with the same leader until only one child is left to be the next leader. Or, once every child has had one turn, the leader could pick a new leader from among the children who remain 'in.'

Another game that can be played on the rebounding trampoline is Add On. In this game, the first kid in line does a jump or trick. Then the next person does the same thing the first one did, plus adds on a jump or trick of his own. The kids continue to take turns, each adding one thing to the sequence. If a child misses something or does something out of order, he is out. Keep going until there is only one child remaining in the game.

Your kids can also have contests on the trampoline to see who can do a certain move the most times in a row without messing up. Whichever child does the best is the winner. The winning child can then choose the next move to use for the game.

A different way to play this game is to have the children take turns doing each move. Any child who messes up is out, and the rest of the children continue taking turns until only one child remains. That child then selects the next move.

Another possibility is to set a time limit and have the kids do as many of a certain move as they can before the timer goes off. The kid with the highest count gets to decide what kind of jump or trick is used for the next round.

These games can be fun for adults as well, so why not join in with your kids and have some fun? Youall find that your rebounding trampoline is good for more than just a workout. You can have fun, spend time with your kids and work out all at the same time. - 16650

About the Author: