Well done, you’ve perfectly executed hosting your kid’s birthday party at an indoor trampoline park. The facility has provided a host and you’ve been enjoying your time attempting to socialize with the other parents. The cake has already been devoured and the presents violently unwrapped in excitement, and no one has vomited. You’re about to give yourself the well-deserved pat on the back and put this year’s birthday party behind you. And then it happens, your worst nightmare has come true; the kids have run out of games to play and run to you, the trusted idea giver. What do you know about games to play on a trampoline, but like every other day in parenting, you bluff, put on your ecstatic poker face and herd the pack of children back to the jump arena. Not one of these kids can return home with an ounce of energy (this was your pledge to your guest’s parents) and they’ve got another hour of jump time remaining. Stalling, you bounce with the children as you yell at yourself internally, THINK! Don’t worry, we’ve been there. That’s why we want to offer you the rules of the best games to play with children on a trampoline.

Crack the Egg

Crack the Egg, also known as Pop the Popcorn, is an exciting game for little ones to play. Pick one kid to start (perhaps the birthday boy or girl) as the egg. Have them sit in the middle of the trampoline with their legs tucked into their chest and their arms wrapped tightly around them. All the other children should stand in a circle around them, giggling and bouncing. When you shout “Crack the Egg!” all the children should begin jumping to make the egg bounce. The egg will pop around the trampoline trying to hold tight and eventually lose their balance and break the hold on their tucked in limbs and begin flailing about, laughing. Be sure to tell the children to be careful when they bounce around the egg, not to get too close, we wouldn’t want to break the egg, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men won’t be able to put them back together again. When the egg cracks, have them hop up and tag someone to be the egg next. This game will keep the children entertained as long as it takes each kid to attempt being the egg twice. I highly recommend bouncing next to the children to make sure they follow the rules and play safely.

If the kids have exhausted the fun offered by cracking the eggs and they still have reserve energy in their tanks, next you can try poison ball.

Poison Ball

You can’t possibly pretend that the trampoline surface is hot lava because the kids have to touch the jumping service to effectively jump. Instead, it is fun to pretend something else is poison. A great idea is to use medium-sized squishy balls you might use to play dodgeball, stuffed animals, or wadded up wrapping paper. Place four to five poison balls in the middle of the trampoline and have all the kids make a still circle around them. On your command, “Poison!” the children should begin jumping around, trying not to get hit by a poison ball. If they do, they are out! How you handle being out is up to you. Traditionally, the game is played that any child who is out should leave the jumping surface until the last kid bouncing is declared the victor. However, with a large group of children, it could make the children who are out, lose interest quickly. Another alternative is to make the children who got hit with the poison balls to plop down and sit where they are, creating obstacles for the remaining jumpers. Make sure this is always supervised to reduce the potential for injury.

I hope that these suggestions help to reduce the fear and anxiety that may be caused by being put on the spot with a dozen anticipating children staring at you, waiting for a fun idea. Check out our sister arena’s article for some more fun game rules so that you can win the party!