Family Fun Activity: Trampoline
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Trampolines are one of the most fun activities for kids. They are also one of the most dangerous.
A trampoline can be a great way to keep your kids entertained, and at the same time, let you get a little bit of exercise. If you are stuck at home, as everyone seems to be these days, jumping on the trampoline with your kids (or by yourself) can be a fun activity.
When I was a kid, we had a trampoline that was in the ground. It was awesome being able to jump straight off the ground onto the tramp. Even more fun was jumping off the deck onto the trampoline (it was only about 10 feet).
As such, we don’t have a dug in trampoline. I guess as long as it was far enough away from anything that you can use to jump off of onto it, it would be fine, but a trampoline is dangerous enough as is. Case in point: our son broke his leg on the trampoline when he was not even 2 years old. The emergency room doctors will tell you that at least half of their broken bone cases are from trampolines.
Yet, here I am writing an article about why a trampoline is worth having in your backyard. I still think that a trampoline can make a lot of sense, just make sure you keep your littlest of kids off of it while the older kids are on it.
Choosing a trampoline doesn’t have to be hard. First off, you need to know how much space you have for the trampoline. Then you have to know if you want a round or rectangular trampoline. You will definitely want a net around the edge of the trampoline with your kids.
Jumping with my kids is one of the best activities that we do. My oldest loves to get bounced high up in the air, which I only do to a small degree - I don’t want to scare him too much or have him get hurt. Jumping and bouncing my son for about 5 minutes wears me out. You’ll really feel it in your legs and lungs and just want to jump up and down rather than trying to bounce your child.
When our youngest is on the trampoline, things are much calmer. When he was younger, after he broke his leg, we would bounce him a little bit with just a parent on there with him. We’re now letting him jump with his older brother again, but watching very closely.
If your kids will let you jump by yourself, then I highly recommend it. Jumping as high as you can is a great workout, and a lot of fun. The feeling of the air beneath you, and flying in the air can’t really be beat. After a few minutes you’ll feel like getting off as you’ll be quite tired.
Of course, there are a lot of fun games to play on the trampoline as well. Our favorite is crack the egg - this is where someone sits on the ground and holds their legs crossed. The other person bounces the person sitting until they let go of their legs. My oldest (now 9) is getting better at bouncing me, and it’s always a good laugh.
After wearing yourself out, it’s always enjoyable to lay down on the trampoline and just watch the sky. It’s one of the few places that it’s really comfortable to lay on the ground and watch the sky. Of course, you’ll have to get your kids to calm down a bit for it to be peaceful.
As long as you limit the number of people on the trampoline, and watch your little ones carefully, having a trampoline can be a great time for everyone in the family.
