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How to Use Trampolines to Support Your Child’s Exercise Routine

trampolineWhen was the last time you stepped on a trampoline to experience the feeling of weightlessness?

Chances are, it has been at least years, if not decades. Yet, trampolines are known for their ability to excite people at any age.

Kids get absolutely thrilled when they see a trampoline. After all, the feeling is unique to anything else; like floating in air for that short moment before landing and repeating.

But trampolines for kids are not only for fun. They are perfect for getting the body moving!

I know. Our family owns a trampoline – and everybody loves using it. Well, everybody except the dog!

We use the trampoline all the time not only for our physical health, but emotional health too! I’m a recovered anxiety sufferer – with a bestselling relaxation book and about 2 million books sold globally.

Plus I founded the therapist recommended self-paced online course called The Anxiety Cure.

With this in mind, I love how our trampoline not only helps our family to be in great physical health, it also improves our emotional well being. So I decided to write this article all about how to use a trampoline as part of your child’s exercise routine.

How to Use A Trampolines As Your Child’s Exercise Routine

Coming up I introduce five useful tips that support integration of trampolines into your child’s exercise routine. Enjoy reading!

1. Make it accessible

Trampolining as a hobby starts with… you guessed it, finding the right trampoline for you. While you can go visit trampoline parks, it’s much more cost effective and encouraging to get an outdoor trampoline for your yard. When checking for a kids trampoline for sale, it’s good to check whether certain features are included, such as:

  • The trampoline enclosure. This one’s the most important accessory to get. An enclosure keeps jumpers safe on the trampoline in case the landing isn’t perfect. Plus, many trampoline accessories require you to have the enclosure as their accessories are often attached to it.
  • Trampoline accessories. These items can enhance the overall functionality of the trampoline greatly. Imagine what you could do with a basketball hoop or a tent?
  • High weight limit or no weight limit. While the weight limits rarely concern kids, they do concern adults. If you are planning to enjoy trampolining together as a family (which is highly recommended), you need a trampoline that can withstand adult’s weight as well.

These features will make the trampolining experience more accessible (and safe) to various age and skill levels.

2. Avoid discouraging

This one’s tricky to accept. As parents, we always want the best for our children. Yet, it’s extremely easy to say the wrong thing when we become impatient – after all, parents are humans too. Yet, some things can be avoided by simply being a bit more mindful with what and how we say it. For instance:

  • Do not blame the child if they show less interest than you expected. Almost all of us have some kind of childhood trauma of our parents setting the expectations too high.
  • Do not set any goals for learning trampoline skills. Let kids explore the bounce in their own way and at their own pace. The bouncy, slightly unstable platform feels extremely new for small kids.
  • Avoid comparing your child to others. Kids trampoline is often a place where your kid’s friends love to spend time as well. As they should! Trampolines are meant for creating shared experiences. But, if you see your neighbor’s kid doing much more advanced
  • Keep the language positive. When speaking about exercising and trampolining, use encouraging and supportive words. Avoid negative language that could lessen their enthusiasm towards jumping on a trampoline. Positive attitude and language can do a lot towards promoting a healthy relationship with fitness.
  • Listen to what your child has to say about exercising. Kids’ opinions matter, and it’s no different when it comes to exercising. Give your child enough room to express their thoughts and feelings. This way, you’ll be able to motivate your child even better.

Simply put, be there with your child when they need it and learn also to step back when needed.

3. Participate in exercising

trampolineExercising is always more fun, if you’re not alone! One of the best ways to help your child become physically active and comfortable with exercise is to show by example. As we all know, there’s no point in saying “don’t use your smartphone so much” to your kid if you are on it 24/7. Well, the same applies to fitness. If you simply ask your child to exercise, it’s highly unlikely to happen if you’re staying on the couch watching TV.

Therefore, when you’re looking for a kids trampoline for sale, you might actually want to look for a trampoline for the whole family. This will allow you and your kids to bounce without compromising on safety.

4. Add fun elements

When it comes to kids and exercising, keeping it fun and easy is key in keeping kids interested in sports. Therefore, it’s essential to add fun elements to the basic trampoline experience as time goes on. There are several things you can do, for example:

  • Drawing to trampoline mat with chalk
  • Attaching a trampoline basketball hoop to the enclosure poles
  • Get Airtracks or gymnastics mats around the trampoline to create an obstacle course
  • Learn trampoline tricks suitable for the skill level for your kids

Keeping things varied will encourage your child to stay consistent and keep jumping for years to come.

5. Gamify the experience

We already mentioned introducing trampoline games for kids. Another way you can approach the challenge of keeping kids interested in exercising is gamifying the experience. Create your own quests and challenges that can be done on a kids trampoline. They can be related to consistency (jump at least 15 minutes for 30 days to achieve a status or get a small prize) or to skills.

For kids between the ages of 4-9, the challenges should be relatively simple and easy to accomplish. For pre-teens and teens, you may suggest more complex challenges consisting of several tasks they need to check before completing.

And if you wonder whether gamifying trampolines makes sense… There’s a reason why adults love collecting flight miles and participating in bonus programs?

Get a trampoline for kids for generations to come

Trampolining is an accessible form of exercise for kids. By getting a high-quality trampoline, you have a platform for endless fun and exercising at your yard for years and even for decades to come. Choose the trampoline wisely and, once getting it, follow our practical tips to make sure that jumping on a kids trampoline becomes a standard thing to do every day. Happy jumping!

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