So You Bought a Mini-Trampoline, Now What?
A mini-trampoline is a great source of joint pressure and gives our proprioceptive system lots of input. Our proprioceptive sense tells us where our body is in space and when we feed that system it calms our bodies and improves body awareness.
SAFETY FIRST
Set your mini trampoline in an area where there are no sharp corners/edges or glass windows. Visually scan the room for coffee tables, bookshelves, counters, or corners and set up the trampoline far from those pieces.
If your child is struggling with body awareness, they may struggle with jumping/staying in the middle of the trampoline. If that is the case, then stand next to or near the trampoline while they are jumping and provide occasional gentle verbal reminders to try to stay in the middle of the trampoline. The perk of using a mini-trampoline regularly is the more they use it, the better their body awareness will become and the easier it will be for them to stay in the middle.
Discuss safety guidelines with your children. Have your children demonstrate they are able to use the mini-trampoline safely. Write the safety guidelines on a paper next to the trampoline for reminders, if necessary. The two most common safety guidelines are - only one child at a time on the trampoline, and no flips on or off the trampoline. You can add additional guidelines as appropriate for your home.
IDEAS FOR MINI-TRAMPOLINE USE
Many trampolines come with a timer/jump counter attached. Some kids love to see how long they can jump or how many jumps they can achieve. If so, encourage your child to add numbers of jumps or increase time each day. Example: “Yesterday you jumped 500 times, today see if you can get to 525.” or “Yesterday you jumped 5 minutes, today try for 6 minutes.”
Play catch with your child using a bean bag while they are jumping. If that is too easy, add a second bean bag to throw/catch at the same time to increase motor and visual demand.
Play “I’m going to Grandma’s house” while they are jumping. This is great for memory and endurance. (Take turns identifying alphabetical items and each person repeats the entire list every time. Example: me - “I’m going to Grandma’s house and I’m taking an apple.” you - “I’m going to Grandma’s house and I’m taking an apple and a banana.” etc)
Play “Word Association” while your child is jumping. (You say a word and they say the first word that comes to their mind and then you say the first word that comes to your mind without repeating any previous words. Example: me - brown, you - chocolate, me - cake, you - birthday, etc)
Let your child click a tally counter while they are jumping and attempt to increase clicks each day. (tally counter)
Tap a balloon back and forth with your child while they are jumping and see how many taps you can get before it hits the ground.
Play zoom ball while they are jumping. (zoom ball)
Study. Practice math facts, spelling words, history or social studies content while they are jumping. Many families report improved retention of learned information when studying on a trampoline.
WHEN TO USE THE MINI TRAMPOLINE
Keeping in mind that jumping on a mini-trampoline is calming, great times to use it include:
Before school
Before dinner
Before company comes to visit or before you go to visit friends
At night, before bathtime.
LANGUAGE AROUND TRAMPOLINE USE
Movement seeking is a way our body tells us what it needs. Your child’s body is telling them/you that it is trying to calm or that it needs to calm. Using positive language around your child’s movement needs ensures that your child sees their unique needs as a cool part of who they are instead of a problem or deficit.
Strength-based language would be, “I see your body needs movement/joint pressure/is trying to calm. Jumping on your trampoline would be a great way to meet that need.” “Let’s jump on the trampoline before dinner to make it easier for you to sit and enjoy your meal.”
Problem-based language would be, “You are moving too much, go jump on the trampoline.” “You need to stop wiggling.” “You're hurting your friends with all your movement.” “That hurts your friend’s feelings when you bump into them all the time.”
FINAL REMINDER
Keep your goal in mind. Are you trying to improve your child’s body awareness? Are you trying to increase their physical calm? Or, are you trying to build your child’s endurance? Keeping your goal in mind helps determine what activities are best for your child!
Discuss the goals of trampoline use with your child.
Kids tend to be far more creative than adults. Give them creative freedom when it comes to activities on the trampoline. FUN is the name of the game for mini-trampoline success!