Trampolines Make Great Icebreakers for Kids!

A behind-the-scenes lesson from our recent AlleyOOP® video shoot + Blooper Video

As the sun crept below the horizon, two fifth grade girls rolled out their sleeping bags in the trampoline tent and flicked on their flashlights. They began playing, setting up house, and making silly faces, completely unaware of the imminent surprise.

Moments before, one of their moms and a photographer had attempted to “scare” the two with a “BOO!” from outside the tent, but the girls were totally unimpressed and only laughed and screamed to play along. I was hoping to have something a little more authentic caught on film.

With video cameras rolling, I slowly made my way under the trampoline and, with legs crouched and back arched, waited for the producer’s signal. 1… 2… 3… I gently pushed up on the trampoline with my back and gave a deep and guttural “ROOOOAAAR!” Instant screams and giggles filled the night air as the two girls dashed to the door to see who it was.

From silhouetted secret telling to stuffed animal sharing, you would not have guessed these two girls had never met. That’s when the idea of a  trampoline as an icebreaker dawned on me. I had seen it earlier that day with other kids taking turns demoing their favorite tricks on the trampoline, and so for the next two days, we factored “icebreaker” time into the schedule for each wave of new kids. Time and again, we watched their individuality, creativity, and unselfishness come out as they each got to show off a little and even coach others on how to do something new.

One mom who had purchased a trampoline two weeks earlier shared how their house had become a hub for the neighborhood with kids daily knocking on their door to see if they could bounce for an hour. Another kid went on to tell me all about the  trampoline flipping community and friends he made throughout the country by sharing YouTube and Instagram videos of his favorite moves.

These invaluable connections and genuine moments of joy, whether in your backyard, neighborhood, or on social media, are what we strive to create by designing  products that are reliable, safe, and supremely bouncy. After all of the flips, handsprings, drone flights, snacks, and happy kids, we’ve wrapped everything up and are eager to give you a sneak peak into all of the fun we had together these past few days.