No.12
Low Elastic Jumping
Japanese name: 低いゴムとび
Materials
- A 2–3 m length of soft elastic
- A landing mat if needed indoors
How to play
- Two holders stretch the elastic horizontally close to the ground. Leave room between holders and jumper, and clear nearby objects.
- Without a run-up, the jumper crosses the low elastic with one or both feet. Landing and stopping safely counts as success.
- After everyone has tried, raise the elastic gradually to about ankle height. Keep the upper limit below the knees.
- Touching the elastic may count as a miss, but allow another attempt at the same height without blame. Loosen it before it can tangle around anyone’s feet.
- After about two attempts each, swap jumpers and holders. Finish when everyone has tried both roles.
Ways to adapt
Preschool children: step over. Older primary school children: keep it low and vary the jumping pattern.