Time flies when you’re having fun, right? What’s more fun than a few gymnastics games? Listed below are five gymnastics games that you can play with your kids, no matter their skill level.
Coach Says
Similar to the game Simon Says, Coach Says is a gymnastics spin on a classic game.
Have all the kids line up on one side of the room, with the goal of the game being to be the first to get to the other side.
Each round, you will tell the children a skill to perform, and if you say “Coach Says” before the skill, they can do it. If you do not say “Coach Says”, then they should stay where they are.
If they do the skill without you saying “Coach Says”, they have to go back to the beginning. To make the game more difficult, give the children more skills to perform in a shorter amount of time, to catch them off their guard.
Some of the skills you can call out are: hop forwards 5 times, take two steps back, forward roll once, chasse 3 times, connect two cartwheels, leap forwards once, ect.
Parent Pull
This game is designed for one older and younger siblings, or a child and parent. Designed as a test of strength, Parent Pull mimics the actions of a pullover on bars.
Have the larger person sit in a chair or couch, and have the child attempt to pull the larger person by their hands, to a standing position. To make the game more difficult for the child, slightly resist as they pull at your hands.
Scale Contest
This game is a contest of balance. Start the game by standing on one foot, the first person to put both feet on the ground is the loser.
There are three different body positions you can stand in: one foot lifted up, arabesque, or scale. If you are not sure how to properly stand in those positions, check our blog here.
To make things more difficult, try playing this game standing on a pillow, or with your eyes closed, or with your arms down by your sides.
Balance Catch
Similar to the game above, Balance Catch is the classic game of catch, played on one foot. Start close together, tossing the ball back and forth, every couple of throws hopping farther away.
Alternate feet to work the muscles in each leg. To see our video dedicated to this game, click here.
Bridge Tunnel
This game may be a challenge to younger children, so it may need to be modified. To play the game, all players must be able to hold a backbend for at least 30 seconds.
Everyone starts off laying side by side, all pushing to a bridge together. The first child at the end of the chain will come down and crawl through the tunnel made by the other children, then bridge up again next to the last child. After the first child has bridged up again, then the second child comes down and crawls through.
This continues until everyone has gotten to crawl through the tunnel. An alternative to the bridge is to have all the kids put their feet on a raised surface, in a pushup position, making it easier for them to hold themselves up.
Try all these games and let us know what you think! You can reach us on our Facebook here or by email here. Have a great day!
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