Welcome to the world of endless fun on a jumping castle. Jumping castles have multiple names worldwide which include party castles, bounce houses, jump houses, bouncy castles, moonwalks, jumpers, space jumps, ninja jumps and many, many more names. They all mean the same device, which is a plurality of intertwined vinyl pieces that has forced air pushed into it for the purpose of kids bouncing and rebounding. A jumping castle can be more then just bouncing and we have prepared this book to allow you to see what other parents have done to entertain kids at parties. Each game will depend on what inflatable you have rented for your party. Plus each inflatable has different characteristics from the Traditional Castle to the Moving Actives.
Have a great party
John Newton Franchisor
Hot Potato Balloons The purpose of this game is for the kids, who have to bounce at all times, to never let the balloons hit the floor. Use a ratio of 1 balloon for every 3 kids that start. So if there are 12 kids at the start then you will need 4 balloons inside. Have the kids begin to bounce then start feeding in the balloons, 1 at a time. It is a team game and everyone stays on unless they stop bouncing. Non-bouncers move off but the same number of balloons stay in the game. To vary it with older kids or to offer more challenge, then do not let the kids touch the balloon with their hands. They should use other parts of their body and arms only. Also you can add more balloons than the ratio of 3 to 1. Best played in a traditional castle
Who can JUMP like Kangaroos? The purpose of this game is to see who can hop the longest while hopping from left to right on the jumping castle. Five kids start on the left side of the castle and take giant hops to see who can hop the furthest. A hop is done by putting both feet together and jumping from a standing start. Best played in a traditional castle
Don’t get CHOMPED The purpose of the game is to do as many laps inside the Active castle between when the mouth turns off till it closes and you get CHOMPED! This game is played on one of the Actives. These inflatables have an opening and closing mouth inside that lifts the children to the top of the slide. Each child starts from the front door and runs through the bounce room and up the mouth ladder and down the slide and through the bouncy doorway and keep repeating till the mouth CHOMPS. It is one child at a time and great for the competitive 5 to 10 year olds. Have all the kids count the number of circuits the contestant is up to. On a Medium Active I have seen up to 7 circuits completed before they get CHOMPED by the closing mouth. Best played in an Active castle
Inflatable Statues The purpose is to play an upbeat range of children’s music and the children bounce around on the castle till the music stops and they have to remain as statues. As the kids bounce, jump and hop and even dance you control the music and let it run for sets of about 15 to 30 seconds. When the music stops, the kids have to FREEZE. The last child to freeze has to come out of the castle and watch from the ground. The winner is the last person in the castle. Best played in any Castle
Buzz-Bomb Balloons The purpose of this game is to aim balloons that are inflated (but not tied) at a target located on the inside of the castle to see who hits it. Tape a target (or just a themed picture) to the inside wall of the castle. Split kids into teams of about 5 each and advise of the point structure. 5 points per direct hit works well. All players, 1 team at a time bounce on the castle and have to inflate their balloon and pinch the end and not tie. When the adult who is outside the castle says "J, J, S, GO!� the players release their balloons in the direction of the target. This game works well with teams. Each team goes separately and each team should launch their balloons 5 times each turn while combining all the points. Best played in a Traditional castle
Jumping J-Jays says…. The purpose of this game is to make a statement, show the action, the kids follow and have to continue with that action till you say something new. If they change action without the magic words then they are out. Similar to the Simon Says game! All the kids should stand in the castle, facing the parent who is outside. The parent starts off by calling out ‘Jumping J-Jays says do this’ …and then follows through by showing the action. All the children have to copy the action. Have a few trials before starting the game. Samples …Jumping J-Jays says to put your hand on your head …Jumping J-Jays says to hop on one leg However, if the parent says ‘Do this’ (followed by the action) without saying Jumping JJays at the beginning, then the children should ignore the instruction. The children that do not ignore the ‘Do this’ instruction, need to sit out of the castle until the game is completed. Best played in any Castle
Balloon War Select teams, give out water balloon and have a free for all water war with the balloons. Best played in any Castle
Balloon Pop The purpose of this game is to try and stomp and pop fellow jumpers’ balloons that are attached to their ankles. This crazy game requires a lot of movement and is best when you have 6 or more people playing and moving around the castle and slides. Blow up balloons and tie a rubber band to each of them. Put a balloon around each player’s ankle by stretching the rubber over their foot. If you want you can put a balloon on each ankle. No shoes on the castle. Play some music and have everyone stomp around, trying step on and pop other player’s balloons. Whoever has the last balloon left around their ankle is the winner! Best played in any Castle
Balloon GRAB The purpose of this game is to try and pickup and hold as many balloons as you can in 2 minutes. Blow up 15 - 20 balloons, place them throughout the castle. If you are using a Combo/Active then put several in the jump room and others throughout the slide areas. Each person is given 2 minutes to see how many balloons they can pick up and hold. Each person takes a turn while the others stand out on the ground and cheer the players on. Whoever held the most balloons at the end of their time wins. Each person must play on their own, so no helpers. Best played in any Castle
Woolly Spiders Web The purpose of this game is to build a woollen spider’s web that intertwines all the players while on the castle. Have all the children form a large circle on the bounce floor of the castle and give them all a large ball of wool each. Try to use different shades of wool as this makes a much more interesting and bright web. Have each child tie the end of the wool loosely around their waist. When everyone is done, each person throws their ball of wool to someone else in the circle, preferably all at the same time. They then put the wool around their waist and throw it to someone else. This continues until they run out of wool. To add some variety, they can wrap the wool around legs, arms, etc. However, No wrapping wool around anyone’s neck or head. At the end what they have created is a massive spider’s web which they can't get out of very easily. There is hours of fun and entertainment in this game. Best played in a Traditional castle
Water Balloon Toss The purpose of this game is to pass around a water filled balloon in a circle that is gradually getting bigger, till it breaks or is dropped. The game involves groups of 5. Have just one group at a time of the inflatable. Each team of 5 gets one water filled balloon and starts off at the bottom of the Waterslide or any of the other castles but close enough to hand the balloon to each other in order then back around again. After each progressive pass around they take half a step backwards to another part of the castle. They continue to pass or toss and catch the balloon. Each round and progressively take a half step backwards each time. If the balloon breaks or if they drop it on the ground then the last person to touch it is out of the game. The last child standing wins the prize. Best played on a Water Slide.
Poor Kitty-Kitty The purpose of this game is for a blind folded person to capture a prisoner and then try and identify who that person is. Arrange the group so they are in the bouncing area close to the sides of the castle but not running or changing places. Have a blindfolded player step onto the castle and move into the middle of that group. Then the group should bounce and move around the edges very quietly, circling the blindfolded player. The blindfolded player should approach the circle in any direction and secure a victim from the group who, in a disguised voice, says 'poor kitty' and then imitates the 'meow' of a cat. If the blindfolded player fails to identify the prisoner then they are released and the game continues. If he/she succeeds, the two change places. Best played in a Traditional castle
Everyone is a Winner Parties are a time to have fun, which means all guests should go home smiling. If you are going to provide prizes, try to reward all players just for participating or avoid prizes all together. Especially if your entertaining very young children who have yet to develop a grasp of sportsmanship. Consider playing most, if not all games without prizes but everyone gets a chocolate or a sticker. When all of the games are complete...everyone receives their goody bags to take home.