Stomp Rockets Rules
- Players
- 1 or more (great in pairs)
- Ages
- 3+ (Junior sets) or 5+ (Ultra sets)
- Setup time
- 1 min
- Space
- Open yard with clear sky overhead
What you need
- A stomp rocket set (launch pad, air tube, angled launch stand, and foam rockets)
- A wide open yard with nothing breakable nearby and clear sky above
- At least two or three foam rockets so play does not stop after every launch
- Sneakers or shoes for stomping, since a hard barefoot stomp stings
- Optional: a tape measure or marked spots for distance contests, and small targets like hula hoops or buckets
Set it up
A good stomp from a child can send a foam rocket anywhere from 50 to over 100 ft up and out, and the bigger Ultra and competition style sets claim launches up to 100 ft or higher with a strong stomp. Always fire in a wide, open yard or a park with clear sky overhead and nothing breakable in the flight path. Point the angled launch stand up and away from people, windows, the street, and overhead lines. The harder and faster the stomp, the higher it goes, so let kids experiment with their run-up.
Scoring
- Choose one challenge before play. The printable default is a distance practice log.
- Measure each launch from the same starting point to its first landing, using one unit throughout.
- Give everyone equal attempts; the farthest single valid landing is the best result. Do not add distances together.
- For a target-points house contest, agree the zones and scoring before launching and label that different measure clearly.
How to play
- Snap the launcher together. Connect the air bladder to the flexible tube, then attach the tube to the angled launch stand. Most sets click together in seconds with no tools. Set the stand on flat, open ground.
- Slide a rocket onto the tube. Push a foam rocket all the way down onto the launch tube so it seats firmly. A loose rocket fires weakly, so press it down until it stops. Point the angled stand away from people, windows, and the road.
- Aim and clear the area. Adjust the launch angle so the rocket fires up and out into open space, not toward faces or fences. Make sure everyone is standing behind or beside the launcher, never in front of it or directly over it.
- Stomp to launch. Stomp the air pad as the kit directs to push air through the tube and launch the rocket. Force and launch angle affect the flight. Give every player the same number of attempts in a contest.
- Reload and reset. The flattened air pad puffs back up on its own within a few seconds. Grab the next rocket, slide it on, and you are ready to fire again. Keep a couple of rockets in rotation so nobody waits around.
- Track the landings. For a distance challenge, measure from the same launch point to the first landing point in feet or metres. Record each attempt and keep the longest as the best. Pause launches while anyone retrieves rockets.