free printable
Stomp Rockets Rules Card
A one-page stomp rockets rules card: how to play, how to score, and how to set it up. Hit print, fold it, and keep it with your set. Want the full walkthrough? See the Stomp Rockets rules.
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rules card Stomp Rockets
Players1 or more (great in pairs)
Ages3+ (Junior sets) or 5+ (Ultra sets)
Setup1 min
SpaceOpen 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
Scoring
- Stomp rockets do not keep score on their own, so you score whatever game you choose to play around them
- Distance contest: the launch that lands farthest from the pad wins the round
- Target landing: score points for landing in or near a hoop, bucket, or marked zone
- Height contest: judge by eye which rocket flew highest, since it is hard to measure but easy to call
- Best of a set number of stomps keeps young kids invested and gives everyone equal turns
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. A player runs up and jumps onto the air pad with both feet, or stomps hard with one foot. The burst of air shoots the rocket up and away. A bigger, faster stomp sends it higher, which kids figure out in about two tries.
- 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. Watch where each rocket lands and call it out. For a contest, mark or measure the spot. For free play, just race to fetch them and reload. This is where the games below come in.
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.