Home >> Games & Cards >> Kids Games

Rules of Leapfrog

Leapfrog is a children's game that has been played for hundreds of years. One early record of the game is in the painting "Children's Games" completed in 1560 by the Flemish Renaissance artist Pieter Brueghel. In 1904, an observer in New York listed leapfrog as one of the ten most popular games. Leapfrog is still sometimes used in elementary physical education because it is a simple game that requires partner skills and a high level of physical activity.

Leapfrog Positions
- In leapfrog there are two positions: the squatter and the leaper. Each player rotates these positions throughout the game. The squatter bends his knees and puts his hands firmly on the ground in front of him. His arms are placed between his knees and his head is tucked into his chest, mimicking a frog-like position. The leaper jumps over the squatter by placing her hands on his shoulders and pushing off the ground with her legs to leap over the squatter. Except for having her hands on the squatter's shoulders, the leaper should not touch the squatter while leaping over him.
Leapfrog with Two People
- When playing leapfrog with two people, each person immediately rotates between being the leaper and squatter. First, Person A gets into the squatter position. Person B is the leaper and leaps over Person A. Then Person B immediately assumes the squatter position directly in front of Person A. Person A then becomes the leaper and leaps over Person B. Person A then reassumes the squatter position and Person B becomes the leaper. The cycle continues until the partners run out of space or time or are too tired to continue.
Leapfrog with more than Two People
- When playing leapfrog with more than two people, all players get into a line, all facing forward. The person in the back of the line is the leaper and everyone else gets into the squatting position. The leaper leaps over every squatter until she reaches the front of the line. Then the leaper gets into the squatter position and becomes the new front of the line. The person at the end of the line becomes the next leaper and repeats the cycle. Again, the cycle continues until the players run out of space or time or are too tired to continue. Or the cycle can be stopped once everyone has had a turn being the leaper.
Variations
- In one variation of leapfrog, there are multiple leapers. Once the first leaper has leaped over a certain numbers of squatters, the last person in line becomes a second leaper. If the line is long enough, there can be several leapers playing simultaneously.
  
  Another variation of leapfrog can be a race of two leapfrog lines. Whichever line first cycles through their leapers wins.

Kids Games