A little reason to celebrate
National Jump for Jelly Beans Day
Food · Fun · July 31
A day that pairs jelly beans with jumping: hopscotch, hop relays and simple games where every bean is earned with a bounce.
National Jump for Jelly Beans Day falls on Saturday, July 31, 2027. That is 277 days away.
The idea is right there in the name. Jelly beans become the prize, and jumping is how you win them. One hop, one bean. A good jump across the yard might be worth a small handful.
Hopscotch suits it well. Chalk out the squares, set a bean on each one, and collect them as you go. Miss a square and the bean stays put for the next player. A relay works too: teams hop to a bowl, take one bean, and hop back so the next person can go. Jump rope counts, with a bean for every ten skips, and so does a plain standing long jump with a tape measure and a cup of beans waiting at the far end.
The beans are small and light, which makes them good game pieces. They fit in a pocket and roll less than you might expect. Easy to hand out in fair amounts, they also keep score better than anyone's memory does.
A few house rules help. Play on grass, carpet or another soft surface, and leave room between players. Save the eating for after the hopping, since chewing candy mid-jump is a poor combination, and small children do better with their beans handed out once the game is over. Count the beans before you start, too. Somebody always swears they were shorted.
At the end of the game, the bowl is empty and everyone is a little out of breath, which is roughly how a bag of jelly beans ought to go.
Ways to celebrate
- Chalk a hopscotch grid and set one jelly bean in each square.
- Run a hop relay where each trip earns a single bean.
- Try a jump rope round, with one bean for every ten skips.
- Measure standing long jumps and give the longest a small handful of beans.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday, July 31 |
| 2027 | Saturday, July 31 |
| 2028 | Monday, July 31 |
| 2029 | Tuesday, July 31 |
| 2030 | Wednesday, July 31 |