4HOPS Meet the mat

Four ways to play

The Games

Each game has its own personality. They all share one golden rule: one leg, lots of laughs!

Before you begin

Set up the 12 tiles

Lay the tiles in this 4-by-3 snake pattern. Consecutive numbers now touch, so Number Hop can run from 1 to 12 and back without a gap.

This is the floor layout. The tile poster shows each tile's color and action in numeric order.

Movement: An adjacent tile touches your tile along a side or a corner. Diagonal hops count.

Follow the numbers across, back, then across again.
Game 1

Color Clash

Everyone hops. Everyone competes. Last one standing wins!

Someone calls a color and suddenly everyone's scrambling for a matching tile. You have up to four hops to get there, while your opponents race for the same spaces. Think fast, hop faster, and keep your balance.

  • 2–4 players
  • Up to 4 hops
  • Elimination game
A family racing to colored tiles during Color Clash

How to play

  1. Start on separate tiles, balancing on one leg.
  2. Take turns calling a color. The caller plays too!
  3. Everyone hops toward a tile of that color. Each hop moves to an adjacent tile, including diagonally, and you have four hops or fewer.
  4. Only one player can occupy each tile. If someone gets there first, find another route.
  5. On your chosen tile, do its printed action while staying on one leg. Check the tile poster for all 12 actions. The caller counts to ten as everyone holds their positions.
  6. Fail to reach the right color or lose your balance and you lose a life. If nobody reaches the color, everyone loses a life. After three lost lives, you're out. Call a new color and play on.

How to win

Be the last hopper standing. The best color to call might be the hardest one for your opponents, but remember: you have to reach it too.

Game 2

Number Hop

One player hops. The opponent times. Fastest wins!

Twelve tiles. Twenty-two hops. One leg. Follow the numbered snake from 1 to 12 and back while your opponent times the run in seconds. No shortcuts, no skipping, no second foot.

  • 2+ players
  • 22 hops
  • Fastest time wins
Players following the numbered mat in Number Hop

How to play

  1. Player 1 starts on tile 1, balancing on one leg.
  2. Player 2 calls "Go!" and times Player 1 in seconds, counting aloud at an even pace or using a stopwatch.
  3. Hop from tile 1 to 2, then 3, and continue in order to tile 12. Use the snake setup so each next number is adjacent.
  4. Reverse direction and hop back through every number to tile 1.
  5. Keep your balance: no skipping a number, walking, or putting your other foot down.
  6. Stop the timer when you land back on tile 1. Swap roles and let the next player try.

How to win

The fastest successful time in seconds wins. Lose your balance or skip a tile? That attempt doesn't count, so try again.

Game 3

Number Panic

Choose a number. Plan your route. Make your move!

Everyone starts on a green tile. Take turns challenging the next player to reach a numbered tile in no more than four hops. You can hop diagonally or try a double jump, but other players are obstacles.

  • 2–3 players
  • Maximum 4 hops
  • Strategy game
A player reaching a called number in Number Panic

How to play

  1. Start on separate green tiles, balancing on one leg.
  2. Player 1 calls a reachable, unoccupied number for Player 2.
  3. Player 2 plans a route of no more than four hops.
  4. Hop to an adjacent tile in any direction, including diagonally. A double jump clears one empty tile in the same row or column and lands on the next tile. It counts as one hop.
  5. Other players stay put. You cannot land on, pass through, or jump over an occupied tile.
  6. Reach the target, stay on one leg, and do the action printed on the tile. Then choose a target for the next player.
  7. Miss your target within four hops or lose your balance and you lose a life. Three lost lives means elimination.

How to win

Be the last player remaining. The smartest route isn't always the most obvious one, so study the board before you hop.

Game 4

4HOPS Challenge

Four numbers. Four hops per target. Fastest wins!

Your opponent picks four mystery numbers and times your run in seconds. You choose the order, making exactly four separate hops to reach each target. Then you swap roles.

  • 2+ players
  • 4 targets
  • 16-hop time trial
Players counting hops during the 4HOPS Challenge

How to play

  1. Choose roles: one player hops, while the opponent chooses a starting tile and four numbered targets, then times the run. Pick targets with valid four-hop routes.
  2. The hopping player chooses the order of those four targets.
  3. The opponent calls "Go!" and starts timing in seconds, counting aloud at an even pace or using a stopwatch.
  4. Make exactly four separate hops, landing on your first target on hop four.
  5. From that tile, make another four hops to reach your second target. Repeat for targets three and four.
  6. Stay on one leg throughout. The opponent stops the timer when you land on the fourth target.
  7. Swap roles. The opponent now hops from the same starting tile to the same four targets while you time them. Compare times in seconds.

How to win

Complete all four targets successfully in the shortest time, measured in seconds. Four targets mean sixteen hops, so every route matters.

Same tiles. A new challenge every time.

Meet the 12-tile mat