Have you ever heard of a joggling board?
It’s a long board, propped up at both ends;
Kids used to take turns, lining up, on the board
And they’d jump up and down with their friends!
As they all jump together, the board starts to sway,
Up and down, ‘til it throws them up high,
And off, they all jump, with squeals of delight,
Feeling like they were going to fly!
Sadly, I don’t think they’re jumped on, today
No fun exercise with some friends
But I love those cute kids who’re just sitting there, smilin’,
When I look at it, it makes me grin.
The title of this print is: Make a Joyful Noise.
Joggling boards are made in Charleston, South Carolina,
They are made in different lengths—some long ones, perfect for jumping, and shorter ones for “sittin’ and maybe “courtin’.” I think, today, kids just sit on them. A pity.
About 25 years ago, or so, I was on a driving trip with some friends and we visited Charleston, and of course, went shopping. This wonderful print was in a gift shop, and I had to have it. I loved it and the title underneath the print, which was "Make a Joyful Noise."
When I was growing up in Georgia, a friend had a long joggling board in her back yard that would hold 4 and 5 teenagers, jumping together, and we’d get going so high, that thing would throw us up and off. It was a blast. How that old board lasted so long with the weight of all of us jumping on it is beyond me, but it did.
8/16/2026
What a delightful poem about something brand new to me. A joggling board is not something we have up here in the Northeast part of the country. Seems we missed out big time!! I like the rhythmic up-and-down feel of the meter. So symbolic of the joggling board activity itself. xoxo