List of Traditional Children's Games

Dodgeball

• Often played during physical education class, dodgeball places two teams whose goal is to eliminate the opposite team by hitting each player on the team with the balls. Played on a basketball or volleyball court, a referee places 8 to 12 balls on the half-court line with the team players aligned equidistant on opposite ends of the court. When the whistle blows, players charge to the half-court line in hopes of picking up a ball and "tagging" (hitting) an opponent with it. Dodgeball also contains several variations, including Army Dodgeball, a free-for-all game type; and Ball tag, a game played with tennis balls instead of dodgeballs.

Freeze Tag

• Constructed from a variations of "It" or Tag games, Freeze Tag is a game where children organize and decide who will be "It." When the child is "It" he is responsible for chasing and tagging (touching) the other children. When a child is tagged, he must freeze and wait for the other children to tag him in order become unfrozen. The object is to have the "It" child tag and freeze everyone else to win. Children often set the rules, such as "no babysitting," a rule that restricts the "It" child from standing guard over a frozen child, preventing teammates from unfreezing him.

Kickball

• Inspired by baseball, Kickball uses similar rules and positions. Nine players take their positions across the baseball infield and outfield, with four players in the outfield and five in the infield. One player acts as the pitcher, rolling the ball to the opposite player, known as the kicker or batter. The object is to have the kicker kick the ball and make it around the bases in order to reach home plate without flying out, striking out, being forced out or being tagged out, as in baseball. However, children can modify innings, rotation, flyout rules and base running rules.

Duck, Duck, Goose

• Designed for a classroom-size group of children, Duck, Duck, Goose is a form of tag. Children form a circle facing inward and sit down. A teacher or administrator selects a person to be "it." The person chosen as "It" walks around the circle, touching each child's head saying "Duck" each time. When the "It" person touches a child and says, "Goose," the goose must stand and chase the "It" child around the circle before the "It" child sits down in the goose's empty seat. If the goose fails to tag the "It" child, then he becomes "It" and must choose a new goose.