Hobbies And Interests
Basic Tag Tips
Before the game starts, define a clear playing area. If you are going to have a home base where players can rest safely, make sure everyone knows where it is. A variation of this is to have players be safe so long as their feet are not touching the ground -- so they could climb a tree or jump on a chair or bench. In the game's most basic form, one player is chosen as "it" and must chase the other players and try to tag them. If you are going to incorporate more complicated rules into the game, make sure all the players understand them before you start.
Freeze Tag
Play freeze tag in the same way as basic tag, with one player as "it." However, if a player is tagged, instead of becoming "it," he must freeze on the spot and stay there until another player "melts" him by touching him. If the player who is "it" manages to freeze all the players, the last person to remain unfrozen becomes the new "it."
Snakes in the Gutter
This is a group tag game. Have the children line up at one end of the playing area. Two children are chosen as snakes to stand in the "gutter" in the middle of the playing area. When the person in charge of the game calls "Snakes in the gutter!" the children must try to run from one end of the playing area to the other without being tagged by the snakes in the middle. If a child is caught, she must join the snakes in the gutter and attempt to tag the others. The winner is the last child to be caught.
Flour Tag
This is a tag game for teens and is best played outdoors as it may be messy. Have everyone wear a dark T-shirt, and give each player a ball made from a nylon stocking filled with flour. Select one person to act as referee and designate a jail area. All players try to tag each other by throwing the flour balls -- a hit should show up clearly on the dark shirts. The referee makes sure all hit players go to jail. The last player to avoid the flour torpedoes is the winner. Keep a damp cloth on hand to clean up between rounds.