Below are some tag games that you can choose to play with your group.
Make sure you keep be intentional when choosing whether or not to use these games during your workshop. All safety concerns must be considered. For example:
Is the ground wet? Muddy?
Is the room large enough for participants to comfortably move? Do you have too many participants for the room?
Is a tag game appropriate for the group's goals and values?
That being said, YOU'RE IT!
!!!: MOST OF THESE ACTIVITIES INVOLVE TOUCHING OTHER PARTICIPANTS
Modification Ideas (No Running):
Everyone must shuffle (cannot pick either foot up off of the ground)
Everyone must walk on designated lines on the ground, no jumping between lines (works best on a gym floor with painted lines, or you can make lines with rope outside)
(Least mobility needed:) Everyone walks slowly. Tagger asks a question after tagging someone (trivia, get to know you, etc). If the person "tagged" gets the question right, they are not "tagged"/out and have immunity for a certain amount of time.
Participants: Ideally over 20
Props: Variation requires use of pool noodles (bring 2 per "blob")
How to play: Randomly select 1-2 people to be "it".
The rest of the group stands on one side of the space. They must run to the other side of the space without getting tagged.
If they are tagged- they join the "it" person by holding a hand with the other people who are now "it".
Eventually a huge blob forms which tries to tag the other people who are left.
However, only the people that are at the end of the "blob" can tag people since they have one free hand. The "blob" must remain intact the whole time.
Variations of Blob:
Limit the size of the blob to 3-4 people so that whenever a group gets to big they split.
Vary the way people can get from one side of the room to the other (kangaroo-hop, sumo steps, galloping, on one foot, etc.)
Use a pool noodle for tagging people when the blob gets larger.
Particiopants
How to play: Randomly select a couple people to be "it" (aka a pest control person)
Played just like regular tag.
When someone is tagged, they must lie down on the ground and stick their arms and legs in the air like a dead ant.
Other "ants" around them can save the dead ant by touching a hand or foot. There needs to be 4 people in order to save a dead ant, each touching a different body part at the same time.
When this is done the person is back in the game.
The tagger cannot "kill" the ants that are touching a dead ant trying to save it or guard a dead ant such that no-one can save the tagged person.
Variation: When an "ant" is tagged 3 times, they now become a tagger.
Participants:
How to play: Have participants pick a partner. Select one person of the pair to be the starting "it" person who is trying to tag the other person who is the "runner".
The "runner" must try to link arms with another partner pair from the other groups before being tagged. If the "runner" gets tagged, the roles switch.
If the "runner" links arms with another group, the person of the pair who is not linked with the last runner detaches and is now the "runner".
Try to have the "runner" link with another pair as quickly as they can to keep the game moving.
Variation:
"Screaming Yellow Zonkers": In this mode, the "runner" has to scream while being chased.
"Log tag": Occurs when the people are not linked together but rather seated next to each other. Whatever person that the runner does not sit next to is the new runner.
This game can also be played with multiple runners and taggers.
Participants
Props: Something to establish a well defined boundary.
How to play: Everyone is it.
Participants run around trying to tag other participants
If two participants tag each other at the same time they are both out.
Once you are tagged you leave the circle. Final person left wins!
Variations:
If a person gets tagged, they have to either jump up and down three times and say "I'm a Star!" (with legs and arms extended to form a star) or in place three times saying "I'm Cool!"
Participants:
How to play: Divide the group in half. One side is heads (place one hand on head) and one side is tails (put one hand on their butt).
The goal is to tag someone from the other team.
When you are tagged, you switched to the other team.
In the end, everyone should be on the same team, either heads or tails.
Feel free to play again when the game is over.
Participants
Props: Hula hoop (not necessary)
How to play: Select one person to be the designated "doctor".
In this game everyone is "it".
When you get tagged, you must cover that part of your body with one of your hands, you can still tag others using the other hand.
One you have been tagged twice, you must freeze and stand in place.
The doctor (holding the hula hoop) can save the people who have been tagged twice. This is done by passing the hula hoop from the person's head, down to the ground, and back over their head. This magical "hoop of health" allows participants to get back in the game.
Participants: Best for groups less than 50, need adequate space for playing tag.
How to play: Explain that the group will be playing a new version of tag that involves three levels of participation:
Safe Zone: In this zone participants cannot be tagged or tag anyone else, they also may not travel. To show participants put hands on knees.
Tagging Zone: Participants can now run to tag others below the shin. Here they must put their hands on their sides. You can travel and tag other people in this zone.
Help Zone: These are people who have been tagged. When tagged they put their hands straight out to the side.
To get un-tagged and enter the other zones they must get a high five from two different people.
Participants may switch from safe to tagging zone at any time.
Usually participants are not active during the first round, so playing again and inviting participants to go out of their comfort zone will make the game more fun and exciting for everyone including themselves.
Questions to ask: What was your level of participation? Why did you choose to do what you did? Talk about where the participant’s comfort level was throughout.
Set up: Mark off a small area with cones, chairs, rope, tape—anything that you can find to establish physical boundaries. The size of the boundary is dependent on the size of the group. You want it to be a relatively small space—tight quarters—just enough room to move. Think the mall on a weekend before the holidays.
How to Play: This is a partner tag game.
Demonstrate how to “mall walk”. This is a fast walk where you swing your arms—just like you see in people who are walking around the mall for fitness. Have everyone practice their mall walk and then, tell them that this is the only way for them to move during the game.
Have the group partner up and decide which one of them is “it”.
Have everyone step into the mall.
The goal is for the person who is “it” to tag their partner.
Once tagged, the person turns around in a circle three times. One variation is for them to sing their favorite song as they spin.
After the 3 spins, the person who is now “it” goes after their partner.
Play until interest wanes or it is time to move on.
Participants:
How to play: Everyone stands in a circle. One person is the needle (runner) and the other is the thread (it).
The needle's objective is to sew the circle closed by running in between people- once the needle runs between two people, they join hands and the space is now closed.
The thread's objective is to tag the needle before they can close the circle.
Once either the needle is tagged or the circle is sewn shut, two new people become the needle and thread.
Participants:
How to play: Everyone stands in a circle on a poly spot, except one person who is in the middle.
The person in the center has the objective of getting to a spot on the circle.
The people on the outside must use non-verbal communication cues to switch places; as they switch places, the person on the inside attempts to steal the open marker.
Debriefing ideas: non-verbal communication- what worked, what didn’t? how much did you participate? How challenging did you make it for yourself? Did you always switch with the same person? How did it feel being in the middle?
Variations: If you have a large group, you can put more people in the center.
Participants:
How to play:
Everyone is it- but instead of using your hands to tag people, you use one of your shoes.
You can only throw the shoes underhand and hits only count below the waist.
The shoe-less foot can't touch the ground- so pick your hopping foot wisely- you can't switch until the end of the round!
Participants:
How to play: Select one person to be the caller (usually a facilitator) as well as a couple people who are "it".
The "caller" controls the movements of everyone in the game.
When the caller says "step", everyone in the game takes one step with one foot.
When the caller says "hop", everyone takes a hop.
When the caller says "jump", everyone first takes a step, then takes off of that foot and leaps, landing on two feet. Finally the person takes a "hop".
Feel free to play as many rounds and introduce other commands as you seem fit.
Participants:
Props: Throwies
How to play: Pick a few people out of the group to be it. There should be at least 2, but can have more if the group is larger.
The people who are it tag others by gently hitting them with the throwie.
While the taggers have the throwie in hand, they cannot move. When they don't have a throwie, they can move around.
The objective is to turn everyone into taggers by passing the throwie from person to person, and moving around.
As more people are turned, more throwies can be added.
The Story: Trolls are invading the town by throwing giant, infectious boulders at the citizens. If hit by a boulder, a citizen will turn into a troll. The boulders weigh so much, that the trolls can’t move while they are carrying them! Work together to take the town.