Category: tag

SPUD


This is an easy, addictive, and low equipment game that has never left a group unhappy. I have no idea where this game came from, but SPUD is something that I find the easiest and the craziest to play. It takes some demonstration, but once you get the hang of it, it is fast paced. 

How to Play

Easiest start to the game is have each player say their name to the group. After everyone is familiar with everyone’s name, have each player group together in a circle around the person holding the ball, placing 1 hand inside the circle. One person starts with the ball in the centre of the circle.

At the beginning of each round, the person with the ball (who is in the centre of the circle) throws the ball upwards to the sky while yelling the name of another player in the circle. Once the ball is in the air everyone runs away in all different directions away from the ball except for the person(s) whose name was called. That person whose name was called must catch the ball and then yells “Spud!” as fast as they can. When they yell “SPUD”, everyone in the room must freeze. The person with the ball then is allowed to take three giant steps toward any player. They then throw the ball and try to hit anyone they can. They can also roll the ball if that is going to work better for them. 

Players frozen cannot dodge the hit. 

If a player is hit the first time, he or she earns the letter “S”, eventually spelling the word S-P-U-D. The person who was hit becomes the new thrower; otherwise, the thrower who missed earns a letter. The next round begins, and play continues. Whoever spells the letter S-P-U-D is out of the game; alternatively, if you do not wish to eliminate players, you can set a time limit and whoever has the least number of letters when time expires is the winner.

The Mods

  • They are not allowed to move any part of their body when SPUD is called. If they do, they earn a letter.
  • If the person throwing the ball misses, they collect a letter. The person that collected the letter throws the next ball.
  • If more than 3 people see a person move, they collect a letter.

Colour Catch:

Instead of using kids’ names use the colour they are wearing, the “it” person must call one of the colours that are in the circle. Anyone wearing that colour can catch the ball and yell Spud. Kids wearing the same colours can team up and work together to get other colours out

Featured

Steal the Bacon

The entire point of this game is to get the “Bacon” back to your team’s side without getting tagged.

The “Bacon” can be anything…

  • Shoe
  • Dodgeball
  • Homebase
  • Pinnie
  • Goalie glove
  • Rugby ball
  • Football 
  • ANYTHING….

How to Play

Create 2 teams and place the “Bacon” in the middle of the space, on each team you need to number the players 1-10 (or however many you have). Line them up across the space from one another and the “Bacon” in a hula-hoop in the dead center. 

The leader then calls out a number and a person from each team with that number runs out and tries to get the bacon before the other person. They need to take that “Bacon” back to their team as fast as they can without getting tagged. Once tagged you drop the “Bacon”, and it returns to the middle for the next round. 

You cannot touch the other player until one of you has touched the bacon, keep it fair people. 

If one player gets the “Bacon” back to their side of the field without getting tagged the team gets a point. First team to 10 points wins. (Or 5 or 20, whatever works for your group), or all the numbers have had a turn. 

The Mods

  • The Leader can call more than one number, in which case several players from each side participate.
  • In some games, players may tag any player on the opposing team, in others, a player may only tag the player on the other team that they share a number with.
  • in some games, points are scored by carrying it to the other team’s side or either team’s side
  • Once tagged the “bacon” must be dropped. Then the other team’s player can pick it up and run, only stopping when they get to the other side or are tagged. 
  • Remove the “Bacon” and use Dodgeballs, the first person to hit the other player/players gets them out. Last person standing wins. 
  • Use this as a hockey drill, sticks, one puck and a net. First player to score a goal, gets the point. 

War Ball/Knockout

You Need:

  • 4 hula hoops 
  • 4 cones
  • 4 volley balls
  • dodgeballs

How to Play:

Divide your space into 4 zones, or quadrants inside each quadrant you need to place a hula hoop and then the cone inside the hula hoop and then the volleyball on top of the cone. Place one of these insides each of the quadrants. 

Now divide all your students into four equal teams each team is allowed 1 guard, that stands the (length of the hockey stick or a meter) away from the pylon and ball. The rest of the players do their best to knock the other teams ball off the pylon with the dodgeballs. Once the volleyball is knocked off that team loses, and their quadrant is closed. That team now stands on the side lines and the team that knocked down the ball takes over their quadrant. This continues until there is only 1 team remaining. 

all four teams is also playing dodgeball as well. So, if you get hit with a dodgeball you need to stand on the sidelines till the person that hit you with a ball is hit. Or the Teacher/Leader calls “Jailbreak”

  • All shots are to be from the shoulders and down.
  • You can use the dodgeballs as shields.
  • If you catch someone else’s ball, they are out, and you are in.
  • You hit someone in the head you are out. 

The Mods

  • Play so that the kids must only to hit the Volleyball. If they hit a player, they are out
  • Change out the Volleyball for a Dodgeball, then if that proves too easy, then shrink it down to a Tennis ball
  • If you hit someone with a dodgeball, they can join your team
  • If you catch someone else’s ball, you get yourself and another person back. and the person’s ball that you caught is not out.
  • Play to only knock down the ball, you are not down or out if you get hit.

Capture the Flag x 4

We have all played “Capture the Flag” at some point or another, so let’s have some fun with this version. 


Divide the space, into 4 equal zones, add a section of space inside each zone that is going to act as your “Safe Zone” This can be done with a hula-hoop, or a box marked with pylons. Into each “Safe Zone” you need to place 2 of each of the opposing teams coloured items into the “Zone”, so there are 6 per “Safe Zone”. To win you need to be the first team must collect all 6 of their teams coloured items into their “Safe Zone”. 

Now divide up the group into 4 equal teams, and if you have pinnies great, if not coloured flagging tape, bandana, ribbon, or something to indicate who belongs where a must is. 

How to Play:

Students are only safe in their colour’s quadrant, or in a “Safe Zone”. Anywhere else in the game space they can be tagged. Once tagged the player sits down in the spot they were tagged, and they can only get up if one of their teammates runs up and tags them. Then both teammates take a “free walk” back to their own Zone. 

If you get tagged with an item in your hand, you hand it off to your tagger and sit down. That flag is then returned to the “Safe Zone” and the game continues. 

The Mods

  • Once tagged the person must run to the side lines and can only be released if someone tags the person that tagged them. 
  • Sudden Death—Once tagged you are out of the game, till 1 team wins. 
  • If a player gets tagged, they can join their taggers team, till there is no one left and then you close the quadrant, and it becomes a race. To be the last team standing. 
  • Instead of 2 items, increase the number to 3 to make it harder or decrease it to 1 for a quicker game. 

Rob the Nest

This is a great game for those looking to have some fun with Basketball skills and to get kids moving about and getting comfortable with dribbling.

In a basketball court or a gym, set up 4 hula-hoops in each of the 4 corners of the court/gym. Place an upwards of 10 basketballs in the center of the court/ gym. Divide the students into 4 equal teams. The hula-hoops are the “nests”, the teams send one student at a time to the middle to dribble the ball back and place it in the nest. Once all the balls are gone from the middle, then students can steal basketballs from the other teams. The team with the most basketballs wins the round.

How to Play

  1. On “GO” one player from each team runs to the balls
  2. They pick up a ball then dribble it back to their teams’ hula-hoop.
  3. Then the next player in the team goes (1 at a time)
  4. When all the balls are gone from the middle, students can rob the nest! (Everyone runs around to steal the other teams’ balls).
  5. They must get the ball from the nest and dribble it back without having the team tag them.
  6. When time is up, the team with the most balls safe wins

The Mods

  • Choose 2 players to become defenders, who can try to knock other peoples’ balls away to stop them.
  • Students can no longer tag the attacking players to get them to release the stolen ball, they need to dribble it away from them.
Featured

MADBALL

Yes, this game is called Madball. I can not say as to why, either it’s the wacky rules, the highly competitive nature or you go mad trying to keep up with this style of Dodgeball game. 

person holding green apple fruit

The best way I have found to play it is to set up as many Gym mats standing up as you can, spread them out so you have hiding places or ducking corners. The mats are up so players can hide, duck and avoid getting hit, making this a fun and sneaky game for everyone. This game goes WICKED fast. Players are out and in rapidly, dodgeballs are zooming through the air like snow in a blizzard. Be prepared to play and get involved, it is an amazingly fun game if you can keep up. 

This is Everybody’s It Tag with Dodgeballs.

The Basic Rules:

  • You can hit anyone you want. 
  • If you hit them they are out and need to sit down.
  • You can only get back up if the person that hit you with the dodgeball gets hit and sits down.
  • Or “Jailbreak” is called by the leader of the game. 
  • There are NO teams
  • You can only hit from the shoulders down.
  • If you hit someone in the head, YOU ARE DOWN
  • You can only take 3 steps with the ball in your hand, then you have to throw it.
  • If you disagree about a hit/tag, you play Rock/Paper/Scissors winner gets their call. 

There are no teams, there are no partners, it is everyone for themselves. You will be one of their main targets when you play. Yes, you should play. 

I start with everyone on the walls of the room/gym and all the balls in the middle of the room. I go over the rules with the group, then step away from the dodgeballs and RUN! The minute you say GO, it becomes an intense, hilarious, and competitive game all at once. 

The Mods

Sudden Death:

This is the hardest version as once the players are hit they are OUT. Like fully out. There is no return. The goal is to get a winner. I normally award the winner with a prize, bragging rights don’t always do it.

***I have allowed players to return if they complete a fitness challenge such as 5 jumping jacks, 5 push-ups, use your discretion taking in the physical ability of your players.

Alliances:

This allows for players to pick teams and work together in small groups. When you use this, try to make the alliances as fair as possible. There can be a lot of grief about this modification if the groupings are not fair. But it does allow for an upwards of 4 team groups playing at once. 

Forty/Forty

Yes I did just call a game 40/40. But it is more than just a game. It combines all we love about TAG, Hide and Seek and Relay Races. This game is made for the hiders, the runners and the sneaky loophole seekers.

three boys running on field

The Rundown

1 person is “IT” and they pick a spot, say a tree or a certain wall in a gym, and then they go there and count to 40. Everyone else hides as fast as they can. Now the “Seeker” is finished counting, they can look around and see if they can spot anyone. If they see someone they can call “40/40 on Jack” Now Jack as to run from their hiding spot all the wall to the tree or spot and get there before the “Seeker” If the Seeker wins the race, Jack goes to jail.

If Jack wins, they are free and all of the jail is free and the “Seeker” has to start counting all over again.

Here is where the sneaky part comes in, if another player can sneak to the tree or spot without being seen and their name called then they touch the spot and yell “40/40 Free the Bunch” This frees everyone in jail and the “Seeker” has to start counting all over again.

If the Seeker catches everyone, than the first person to be found or the last person to be found is “It” and the game starts again.

Yes the “Seeker” can stand at the spot and call 40/40 on anyone they can see from where they are standing. It is not puppy guarding or cheating, its just the game.

If the players forget to say 40/40 Free the Bunch when they sneak up on the spot it does not count. “Go to Jail”

If the” Hider” goes for the spot and is seen and their name called then it is now a race to keep just them out of jail.

Helpful Suggestions:

  1. As a group set the boundaries of where people can hide, and where they cannot. Keep it clear and simple.

2. Place the jail a good distance from the tagging spot, these kids are going to be running full tilt and you don’t want a crash.

3. Set some clear rules about hiding and about interfering with the game (you might have a little friend that likes to give away all the hiding spots)

Modifications for Outside

  1. Pick a tree or something big and easy to get to as the spot the players need to tag.
  2. Place the jail a bit of a distance away (Trust me)
  3. Be clear about tree climbing or hazards before you start.

Modifications for Gyms and Inside spaces

  1. Pick a wall or a distinctive place in the room that is large and easy to get to for people to tag.
  2. Set up clear boundaries or areas they can and cannot hide
  3. Make sure you give them lots of time to either create hiding spots before the game starts or arrange to use some mats or tables as hiding spots.

Have you played this before? If so what are some of your modifications?

Wombat

Let’s take one of the versions that is my MOST requested game to play when you have a group of people and no equipment.

This game is not mine, a friend of mine taught it to me and I couldn’t help but love it, it takes agility, skill, speed and a big element of sneaky. In this version of Everybody’s It Tag, you are only allowed to tag someone on the Shin/calf area. So that makes all other tag attempts null and void.

Best way I have found to teach this game is have everyone touch their knee, then have them touch their ankle on the same leg. (Yes this means a little goofy balancing act, but visuals help!) If you get tagged between your knee and your ankle, you are down.

The only way to get back into the game is if the person that Tagged you is tagged and sits down, then you can pop back up and start tagging all over again. Or you can use the “Jailbreak” rule

This has led to endless laughter and racing about, in fields and in large gymnasiums, often with no matter how large a crowd of people that play, there is always those few that just have to catch everyone.

I have started this game with as little as 5 kids and soon was playing with a crowd of almost 30.

**Jailbreak Rule: If the leader of the game calls out “JailBreak” than everyone is free to stand and the game play goes on.