Running and chasing games give children a chance to burn calories and expend energy. That’s particularly true of this game, which also gives them a chance to develop their problem-solving and cooperation skills. It’s a more challenging game of tag because children have to run while “attached” to someone else, but children love the challenge!
What You Need:
- Nothing — just a group of energetic kids
What You Do:
- Players pair off.
- All but two of the children link arms.
- Of the two without arms linked, one is “It” and the other is the person “It” is going to chase.
- At your signal, everyone starts to run!
- The child whom “It” is chasing tries to hook onto one of the linked pairs.
- If he manages to link his elbow with someone else’s he and the child he’s linked with become a new pair; and the child on the opposite side of them is set free to become the child being chased.
- If “It” tags the child being chased before she can link with someone, she and “It” reverse roles. But, because they’re in such close proximity at this point, an immediate tag-back wouldn’t be fair. So pause the game temporarily, allowing “It” and the “chasee” to separate.
- You then give the signal for everyone to start running again.
If you play this one with the children, you’ll burn calories and get your quota of physical activity, too!
By Rae Pica
Rae Pica is a children's physical activity specialist and the author of A Running Start: How Play, Physical Activity, and Free Time Create a Successful Child (Da Capo Press, 2006) and Great Games for Young Children (Gryphon House, 2006).
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