Tag Games

1. Wacky tag
IT calls out a random style of movement.  Examples are walking on all fours, jogging backward or hopping.  All including IT must follow the actions.  If tagged the tagged person becomes the new IT. 



2. Animal, vegetable, or Mineral Tag
Players are safe so long as they are touching an object make from a mineral.  This tag game can also be used for animal or vegetable.

 
3. Ballet Tag
Start the music; all the children dance instead of running.  IT must touch another player while dancing.

  
 4.  Popcorn tag
All the players hop up and down on both feet.  When the person who is IT tags a player, the two immediately join hands.  The two players hop up and set out to tag other players.  When other players are tagged they join the hopping chain until there is only one lone hopper left.  He becomes IT if the game is played again.

5. Dog Tag
Everyone get down on all fours.  In the game players who are tagged are frozen and can't move until fellow players crawl under them and thaw them out.  If the person who is defrosting a frozen player gets tagged in the process he or she becomes frozen as well.  The object of the game is for the one who is IT to freeze all players.

6. Alligator Tag
All the players gather in a circle and lie on their stomachs with faces toward the center.  The person chosen to be IT is in the middle of the circle, also lying on the floor. When IT says go.  All the other alligators must scramble away on their stomachs.  When IT touches the an alligator, he acts dead.  The last person to be touched is the winner and becomes the new IT.

7. Freeze tag
A player is chosen to be IT.  All the player run from IT.  As soon as IT touches a player the player is frozen in the position he was when touched.

8. Slow freeze tag
All the players run in slow motion.  When IT tags another person, he becomes frozen in the position he was in when he tagged.  The last person to remain unfrozen is the winner.
                     
9.  Tree Tag
Each child is safe as long as he or she is touching a fruit tree.
 
10. Shadow tag
IT tries to step on the shadow of each of the players, when this happens the player becomes frozen. Then IT continues to step on shadows and freezing players.
Variation---Stepping on shadows
The same as shadow tag except each frozen persons shadow is a safe area for other players to stand.
      
11. Runaway cars
IT is the locomotive.  All the other players are Runaway Cars.  When IT tags a runaway car the tagged player hooks onto the waist of the locomotive.  When the next player is tagged he hooks on to the train until the train is complete.


12. Turtle tag
One player is IT, the other players are turtles.  IT may not tag a turtle who is on his back with his four feet in the air.  But a turtle who is on his back with his feet in the air, must hop up and run at least 10 steps by the time IT counts to 10.  Then they can again assume the safe position or continue moving.


13. Partner tag
Have each person find a partner.  Partners must stand around a large circle.  Partners need to hold hands.  Choose one person to be IT and one person to be chased.  The person who is IT chases the other person around and through the circle of partners.  The person who is being chased can grab hold of someone else's hand.  When this happens, that person's partner is now being chased.  If a person is tagged, the chased person becomes IT and the old IT has to run. 

14. Bag Banger tag
(play at night in the summer time)
One person is IT.  Every one else is a banger.  All the bangers hide in the dark with a lot of bags for each banger.  Bangers teases the person who is IT by banging bags.  Everyone who is caught helps IT catch the rest of the hidden bangers.  The last one caught is IT.

15. Flag Tag
Give each player two one-by-16-inch strips of cloth as flags.  Player's hook their flags over their belts along outside trouser seams, with no more than one inch of the flag behind the belt.  On signal, each player tries to grab the others’ flags while protecting his own.  You may have two winners the one who captures the most flags and the one who  has at least one flag in his belt at game’s end.

16. Pom-pom Pull away
Mark goal lines at opposite sides of the play area at least at 50 feet apart.  IT stands in the center and all other players are behind one goal line.  IT calls “pom-pom pull away come or I will pull you away!"  The others then run for the other goal line while IT tries to tag them.  Players who are tagged join IT to tag others.  Winner is the last one caught.

17. Copy Cat Tag

In this tag game IT is not the tagger; rather he is the one tagged.  To start this game, IT runs off while the other players count to three.  They then chase IT but they must imitate every thing he does.  If IT crawls, they must crawl; if he hops, they must hop; if he stops, they must stop, etc.  The first player to tag him becomes the new IT.

18. Cross Tag
While IT is chasing a player another player may cross between them.  If he does IT must chase the crosser, a player who is tagged becomes the new IT.

19. Blindman's Bluff
This game is played in a large area.  One player is IT and is blindfolded and gropes around attempting to touch the other players without being able to see them and the players group around him.  They scatter and try to avoid the person who is IT.  The first player tagged by IT becomes IT and another round of the game is played.
Variation
1. IT feels the face of the person tagged and attempts to identify the person, and only if the person is correctly identified does the person become IT.
2. Whenever any player is tagged by IT that player is out of the game.  The game proceeds until all players are out of the game, at which point another round of the game starts, with either the first player or the last player to be tagged becoming the next IT player.

20. Shark Attack
Choose one player to be the Shark.  All other players are fish.  The Shark goes to one end of the playing field and turns his back to the fish (No peaking).  The fish go to the other end of the field. The Shark says, "Fish fish ________in my ocean." (The Shark fills in the blank with any action command, such as swim, walk, run, jump, hop, skip, duck, walk, snake, walk, etc.)  When the Shark thinks the fish are close enough, he yells "Shark Attack."  When he yells "Shark Attack," the fish try to run back to the starting line while the Shark tries to catch as many fish as he can.  If a fish is tagged, he becomes another Shark. All the Sharks must turn their backs on the fish.  The original Shark is the head Shark, only he can give the action commands or yell "Shark Attack."  Play continues until all but one fish is left.  That Fish is not the new Shark and the game begins again. 

21. Dakpany Tag (Philippines)
Make three small circles on the floor, each with room for one or two players to stand in.  Also make a target circle, and a rest circle.  One player is the Chaser, the others are circle players.  The Chaser must stay our of all circles.  The circle player's may run between circles.  Circle players are safe as long as they are in a circle.  When one is tagged between circles he becomes the Chaser.

22. Cat and Mice (Philippines)
 All the players sit or kneel on the ground around a small pile of objects (Sticks or stones or marbles).  One player is the Cat, he sits nearest the pile.  The other are the Mice, the Mice try to snatch one of the sticks and toss it over their shoulder before the Cat can tag them.  When a Mouse is tagged, he becomes the Cat.

23. Amoeba Tag
Two people are it.  They hold hands and chase people.  Any person they catch joins the chain by linking hands.  When another person is caught they can stay together or spilt 2 and 2, but they must split even numbers and can link together at will.  This game is played until nobody is left.

24. Band-Aid Tag
One person is IT.  Whenever someone is tagged by IT they must hold a band aid (their hand) on the spot where they were tagged.  Then the game continues.  When someone runs out of band aids, (they get tagged three times), they are frozen until two other people come over to them and "operate." The two other people need to tagged the frozen person at the same time and count to five.  Let the game continue for as long as IT remains exciting and fun.  Switch the person who is IT often.

25. Rotten Egg
A group of children may play this game by designating one person the rotten egg.  All the other children chase and try to tag the rotten egg.  Whoever tags the rotten egg first becomes the new rotten egg and all the children then try to tag the new rotten egg.

26. Snakes in the Grass
Two people are selected to be snakes.  They must run around on all fours and try to tag other players still using their two feet.  People tagged become snakes.