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If you want an exciting game that helps you stay active, then tag is the perfect thing to play indoors or outdoors. The rules are so simple: one player is “it” and has to tag someone else, but the other players are trying their best to run away. When you want to put a twist on the game, there are tons of different variations no matter how many people you’re playing with. Keep reading, and we’ll cover the basic rules and the best versions to try so you can start playing in just a few minutes!
Things You Should Know
- Choose 1 player to be “it” and have the rest of the players become “runners.” The player who’s it counts down from 10 to start the game.
- Try to chase and tag another player if you’re “it,” and avoid getting touched if you’re a runner. When a runner gets tagged, they become the new person who’s “it.”
- Play tag until all the players are exhausted or until each person has been “it” at least once during the game.
Steps
Tag Rules and Gameplay
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Set boundaries and a safe zone in the play area. As a group, decide the size of the play area, such as a gym, soccer field, basketball court, or playground, so players don’t spread out too far apart. Then, pick a safe zone where players can go to prevent themselves from being tagged. It could be a tree, a slide, a light post, or any other spot you all can agree on.- Avoid playing anywhere that’s slippery or that could hurt you if you fall down.
- Decide on a time limit that a player can stay in the safe zone. You may choose that players can stay there for up to 10 seconds before they have to start running again.
Choose a player to be “it.” You can play tag with 2 or more people, but it works best with a larger group. Pick a player at random or have someone volunteer to be “it” at the start of the game. Everyone else becomes a “runner.”Advertisement
Start the game with a countdown. Have all the players start in the same spot in the play area. The person who’s “it” stands still and counts down from 10 while the runners try to get away. When the countdown reaches 0, the game begins and the person who’s “it” can start moving.- If you’re “it,” watch where all the other players are running so you can easily find and chase them when you finish counting.
- If you’re a runner, try to get as far away as possible from the person who’s “it.” If you’re able to, find a hiding spot behind a tree, bush, or piece of playground equipment so you’re harder to find.
Chase and try to tag other players if you’re “it.” While a player is “it,” it’s their goal to catch up to another person and touch them. Try to tag someone with a light touch on their shoulder, upper arm, or upper back.- Save your energy by walking or jogging closer to the runners. When they start moving away, break into a sprint to chase them down.
- Try to play mind games with the other players by faking a sudden movement in one direction. When the runner tries to run in the opposite direction, quickly follow them and try to catch up.
- If you’re “it,” you cannot pretend to be a runner. If a player asks if you’re “it,” you have to tell them the truth.
Avoid the person who’s “it” if you’re a runner. It’s the runner’s job to stay away from the person who’s “it” as best as they can. They may run away, climb playground equipment, or hide somewhere to stay safe.- If you know the person who’s “it” is faster than you, try to put obstacles in between you. That way, they can’t chase you down as easily.
- Try pushing off of objects to get an extra boost of speed while you’re running away.
Become “it” if you’re tagged. If a player gets tagged, they immediately become “it” and start chasing the others. The person who was originally “it” then becomes a runner and tries to avoid getting tagged.- At the start of the game, you may make a rule so players can’t tag the person who tagged them. That way, a player doesn’t get stuck being “it” for the entire game.
End the game when you’re exhausted or after everyone has been “it.” Tag doesn’t have a winner or loser, so just keep playing until everyone feels tired. For a quicker game of tag, leave the play area after you tag someone. The game ends when there’s only 1 person left in the play area.- Alternatively, set a timer for 3–5 minutes and play until it goes off. In this version, the player who’s “it” loses the game.
Community Q&A
- QuestionHow do I become good at crossing people?
Community AnswerPractice, practice, practice! The only way to improve is to continually practice and learn how to develop and implement new techniques. You can always learn new techniques by watching more experienced players as well. - QuestionI'm always tagged, and my classmates tease me about it. I told the teacher, but they still do it. When I get home, I cry because of them. How can this be fixed? I asked them to stop.
Community AnswerThat's sad! The best thing you can do is either stop playing with them, or just ignore them. Find a nicer group to play with, or suggest playing a different game. - QuestionHow do I know that the place for tag is the best one?Community AnswerIf it has a lot of fun places to hide, space to run around, and not a massive area where it will be impossible to tag people.
Tips
- Be mindful of your surroundings while you’re playing tag so you don’t accidentally run into another person.Thanks
Tips from our Readers 
- You can make a theme for the tag game, like, the “it” is a pirate and the one who have to catch is the villager, and the safe zone is a house or even a kingdom! Be creative, especially if you play it at a party.
- When a person is tagged as "it," the person who tagged them cannot be tagged again until one other person is tagged as "it." This is a good rule to keep in mind, especially with younger players.
Warnings
- When you’re tagging someone, avoid pushing them so hard that they trip or fall over.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://www.playworks.org/game-library/bandage-tag/
- ↑ https://www.toyassociation.org/genius/play-ideas-tips/play-ideas/freeze-tag.aspx
- ↑ https://cedwvu.org/media/3657/list-of-game-ideas.pdf
- ↑ https://www.playworks.org/game-library/blob-tag/
- ↑ https://cedwvu.org/media/3657/list-of-game-ideas.pdf
- ↑ https://cedwvu.org/media/3657/list-of-game-ideas.pdf
- ↑ https://www.rcsdk12.org/cms/lib/NY01001156/Centricity/Domain/8958/Tag%20Games.pdf
- ↑ https://www.rcsdk12.org/cms/lib/NY01001156/Centricity/Domain/8958/Tag%20Games.pdf
About This Article
To play a game of tag, get together with a few friends and decide who’s going to be “it.” There are a few ways to do this, but one classic method is to say “Who’s it?” The last person to yell out “Not it!” has to be “it.” Next, choose a good playing area. Tag works best outdoors in a big, open area where it’s easy to run around without tripping over anything or hurting yourself. Decide with the other players where the edges of your playing area should be. For example, if you’re on the playground, you might stick to just the gravel or blacktop, and make the grass off-limits. There’s also usually a safe zone where whoever is “it” can’t tag anyone. For instance, you might say that nobody can get tagged if they have their hand on the slide. To keep everyone from just camping out in the safe zone, set a time limit so they can only be there for a short amount of time—say, 30 seconds. When you’re ready to start, have the person that's “it” count to 10 so everyone else can get a head start running away. The person that's “It” must then chase the other players and try to tag them before they can reach the safe zone. As soon as somebody gets tagged, they become the new “it” person. If you want to make the game more interesting, try variants like freeze tag, where anyone who gets tagged has to freeze. Players who haven’t been frozen can touch and unfreeze the tagged players. If everyone ends up frozen, the game is over and the person who is “it” wins. To learn how to play different variations of tag, like hide and go seek, scroll down!
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