Last Updated on 3 December 2024 by Colette
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If you need some inspiration on outdoor games, we’ve got three brilliant ideas for you.
These fun variations on the classic game of tag will keep things interesting for kids of all ages. They’re from Becky Goddard-Hill and Catherine Hughes, the authors of the new book A Year of Nature Walks and Games.
This lovely book contains a whole year’s worth of nature-themed games and activities to make walks and outdoor play exciting. There are nature science experiments, cool walking games, scavenger hunts, puzzles and much more, all with clear instructions and gorgeous photos making it a great nature themed gift to encourage children to explore outside!
To celebrate the launch of A Year of Nature Walks and Games, we’re joining in with a blogging book tour and sharing these tag games. They all work really well in a park or a large open space.
Blob tag
1. Choose two players to become the ‘blob’. They must link elbows at all times (one arm each).
2. All other players must avoid being tagged by the blob.
3. If a player is tagged by a blob, they must join the blob by linking an elbow.
4. When a blob has grown to include four players, it has to split into two blobs with two players in each.
5. The game is over when everyone has become part of a blob. The last two players to be tagged become the first blob for the next game.
Charades tag
1. Choose a leader, and divide everyone else into two teams.
2. Each team chooses a charade to act out. For example, they could choose an object, a film, a famous person, a job, etc. Once they have chosen, they tell the leader what they have picked.
3. The teams line up, facing each other.
4. One team acts out their charade, and the other team has to guess what it is.
5. When someone gets it right, the leader calls out ‘correct’ and the guessing team can chase the other team back to their starting line.
6. If anyone gets caught, they have to join the opposite team.
7. The other team can then act out their charade. Teams continue to take turns until the game ends.
Elbow tag
1. Decide on a leader, and a runner.
2. All other children pair up by linking arms at the elbow. Both their hands must stay on their hips.
3. The leader tries to tag the runner. To avoid the leader, the runner can link elbows with a pair.
4. If the runner links elbows with a pair, the player in that pair who hasn’t linked elbows with the runner has to let go and become the runner.
5. If the leader tags the runner, they swap roles.
A Year of Nature Walks and Games book tour
Head this way to explore the other nature activities shared on the blog book tour:
Penny Reads 29/9
Mummy Mummy Mum 1/10
Monkey and Mouse 2/10
We Made This Life 3/10
Rainy Day Mum 4/10
We’re Going on an Adventure 5/10
What Katy Said 6/10
Emma and 3 7/10
Becky and Catherine are also the authors of A Year of Nature Craft and Play
