Tag Games with Hoops and Noodles

Tag.  I fondly remember playing tag games as a child in my neighborhood.  Little did I know at the time, the benefits of such games were countless.  Specifically, I recall playing a tag game called TV Tag.  The rules were simple.  As a tagger was about to tag you, you had to quickly say the name of a television program and squat down.  If you were able to do this before getting tagged, then you were safe until the tagger left to chase somebody else. Each TV show could only be called out once per round.   “Happy Days” and “CHiPs”  were consistently my “go to” shows for the first few minutes of the game.  Later, as I’d run out of options, I’d rely on shows like  “Rhoda” and “The Odd Couple“.  As my Rolodex of programming continued to dwindle I’d have to resort to desperate measures which included soap operas like “The Edge of Night”  and “The Doctors.”  Okay, now I’m showing my age.

Benefits of Playing Tag – just a few of the many

• Enhances speed and agility
• Engages the brain through critical and strategic thinking
• Can be played with any size group
• Excellent mode of interval training
• Minimal Equipment

TAG Games using HULA HOOPS and SWIM NOODLES!

Hula Hoop Shuffle by Benjamin Pirillo

There are several variations of this game.  Each student stands inside a hula hoop.  The only way to move is by shuffling your feet to advance the hoop across the floor.  I choose a certain color hoop to be it.  If tagged, students must spin their hoop five turns on any body part in order to re-enter the game.

I also play a version where one color hoop is always it.  Therefore, if a student is tagged by the chosen color, then they switch hoops. The person who has been tagged becomes the new tagger.

Jumper Cars

This is another form of shuffle tag.  My pre-kindergarten classes love this game.  Every time the students bump into each other, they each need to complete five jumps before continuing.  Sometimes, instead of jumping, I’ll have the students hop five times on the right foot, then five times on the left foot.

Kick the Hula Hoop

I’ve played this game with 1st grade-5th grade.  For a class of 20 students, I spread out around 12 hula hoops on the floor.  On the signal, students attempt to kick the hoop into another student (any student can kick a hoop).  When hit by a hoop, students must go to the sideline to perform 10 jumps on the aerobic steppers.  Of course, you can have the students perform any exercise to get back into the game.  For me, steps add a little extra motivation.

Elf Switch

This is a great game to play around the holidays.  For a class of 20, I evenly space 15 hoops around the gym floor.  One student stands inside each hoop (Elf power station).  They are the elves.  The other five students who are not standing in the hoops are the trolls.  The goal of the game is for the troll to become and remain an elf.  Elves can only be in a hoop for three seconds at a time.  They must make eye contact with another elf and quickly switch hoops.  The trolls try to jump into a vacated hoop to become an elf. With my older classes, I like to play this game without talking.  They have to solely rely on nonverbal communication.

Twister Tag

Students are partnered up.  Each set of partners has a hoop.  One partner (the tagger) spins the hoop. As the hoop is spinning,  the tagger must attempt to tag his partner before the hoop completely stops.  The game takes place around the spinning hoop.  Each partner gets a chance to spin. Switch partners often.

Noodle Nugget Tag

Full Explanation within the video

Toe Fencing Mixer 

I give the students a brief explanation of fencing.  In particular, we discuss the difference between fencing and sword fighting.  Students partner up, each holding a noodle saber.  To begin, students stand in the lunge position with their sabers crossed.  They each say “en guard” in order to begin fencing.  To score a point, a saber must touch the opponent’s foot.  Following a round, each student quickly finds other students to duel.

Scooter Kayak Tag

This is a simple tag game on scooters.  Each student has a scooter (kayak) and a noodle (paddle).  I choose one color noodle to be it.  Students use the paddle as they would in a real kayak.  If tagged, students go to the exercise zone and perform 3 knee tucks on their scooter, then return to the game.

A HUGE thank you to all my friends within my professional learning network who have shared countless activities of Twitter and Facebook! In particular:

Benjamin Pirillo: @coachpirillo, Coach Pirillo’s blog

Chad Triolet: @chadtriolet, PE Rocks

Physedgames.com

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