Balance Safe Tag
A tag game where the only way to stay safe from the taggers is to hold a gymnastics balance. Students work on running with quick changes of direction, moving fast into a stable shape, and following the rules of the game.
How to play
- Mark a rectangle of about 20 by 15 yards with cones and choose 3 taggers wearing pinnies (1 min).
- On the whistle, taggers chase everyone else. To be safe, a student does a stork stand on one foot and counts to 5 out loud; at 5 they must start running again (2 min).
- Tagged students freeze in a "bridge": hands and feet on the floor, belly facing down. A teammate frees them by crawling underneath (2 min).
- Every 2 minutes, change taggers by handing the pinnies to 3 new players (2 min).
- Change the safe balance each round, such as airplane, V-sit, or one knee and one hand, so it is not always the same (3 min).
- Finish by asking which balance was easiest to get into quickly and why (2 min).
Rules
- A balance only keeps you safe if it is steady and counted out loud; if another body part touches down, you can be tagged.
- You cannot use the safe balance twice in a row in the same spot.
- Tag gently on the shoulder or back, never push.
- Nobody crawls under a bridge unless that teammate is holding still.
Variations
Easier
Use only 2 taggers and hold the safe balance for 3 seconds.
Standard
Use 3 taggers and hold the safe balance for 5 seconds.
Harder
The taggers call out which balance is safe at any moment and can change it whenever they want.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student can be a tagger using a long scarf to reach, or stay safe by holding arms out in a T for 5 seconds.
- Hearing impairment: use a visual signal, such as raising a cone, to start, stop, and switch taggers.
- Fitness level: shrink the area for students who tire quickly or enlarge it if the group runs a lot.
Learning goals
- Move quickly from running into a stable balance.
- Hold different gymnastics balances under time pressure.
- Follow the game's rules for staying safe and freeing teammates.
Equipment for a class of 25
- pinnies: 3
- cones: 4
Teacher tip
Some kids will stay in their balance forever, so stress that at 5 they have to run. If the floor is slippery, use balances with more points of contact.
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