Dance Rescue Freeze Tag

A music tag game where tagged students freeze in a pose and can only be freed when a classmate stands in front of them and the two dance eight counts as a mirror. It builds a warm-up, dodging, teamwork and confidence when dancing.

How to play

1. Mark off half the court and give 4 pinnies to the taggers. Everyone else spreads out.
2. With the music on, the taggers tag by touching backs or shoulders. Tagged students freeze in a pose with arms wide.
3. To rescue, a free student stands in front of the frozen one and both dance 8 counts as a mirror: the rescuer makes up the moves and the frozen student copies. While dancing, neither can be tagged.
4. After the 8 counts, both go back to running. Play 2 minutes per song.
5. When the song changes, hand the pinnies to 4 new taggers. Play 3 songs (about 6 minutes).
6. Finish with 1 minute of everyone dancing freely in place and slowly winding down.

Rules

• Tag with a touch; no pushing or grabbing.
• While a rescue dance is going on, no one can tag that pair.
• Safety: run looking forward and steer around students who are dancing.
• The same rescuer can't free the same student twice in a row.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with limited mobility can rescue from a fixed zone with an arm dance and can't be tagged inside their hoop.
• For shy students, allow a rescue with a simple repeated move, like claps and a side step.
• Less-fit students may play in a smaller zone marked with cones.

Learning goals

• Raise heart rate with a chase game.
• Work together to free frozen classmates.
• Build confidence by improvising dance moves in front of a partner.

Equipment for a class of 25

• pinnies: 4
• music (speaker): 1

Teacher tip

The dance rescues are the best part of the game; if someone is hesitant, suggest three easy moves. Swap taggers if they haven't frozen anyone after a minute.

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