Gotcha, Grandpa! Kids Chase the Grown-Ups
Tag turned upside down: grown-ups tuck a scarf in their waistband and move by waddling like penguins or on their knees, while kids run to grab the scarves. Each tagged grown-up does a silly forfeit (dance, ribbit like a frog) and is back in the game. Kids run, change direction and get to be the fastest ones for once.
How to play
- Grown-ups tuck a scarf at their waist with the end hanging out, and the teacher explains how they'll move: waddling like penguins with tiny steps (1 min).
- Round one: at the tambourine, kids run to grab scarves while grown-ups try to escape without running (2 min).
- When a child grabs a scarf, the grown-up does a forfeit the child chooses (five frog jumps, a dance, a roar), and the child gives the scarf back (2 min).
- Round two: grown-ups move on their knees or on all fours on grass or mats (3 min).
- Round three flipped: kids wear the scarves and grown-ups chase them in slow motion, like robots (3 min).
- Freeze: each child finds their grown-up, they hug and take three breaths together (1 min).
Rules
- Grab the scarf without pushing or pulling clothes.
- When you grab a scarf, pick a silly forfeit and give it back.
- Nobody is out: we all keep playing.
- Two tambourine beats mean stop.
Variations
Easier
Age 3: grown-ups move very slowly and let themselves get caught often; the teacher offers forfeit ideas with pictures.
Standard
Age 4: all three rounds with different ways for grown-ups to move.
Harder
Age 5: play with rescue teams: if a grown-up is "frozen," another grown-up frees them by holding their hand.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the child uses a pool-noodle fishing rod to "hook" scarves from a distance, and grown-ups pass close by often.
- Autism: start by chasing only their own grown-up in a coned-off area, away from the group's noise.
- Visual impairment: grown-ups wear a jingle bell tied next to the scarf so the child can find them by sound.
Learning goals
- Run while changing direction and speed.
- Enjoy a chasing game without fear of losing.
- Express joy and handle the excitement of the game.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Scarves or ribbons: 30
- Tambourine
Teacher tip
Grown-ups tend to get carried away and run, so remind them they can only waddle. Choose a clear area, and in round two they move on their knees only on grass or mats.
PatioLab has "Gotcha, Grandpa! Kids Chase the Grown-Ups" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
More main activities for Elementary
"Al Pasar la Barca" Parachute Rowing
Sitting around the parachute, children row by pulling the fabric toward them and letting it go toward the middle to the rhythm of the traditional Spanish song "Al pasar…
"Corro de la Patata" Parachute Circle
Children circle with the parachute while singing the traditional Spanish song "Al corro de la patata" (Potato Circle), and on "achupé, achupé" everyone sits down…
"El Patio de Mi Casa" Parachute Song
Children sing the traditional Spanish ring song "El patio de mi casa" while circling with the parachute and lowering it to the ground on "agáchate" (squat down).
"Que Llueva" Parachute Rain
Using the traditional Spanish children's song "Que llueva, que llueva" (Let It Rain), children make rain, clouds and sun with the parachute, and some hide underneath as…
«A la Zapatilla por Detrás»: The Slipper Behind Your Back
Sitting in a circle with eyes covered, one child walks around the outside with a slipper singing the traditional Spanish rhyme «A la zapatilla por detrás» («the…
«A Tapar la Calle»: The Chain That Blocks the Street
Half the class forms a hand-in-hand chain that walks forward singing the traditional Spanish song «A tapar la calle» («Block the street so nobody passes»), while the…