Monkey Tag: Safe on the Wall Bars
A tag game where the only way to be safe is to hang from the wall bars with your feet off the floor, like a monkey. It mixes running, dodging, and short hangs, and students learn to decide when to take a break and when to keep running.
How to play
- Whole class in the gym; 3 taggers wear pinnies. The wall bars, with mats at the base, are the safe zone.
- On the signal, taggers chase. Anyone hanging from the wall bars with feet on the bottom bar or in the air can't be tagged.
- Students may stay safe for a maximum of 5 seconds, counting out loud; then they have to run, and they can't return to the same wall bar section until they touch another wall.
- A tagged student takes the pinnie and becomes a tagger; the old tagger takes it off and is free.
- Rounds of 3 minutes with 1 minute of rest (4 rounds). Each round changes the safe position: hanging by the arms, feet on the bottom bar facing out, sideways, or tucked in a ball.
- At the end, ask who followed the 5-second rule every time.
Rules
- Two students per wall bar section at most, and never higher than the third bar.
- Safety: tag on the back or arm, never grab someone who is on the wall bars.
- No jumping off the wall bars: step down with the feet.
- Anyone who hangs longer than 5 seconds becomes a tagger.
Variations
Easier
An 8-second safe time and only 2 taggers.
Standard
A 5-second hang with 3 taggers and a different safe position every round.
Harder
Only wall bars with a ribbon are safe, and the teacher moves the ribbons every minute.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: plays from a wheelchair with a hoop as a personal moving safe zone, or tags with a pool noodle.
- Hearing impairment: taggers wear very bright pinnies and round changes are shown by raising a card.
- Lower fitness: has a second safe spot on a gym bench where they may sit once per round.
Learning goals
- Combine running, dodging, and hanging in a game.
- Decide when to go to safety and when to keep running.
- Follow the time and safety rules of the game.
Equipment for a class of 25
- wall bars: 10
- mats: 10
- pinnies: 3
Teacher tip
Stand near the wall bars: that is where collisions happen. If a crowd forms in one spot, open more sections or limit them to one student each.
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