Three-Speed Tag
A tag game where the hand drum decides how fast everyone moves, taggers included: walking, jogging, or running. Students work on controlling their movement speed, listening to the rhythm, and dodging.
How to play
- Mark off a 20 x 20 m (65 x 65 ft) area. Pick four taggers wearing pinnies; everyone else spreads out (2 min).
- Explain the three speeds: a slow drum beat means walk, a medium beat means jog, and a fast beat means run. Everyone, taggers included, must move at the drum's speed (2 min practice with no tagging).
- Start the game: the drum changes speed every 10–15 seconds. A tagged player puts on a pinnie and becomes a tagger, while the tagger hands over the pinnie and runs free.
- When the drum stops, everyone freezes; anyone who moves during the silence swaps pinnies with the nearest tagger (4 min).
- After a 1-min rest, play another round where a loud drum hit means change direction (4 min).
- Finish with a short round using only walking and jogging speeds to bring heart rates down (2 min).
Rules
- Moving faster than the drum doesn't count: a tagger running when it's walking time can't tag.
- Tag gently on the back or shoulder, no pushing.
- Always look where you're going to avoid collisions.
- No one is out: the pinnie changes hands and everyone keeps playing.
Variations
Easier
Use only two speeds, walk and jog, with two taggers.
Standard
Use three speeds changing every 10–15 seconds with four taggers.
Harder
Add a fourth slow-motion speed and change the rhythm every 5 seconds.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student plays in a wheelchair or with a crutch, and their speed is always half the drum's speed.
- Blind or low vision: the student plays holding a sighted guide's arm in a less crowded part of the area.
- Lower fitness: the student may take a 20-second break in a safe spot marked with a hoop.
Learning goals
- Adjust movement speed to different sound rhythms.
- Dodge taggers while staying at the required speed.
- Follow the game rules even when it means slowing down.
Equipment for a class of 25
- hand drum: 1
- pinnies: 4
Teacher tip
Taggers tend to sprint all the time; watch them closely or appoint a student referee. Play the drum very clearly and switch speeds without warning to keep everyone focused.
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