any ideas for cooperative playground structure games?
kimcroninmeltzer
Hi all,
My daughter is six, and is at that stage where she doesn't like to be "it" when playing tag. However, at the playground, when she is trying to get a game together, she pretty much always falls back on Tag. This leads to a lot of playground angst, and saying everything that she is on is base. Luckily, there was a slightly older boy at the park today who didn't mind being "It", LOL. I recently had a birthday party for her, and did a lot of research on cooperative games, and found some good ones (just to share a little):
Who has the key?
Everyone gets in a circle, and you unwind some string, making sure that it goes all the way around, put a key on the string, and then tie a knot. Someone sits in the middle, closes their eyes, and counts to twenty. While they're counting, you pass the key around the circle, and when they open their eyes, they have to guess who has the key.
My question, does anyone have any ideas for a loose game that involves the kids using the playground structure? I've noticed that they all want to be on the structure, and play a game using all the different climbing aspects of structure. Oh, and I'm six months pregnant and don't really want to be involved in running around on the playground.
Thanks in advance,
Kim
Baltimore
My daughter is six, and is at that stage where she doesn't like to be "it" when playing tag. However, at the playground, when she is trying to get a game together, she pretty much always falls back on Tag. This leads to a lot of playground angst, and saying everything that she is on is base. Luckily, there was a slightly older boy at the park today who didn't mind being "It", LOL. I recently had a birthday party for her, and did a lot of research on cooperative games, and found some good ones (just to share a little):
Who has the key?
Everyone gets in a circle, and you unwind some string, making sure that it goes all the way around, put a key on the string, and then tie a knot. Someone sits in the middle, closes their eyes, and counts to twenty. While they're counting, you pass the key around the circle, and when they open their eyes, they have to guess who has the key.
My question, does anyone have any ideas for a loose game that involves the kids using the playground structure? I've noticed that they all want to be on the structure, and play a game using all the different climbing aspects of structure. Oh, and I'm six months pregnant and don't really want to be involved in running around on the playground.
Thanks in advance,
Kim
Baltimore
Sandra Dodd
-=-My question, does anyone have any ideas for a loose game that
involves the kids using the playground structure? I've noticed that
they all want to be on the structure, and play a game using all the
different climbing aspects of structure. Oh, and I'm six months
pregnant and don't really want to be involved in running around on the
playground.-=-
Sharks? One is the shark and if he can touch anyone on the platform,
they're sharks too. Don't play until everyone's out, just until there
are three sharks or some such, and then they all get on and if there's
not a volunteer shark, let the game be over, maybe.
My kids played sharks with furniture and imaginary sharks, or on
playgrounds with a kid-shark.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
involves the kids using the playground structure? I've noticed that
they all want to be on the structure, and play a game using all the
different climbing aspects of structure. Oh, and I'm six months
pregnant and don't really want to be involved in running around on the
playground.-=-
Sharks? One is the shark and if he can touch anyone on the platform,
they're sharks too. Don't play until everyone's out, just until there
are three sharks or some such, and then they all get on and if there's
not a volunteer shark, let the game be over, maybe.
My kids played sharks with furniture and imaginary sharks, or on
playgrounds with a kid-shark.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Pam Sorooshian
On 5/6/2010 7:10 AM, Sandra Dodd wrote:
person as "It" but when someone is tagged, they have to freeze in place.
The other players can untag them -- but they risk getting tagged while
they do it. The simplest way is that they can unfreeze someone by
tagging them. But we've also played where they have to crawl between
their legs to untag them. Another version is that, if you get tagged,
you can unfreeze yourself by calling out a color (players can't repeat
colors).
Monster tag. When you get tagged, you link arms or hold hands and work
together to tag the next person. The monster grows until everyone is
part of the monster. Only the players on the end of the monster can
actually tag - since only they have a free hand.
Statues? That was a super popular alternative to tag for my kids and
their friends. Here's how to play Statues.
1. A person starts out as the "Curator
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curator>" and stands at the end of a
field. Everyone else playing stands at the far end (distance
depends upon playing area selected). The object of the game is for
a "Statue" to tag the Curator, thereby becoming the Curator and
resetting the game.
2. The Curator turns their back to the field, and the "Statues"
attempt to race across and tag the Curator.
3. Whenever the Curator turns around, the Statues must freeze in
position and hold that for as long as the Curator looks at them.
The Curator can even walk around the Statues, examining them.
However, the Curator needs to be careful - whenever their back is
turned, Statues are free to move.
4. If a Statue is caught moving, they are sent back to the starting
line to begin again (or thrown out of that round, whichever way is
preferred.) Usually, the honesty of the Curator isn't an issue -
it's more fun to be a Statue anyway.
But I think my kids way of playing it also involved a guessing game
aspect - if the curator guessed what the statue was a statue of, that
statue could become the curator or go back to start (not sure which it was).
-pam
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> Sharks? One is the shark and if he can touch anyone on the platform,Freeze tag? That way people can get unfrozen. Still have to have one
> they're sharks too. Don't play until everyone's out, just until there
> are three sharks or some such, and then they all get on and if there's
> not a volunteer shark, let the game be over, maybe.
person as "It" but when someone is tagged, they have to freeze in place.
The other players can untag them -- but they risk getting tagged while
they do it. The simplest way is that they can unfreeze someone by
tagging them. But we've also played where they have to crawl between
their legs to untag them. Another version is that, if you get tagged,
you can unfreeze yourself by calling out a color (players can't repeat
colors).
Monster tag. When you get tagged, you link arms or hold hands and work
together to tag the next person. The monster grows until everyone is
part of the monster. Only the players on the end of the monster can
actually tag - since only they have a free hand.
Statues? That was a super popular alternative to tag for my kids and
their friends. Here's how to play Statues.
1. A person starts out as the "Curator
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curator>" and stands at the end of a
field. Everyone else playing stands at the far end (distance
depends upon playing area selected). The object of the game is for
a "Statue" to tag the Curator, thereby becoming the Curator and
resetting the game.
2. The Curator turns their back to the field, and the "Statues"
attempt to race across and tag the Curator.
3. Whenever the Curator turns around, the Statues must freeze in
position and hold that for as long as the Curator looks at them.
The Curator can even walk around the Statues, examining them.
However, the Curator needs to be careful - whenever their back is
turned, Statues are free to move.
4. If a Statue is caught moving, they are sent back to the starting
line to begin again (or thrown out of that round, whichever way is
preferred.) Usually, the honesty of the Curator isn't an issue -
it's more fun to be a Statue anyway.
But I think my kids way of playing it also involved a guessing game
aspect - if the curator guessed what the statue was a statue of, that
statue could become the curator or go back to start (not sure which it was).
-pam
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
lalow66
my kids play toilet tag... like freeze tag but you have to kind of sqwat down and hold your arms out. the other people come and push and arm down to "flush the toilet" and you are free. Perhaps have more than one it.
vaughn_mama
How about some imaginary character type games; for example, we play pirates a lot, the play structure is the ship. You could be the look out (less running around.) Someone is the captain, someone is the sail master, someone is the treasure hunter, etc.
Sometimes we play aliens with the structure being the space ship.
Sometimes we recreate the characters of their favorite video games.
I like the variations on tag that others suggested. I'm going to try some of those out too, since we have similar strife over regular tag.
-Jenny Vaughn
Sometimes we play aliens with the structure being the space ship.
Sometimes we recreate the characters of their favorite video games.
I like the variations on tag that others suggested. I'm going to try some of those out too, since we have similar strife over regular tag.
-Jenny Vaughn