The Benefits of Tag (Orig Date Feb 16, 2010)

After reading the hall of shame game, I would have to agree with the article for the most part. Most of the games listed do not comply with any of the state or National standards for Physical Education. However, I did not like reading that tag was in the Hall of Shame. I feel while certain tag games aren't appropriate for PE, that there are certain tag games that are appropriate for the Physical Education setting. There are a few tag games which I learned and incoporated at the summer camp this past summer, which included a lot of physical activity and strategy.

My personal favorite of all the tag games played this summer was frozen ant tag. The campers liked it when I would have this as one of my games at my station. It's a game where you have a few taggers, depending on the size of the class or group. When a person is tagged, they lay on the ground on their back with their feet in the air like a frozen ant. They are free when a person who isn't a tagger comes over and tags their foot. I knew it was a success because the kids would sometimes keep playing even after the whistle was blown. Also, the lazy counselors wouldn't like the game because they knew it required a lot of running around. This game is very similar to Buffalo tag.

A second tag game which was also popular was survivor tag. Again, depending on the size of the class or group, the class would be divided anywhere from 2-4 teams. This is like regular tag except with teams. Once you're tagged, you're to remain frozen until one of your teammates rescues you. The last team standing is declared the winner. A modification for this game can be made. You could split the class into two teams, it would have to be a smaller class to accomadate the teams. Once a person is tagged by another team, then they join that team, and vice versa. The game would last for a long time, and no student would be sitting out. To avoid confusion of teams, students could wear pennies for one team, and the other team would have pennies, but hanging from the side. When you're tagged, you either put the pennie on, or hang it from the side, depending on which team you're on.

Flag tag is a game that I learned at my old college. Each student in the class takes a pennie, or depending on the equipment, an actual flag that is used while playing flag football. I prefer to use the pennie. Anyway, the student takes the pennie, and hangs it from the side of their shorts. When the whistle is blown, the objective is to collect as many flags as possible, without yours being taken. If your flag or flags are taken, depending on how many a person may have, you're out of the game. However, there are two different modifications for this game. The first being that a student can stay in the game, even after their flag is taken, and would just continue to try and get as many flags as possible. The second modification being that a student could grab another flag from the side. I wouldn't suggest the second modification since it would require a lot of pennies, and it would slow the game down.

There are other tag games that can be used such as blob tag, which can be used for an icebreaker in the beginning of a class. Tag can be essential to a Physical Education setting if done properly. The Hall of Shame article was correct was when they said that elimination games aren't appropriate since students are forced to sit out to the side when they're out. However, if done properly, students can be physically active while participating in these games, and won't have a low self esteem by being eliminated. They can't be eliminated, if elimination isn't an option.