Recreation for EveryoneA world of ideas for playing together.
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Chapter 1 · Outdoor Games

No.14

Freeze Tag

Japanese name: 氷鬼

Suggested ages
Approximately age 4 through primary school
Group size
6-20 people
Suggested time
5-10 minutes
Location
An open outdoor area or gym

Materials

How to play

  1. Agree on the playing area and choose 1–2 taggers. They count to 10 before chasing.
  2. A tagged player freezes on the spot. Keep arms close enough to avoid obstructing others, and call for help.
  3. A free runner gently tags a frozen player’s upper arm to thaw them. Taggers must not push or surround people who are helping.
  4. The taggers succeed if everyone is frozen. Otherwise stop after 1 minute.
  5. Choose taggers who have not yet had a turn. Unfreeze everyone before restarting, and rest between rounds.

Ways to adapt

Preschool children: an adult is tagger. Older primary school children: two taggers and short rounds.

Sources and references

More from this chapter

Here are a few more ideas to explore.

Outdoor GamesNo.1

Tag

Ask an adult to demonstrate a gentle tag first. With preschool children, let an adult be tagger and begin with enjoying escape. If running abilities differ widely, brisk walking…

Suggested ages
Approximately age 4 through primary school
Suggested time
3-8 minutes
Group size
4-15 people
Outdoor GamesNo.2

Hide-and-Seek

If a child is anxious about hiding, let them hide with an adult. Adults should know where children are; the activity must not involve losing track of them. Agree to end on time…

Suggested ages
Approximately age 4 through primary school
Suggested time
5-10 minutes
Group size
3-10 people
Outdoor GamesNo.3

Daruma Freeze Game

For preschool children, simply return to the start when movement is spotted. If a sudden turn feels frightening, an adult can call the phrase slowly. Touch a ground marker to…

Suggested ages
Approximately age 4 through primary school
Suggested time
5-10 minutes
Group size
4-15 people