No.125
Rock–Paper–Scissors Tag
Japanese name: じゃんけんおに
Materials
- Two colors of bibs or armbands
- Playing-area markers
How to play
- Make two equal teams sharing one area. Check boundaries and use brisk walking for the first round.
- Gently tag an opponent, then both stop for rock–paper–scissors. Do not crowd one player with several challengers.
- The loser waits on the spot with one hand raised. Replay a tie. Give waiting players space rather than running close past.
- A free teammate can gently tag a waiting player to release them. Opponents must not stay beside waiting players to prevent rescue.
- Regroup after 1½ minutes. Freezing all opponents is a team success, but otherwise also release everyone immediately for the next round.
Ways to adapt
Preschool children: walk in adult-child pairs. Younger primary school children: 1-minute rounds. Older primary school children: discuss rescue strategy for 30 seconds before starting.