Did you know that the classic children’s game “tag” actually has many different ways to play? By tweaking the rules a bit—like with Color Tag, Freeze Tag, or Shadow-Stepping Tag—you can enjoy a fresh twist on the usual game.
In this article, we’ll introduce a variety of tag games that kids can’t get enough of, along with their rules and how to play.
It’s packed with versions you can enjoy in the schoolyard, at the park, or even indoors! Not just for kids—adults can have fun too! Why not try these lively tag games together and get the whole group excited?
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Do you know these kinds of tag? Various tag rules and how to play (1–10)
Three-Color Tag
Ordinary tag works because there are two roles: the chasers and the runners.
So what happens if you split into three? It would surely become a more strategic and fun game of tag.
Let’s try a three-color tag game, an arrangement of the classic version.
First, divide into three color teams such as red, yellow, and blue.
Set it up so that red chases blue, blue chases yellow, and yellow chases red.
If you’re tagged by the color that’s chasing you, you’re captured and taken to the opposing team’s base.
You can add variations—like letting a teammate free you by tagging you, or allowing escapes when the number of people in the base reaches a certain amount—to make the game even more exciting.
Line Tag
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Here’s an introduction to a line tag game that can help improve attention by making you focus on two things at once.
As the name suggests, you draw lines on the floor or ground to play.
Use vinyl tape on floors, or draw white lines on the ground.
Both the tagger and the runners can move only along the lines.
Try to flee and chase while making sure your feet don’t step off the lines.
Because you have to avoid getting caught while also keeping your feet on the lines, it feels more thrilling than regular tag.
Shadow-stepping tag
Let’s play shadow tag using the shadows that appear on sunny days.
The person who is “it” chases the others and tries to step on their shadows.
If your shadow gets stepped on, you switch and become “it.” The key is to always think about which direction your shadow is cast while you run away.
Use your head and outsmart the tagger! Also, shadows change length depending on the time of day and the season.
In the evening and in autumn and winter, shadows tend to get longer.
Longer shadows are easier for “it” to step on.
Playing shadow tag in the evening or during the colder seasons might make it even more fun.
Tag (or Tag, holding hands)
Let me introduce a thrilling game of tag where the number of “oni” (taggers) keeps increasing.
First, decide who will be the oni and who will be the runners.
Once the game starts, the children run away from the oni.
Up to this point it’s just regular tag, but the fun really begins after someone gets caught! When a child is tagged by the oni, they join hands with the oni, become oni themselves, and chase the others together.
When a group of oni comes after you, it’s scary but super exciting! You can also add a variation where, once there are four oni, they split into two pairs.
The last child left wins.
Who will be the one to stay in the game until the very end?
Spider Ogre Tag
Here’s an introduction to Spider Tag, a game that can help build stamina just by playing.
In regular tag, you run either to escape from the tagger or to catch someone, right? That alone uses up plenty of energy, but Spider Tag takes it up a notch! In Spider Tag, the tagger (the ‘spider’) moves on all fours, while the runners move using their hands and feet in a position similar to a back bridge, facing upward.
Many people might find the runners’ position even tougher.
It offers a different kind of fun compared to simply running to chase or escape.
It’s also recommended for kids who are bursting with energy but can’t play outside, like on a stretch of rainy days.
Hide and Seek
Kakure-onigokko is a game that combines hide-and-seek and tag.
In regular hide-and-seek, once the seeker finds where you’re hiding, that’s the end.
But in kakure-onigokko, you hide while the “oni” (the seeker) is counting, and if the oni finds you, you run away as fast as you can.
You’ll feel the suspense of not wanting to be spotted, and if you are found, the excitement of trying not to get caught as you flee.
Kids are sure to get excited about it, too.
You can enjoy this game indoors as well.
Give it a try!
Sitting tag
How about trying a seated game of tag that you can play indoors? First, choose who’s “it,” and have everyone—including the tagger—start in a seated position.
It’s best if people are spaced a little apart.
The rule is that everyone must keep their bottoms on the floor even while moving.
Moving while your bottom stays on the floor is tricky and slows you down more than you’d think—that frustrating feeling is what makes it so fun.
Since you can’t move very far, you can enjoy it in a small space.
Give it a try!
