Grade Level: 1-5
Equipment: Beanbags, tails
Game Description: The critters (squirrels, racoons, or whatever animals you want to use) try to get the pieces of food from the far side safely back to their home without getting their tails swiped off by the foxes! This game includes running, dodging, strategy, and good old fun. All you need are some beanbags – or substitute other – and some tails for the critters to wear.
- Place beanbags along one end of the gym. Those represent the pieces of food.
- Critters (1 team of students) line up along the opposite end. They each need a flag as a tail.
- Foxes (another team of students) start in the middle. They will try to take the tails off of the critters as they run by.
- On the signal, the critters try running to the food to take a piece and make it back safely without losing their tail.
- Critters will go back-and-forth grabbing food pieces one at a time until they lose their tail.
- If their tail is taken, the critters must sit. When sitting they can try to take tails of other runners going by.
- Play until all food items have been taken, or until all tails have been taken.
- Switch roles and play again!
To maximize active movement time, I let kids put their tail back on and continue playing…
But! They have to go back “home” to put their tail back on, and if they had any food when they got caught, they don’t get to keep it (it goes back to the food end). I let each team play as critters for a set length of time, before switching over to be the foxes. Which ever team accumulated the most food during their time as critters wins 🙂
This a great game – keeps the kids moving! Awesome lead up game for football, too! My 1st and 2nd graders love it! (I do alter a few rules to work for us, though)