Octopus Tag

This is an easy warm-up activity that I learned it at the UAHPERD conference 2 years ago.  It is similar to the game sharks and minnows and my students love it.

Activity Goal:  Students will be able to perform a variety of movement skills while moving from one side of the room to the other.  Students will be able to tag and switch places with the tagged student at least 3 times during the duration of the game.

Motor Concepts:  Moving through general space, locomotor and non-locomotor skills, pathways.

Equipment:  10-20 hula hoops

Setup:  Spread hula-hoops out all around the playing area (ocean).  Chose a student to stand in each of the hoops (octopi).  The remaining students (fish) stand on one side of the ocean (shoreline)

Procedure:  On the teacher’s signal, students on the shore begin to cross the ocean to get to the other side.  The octopi wave their arms and try to tag the fish as they swim across the ocean.  If a fish gets tagged they trade places with the octopi that tagged them.  The octopus becomes a fish and continues to swim across the ocean to the other side with the rest of the fish.  All fish wait when they get to the other side for the signal to again move to the other side again.

Low Variations:  Give octopi pool noodles to use to tag.  A teacher or paraprofessional could move a student in a wheelchair throughout the play space if they are unable to do so themselves.  Octopus can take one foot out of the hoop to tag.  Octopus can move the hoops within the play space to tag.  2-3 octopus can be in one hoop.

High Variations:  Students have to keep track of how many times they are tagged.  Perform a movement sequence to get across the ocean. 

 Informal Assessment Questions:  Are students able to move safely across the play space?  Are students able to tag with hand or noodle?  Are students able to perform the instructed movements with correct technique?