Blob Tag | Playworks

To develop eye-foot coordination and cooperation.

Ask for two volunteers. Assign both of them to be 'it'. They become 'The Blob' and must link elbows.
Demonstrate safe tagging:
- Light touch, like a butterfly wings, on the back or shoulders.
- Unsafe tags: hard contact that might cause the person being tagged to fall.
Demonstrate with volunteers how to move with a partner--working together, moving safely--how to link when you are tagged--at the elbows--and how to separate when there are four people in 'The Blob'--splitting into two separate groups of two by the two players in the middle releasing elbows.
Make sure the students understand the rules, boundaries and the importance of safety.
Spread students out within playing area.

Designate a playing area large enough run in.

When play begins, 'The Blob' moves together--keeping elbows linked--and trys to tag the rest of the players.
When someone is tagged, s/he links elbows with the tagger, becoming part of 'The Blob.'
When a fourth player is tagged, 'The Blob' then separates into two separate Blobs.
Every time a Blob becomes four players it splits; two players detach creating two separate Blobs.
Play continues until all of the players become part of Blobs.
If a player runs out of bounds while trying to avoid 'The Blob', s/he must then connect with the nearest Blob and continue to play.
The last two players can then become the first Blob for the next game.

If everyone is playing safely, the 'The Blob' can stay connected and continue to grow bigger and bigger until all the players are tagged. Challenge the class to stay together when they move.
If linking elbows is too challenging, consider linking hands. (Note: some students may perfer the term 'linking hands' to 'holding hands'.)