Frog Catcher

  1. Tag Games
  • Any Size

  • Grades 1-2

  • Bean Bags

  • 10 minutes or more

Development Goal

To develop body and spatial awareness

Before You Start

  • Tell a story about frogs. Frogs like to hang out on their lily pads when they are not looking for insects to eat.
  • Scatter the beanbags around the playspace; place hula hoops at random around the play area.
  • Practice safe hopping to and from their lily pads.
  • Demonstrate safe tagging:
    • Light touch, like butterfly wings, on the back or shoulder.
    • Unsafe tags: hard contact that might cause the person being tagged to fall.
  • Review counting down from 5 seconds.

Set Up

Small area with clearly marked boundaries or classroom

How to Play

  • The objective of this game is to avoid being tagged by the frog catcher.
  • The leader starts as the frog catcher, waiting for the frogs to get off their lily pads.
  • At your signal, have children hop to gather insects (bean bags) and have them leap back to their lily pad.
  • While kids are leaping around to catch insects, pretend to try and catch (tag) them.
  • If a frog is tagged, the frog must drop the “insects”, go to the shore banks (on the side of the playspace) and perform a task (i.e. 5 jumping jacks, sit-ups, etc.) to get back into the game.
  • The frogs are safe and cannot be tagged while on their lily pads. However a frog can only stay on their lily pads for 5 seconds before the lily pad gets too heavy and starts to sink.

Variations

  • Have kids share some of their insects with a sick neighbor frog by taking them to the other side of the pond (across the room).
  • Have multiple frog catchers.