Magic Tag

  1. Cooperative Games
  2. Tag Games

  • Large Group (10 and up)

  • Grades 1-2

  • None

  • 10 minutes or more

Development Goal

To develop cooperation

Before You Start

  • Demonstrate safe tagging:
    • Light touch, like a butterfly wings, on the shoulder
    • Unsafe tags: hard contact that might cause the person being tagged to fall
  • Demonstrate that when you get tagged you turn into a magic wand.
  • Demonstrate how you turn the magic wand back into a person.
  • Designate three magicians to start the game.
  • Review the boundaries and the consequence for going outside them, you automatically become a magic wand

Set Up

Designate a large play area with clear boundaries that has room for players to run

How to Play

  • The object of the game is to avoid being tagged by the magicians who are trying to turn everyone into magic wands.
  • If you get tagged by the magician you turn into a magic wand and freeze.
  • You stay a magic wand until two people join hands creating a circle around you and say “Abracadabra!” to undo the spell.
  • If you are not tagged you are avoiding the magicians and undoing the spell for the magic wands.
  • Rotate the magicians so that everyone has a chance to be the magician.

Variations

  • You can make undoing the magic wand sillier with a dance and a song.
  • Pre-K: Instead of joining hands to create a circle around a magic wand, two players must simply shake hands and say the magic word, abracadabra, to undo the spell.