Choose the playing area. Set boundaries so that the “not-it” players can’t run too far away. The smaller the space, the harder it will be to avoid the person who is ” it.” Pick a place that is easy to run on, but forgiving to fall on – grass and sand are good surfaces.
- On a playground, for example: agree to only stay on the gravel and blacktop during the game. The grass and sidewalk are not part of the play area.
Decide on a “safe zone” as a group. It might be one of the slides on the playground, or a tree, or a bench, or a space marked out with cones. When you touch this area, you are safe from being “tagged”.
- To keep the game going, consider setting a time limit for long someone can stay in the “safe zone.” For example, a person might have to leave after ten seconds, or thirty seconds – long enough that the person who is “it” will go off to tag someone else, but not long enough that the game stagnates.[2]