Playground Games – Creativity and Criminality

The time has come for my family to bid adieu to being parents of an elementary school age child. My youngest daughter just finished up 6th grade and is headed to middle school next year. One of the staples of elementary school, which she’ll never experience again, is recess.

I remember having recess as a kid. My main activities were playing Nerf football, basketball, and pushing human limits on the swings. It seems like anything we did as parents growing up has been taken to the next level by today’s kids. Talking on the phone has evolved so much you don’t even need to talk now. Playing video games has gone from pixelized shapes jittering across the screen to full blown surround sound 3D worlds that keep their players hooked for days on end. After talking with my daughter, I’m getting the feeling that playground games are no different.

What used to be limited to Stick In The Mud, Tag, Red Rover, and other universal games has morphed into custom games dreamt up by kids using every day experiences, pop culture, and their hyper-imaginations.

Here are a few games that were hot for the 2013 graduating 6th grade class in our area.

Temple Run

One of the hottest apps in recent history was Temple Run. I’m sure you saw your kids playing this game at some point over the last year. Of course it served as inspiration for a playground game.

Roles:

• 1 Monkey
• 1 Runner
• Everyone else – “Power-Ups”

Objective:
Get to the designated finish point without being caught by the Monkey

Process and Particulars:
The Runner and Monkey start at the beginning of the playground equipment. There is a Head Start Power-Up person located at the front of the equipment. The Runner calls that person’s name and the Monkey has to wait for them to get the head start before they can start chasing.

This is where it gets tricky. Other Power-Ups can say “Free Wood Chips!” to allow the Runner the ability to run on the wood chip portion of the playground. Otherwise, the Runner must remain on the playground equipment. Power-Ups can also give the Runner Super Speed which means the Runner can run while the Monkey has to walk.

If the Monkey tags the Runner, the game starts over and new roles are assigned.

If the Runner gets tired, they can get a Free Wood Chips pass and go get a substitute Runner. The Free Wood Chips pass of course is not transferrable so the new substitute Runner must start on the playground equipment. The game then continues in a vicious loop of Monkey pursuit. Brilliant.

Detective Tag

Roles:

• Teacher/aka God
• A Criminal
• A Detective
• Everyone else – Suspects

Objective:
The Detective needs to find the Criminal – go figure

Process and Particulars:
The Teacher, or someone not playing, gets a group of kids together and picks one that no one can see. They do this by having all the kids put their heads down while the teacher taps one person silently. That person is now the Criminal. The Teacher also picks one person to be the Detective, others can see this person

Someone yells “Scatter” and everyone runs. Game on.

The criminal will try to act normal (of course, why wouldn’t they?) They try as hard as they can not to get tagged, and not be obvious about it.

The Detective is the tagger and wants to tag a lot of people until they get the criminal. Everyone is a guilty until proven innocent in this wicked world.

If the Detective tags someone that is not the Criminal then that person helps the detective tag people. Yep, they’ve been deputized just like that.

During the game, there are a number of hand signals given. The sign for safe people to give to other safe people is the peace sign. This shows solidarity and the fact they are both safe. This is done in close proximity to the other person. If they don’t give the sign back, they better run or they are going to get tagged. By not giving the sign, they are seen as helping the Detective but not wanting to be a Detective. Could this be some form of a snitch?

The Criminal can not give the peace sign to anyone. Even though they are a Criminal, the ability to lie and pretend to be something you aren’t has not made it into this incarnation of a Criminal.

Beyond the exchange of signals, you can also hide. Alliances are also made where if someone gets tagged they make a deal not to tag the other person.

The Criminal from the current game becomes the Detective in the next game. It completely makes sense. They are reformed, know the dark side, and ready to give back for the good of the cause.

The suspects will also hang out in clusters so if the Detective comes up to tag you, everyone scatters and the Detective only gets the weakest one. This has a combination vibe of The Wire and a National Geographic Predator special.

When the Detective finally gets the Criminal, everyone yells “Game Over!” and start the game over.

Wood Chips Game

Roles:

• Someone that is “it”
• Everyone else

Objective: Tempt fate and touch the wood chips but be off of them by the time “it” decides to yell “Wood Chips!”

Process and Particulars:
One person is “it” and stands in the middle of the wood chips with their eyes closed. Everyone else is on the playground equipment to start. They can then go on the wood chips but if the person that’s “it” calls “Wood Chips!” while they are on the wood chips, they are then “it”.

This is the cool part. If more than one person is on the wood chips when they call “Wood Chips!”, it is settled by Rock Paper Scissors.

Girls vs Boys

Roles:
I think this is pretty self explanatory

Objective:
Girls/Boys tag people to send them to jail while the opposite sex tries to free those in jail.

Process and Particulars:
Pick girls or boys to go first.

Let’s say the girls go first. They give the boys 10 seconds to run and hide. The girls then try to tag the boys to send them to jail. Not sure how jail got involved. If a boy goes to the jail and untags the boys, the whole jail is free. The boys are standing hand in hand in the jail. I guess it’s a chain gang. Of course there is a girl guarding the jail too. The jailbreak is a risky move for any of the free boys to take on.

When the girls get all the boys in jail, they switch and the process repeats.

McDonalds

Roles:

• McDonalds Sales Person
• A Cop
• 2 Robbers

Objective:
Basically Cops and Robbers, but for some reason McDonalds is the target.

Process and Particulars:
Pick the roles. The Robbers go to McDonalds, order a lot of food, then leave without paying. Are these drunk college kids or Robbers? I digress.

The Sales Person then calls the Cop and the chase is on. The Cop tries to grab the Robbers and take them to jail. Jail in this instance encompasses taking the Robber to a pole and tying them to the pole using your sweatshirt. If they can escape the sweatshirt shackles, they are free to go. Seems pretty easy, but who knows. There are Eagle Scouts at this school.

The other Robber can try to free their partner in crime as well. If you get both Robbers in jail, Cops win. If you get to the end of recess and all the Robbers aren’t captured, game is over. Robbers win.

There you have it. The hottest playground games in my area. Creativity running rampant with a sprinkling of disturbing criminal elements. It’s a bittersweet time for our family as we say goodbye to the innocence of elementary school and embark on the next chapter in more dangerous waters.

What sort of games have your kids talked about when they get home from school? Do you find the same sort of joy in hearing about the silly games they make up?