If you’re looking to play a group game on a whim, the active icebreaker game known as Hoedown Tag makes a perfect choice. This game, especially when played in a wide-open field, will have all your players running about as they escape the tagger.
Features of the Hoedown Tag Game
| ★ Game Name | Hoedown Tag |
| ★ Group size | medium to large |
| ★ Age | kids (6+) and teens |
| ★ Type | active |
| ★ Skill | running / reaction |
| ★ Place | outdoor or indoor (gym) |
| ★ Time | up to 5 – 15 min |
| ★ Preparation | no |
| ★ Materials | no |
The aim behind Hoedown Tag
In Hoedown Tag, your aim will change depending on the role you’re playing. When you are a tagger, your goal will be to tag any of the open players. As an open player, your goal is to avoid the tagger and stay linked to your partner.
Ideal Age and Group Sizes
Ideally, you’ll want to have 6 to 16 players in Hoedown Tag. Unlike regular group games, Hoedown Tag is a unique group game that requires your players to be in pairs and have 1 extra player as the tagger and another as the initial runner.
If you have a large group, it may be a good idea to have some spectators in case your original players get too tired to run. You can play Hoedown Tag with anyone aged 6 and above.
Preparation and Needed Materials
Hoedown Tag is a great game to play when you don’t have any materials prepared as you don’t need anything but a lot of energy to run about.
How to Play Hoedown Tag
Before you begin a game of Hoedown Tag, you’ll have to put your players in pairs. To make Hoedown Tag an extra fun icebreaker game, it’s always best to pair your players in random. The remaining players without a partner will be your first tagger and runner.
Step 1: Have all the paired players link hands by their elbows and spread out across the room or field. You will start the game by having the tagger chase after the runner.
Step 2: The runner must avoid the tagger and try to find a partner to link with. They can do this by choosing anyone in the pair to link with. Once the runner has linked hands with one of the pairs, the player on the opposite side of the pair will be the new runner.
Step 3: If the tagger manages to catch up to a runner, this player will become the new tagger. The original tagger must escape by finding another player to link hands with.
An example gameplay of Hoedown Tag will look like this:
Assume that player 1 is the tagger and player 2 is the runner. Players 3 and 4 will be the pair of players who are linked. Player 2 will escape player 1 and try to link hands with player 3. When player 2 links hands with player 3, player 4 will now become the new runner.
When player 1 tags player 4, their roles will reverse. If player 1 manages to link hands with player 2, player 3 will then become the new runner.
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