Activity 11:
Buddy Tag & Getting Up to Speed
Things to Observe
Participants are enjoying the interactions with their peers and most importantly their walking buddy.
Participants are playing fair.
Participants are traveling in a safe manner with their heads up and attentively looking around.
Participants are enjoying themselves.
Safety Considerations
Ensure that the activity area is free of any objects that may cause the participants to fall.
Make participants aware of the importance of paying attention to their surroundings as they engage in the activity.
Purpose
To allow participants to interact with their travel buddies to develop stronger relationships and increase their comfort levels with one another
To create a fun environment where participants can get a better understanding of working with a partner
Location
Open outdoor field or activity space free of obstacles
Materials
Bean bags (one per two participants)
Whistle
Guidelines
Ask the participants to stand with their travel buddies. You can be the participants travel buddy if only teaching one child.
Pass out one bean bag per pair.
Explain the rules of the tag game.
Partner A will begin with the bean bag in their hand as the chaser.
Partner B will begin as the fleer.
Partner A will try to tag Partner B with the bean bag. Throwing the bean bag is not allowed.
Once Partner B is tagged, Partner A will drop the bean bag and become the fleer while Partner B becomes the chaser. Tell the participants that they must allow the fleers 10 seconds to run away from the chasers before the chasers can go.
The game continues until you signal all participants to stop (using a whistle, or a pre-determined signal).
Instructional Considerations
Join in and participate in the activity rather than standing on the side watching.
Rather than having chasers and fleers run from one another, ask them to use mini-steps (such as the Penguin Walk or moving at a leisurely pace) as they move about.
Watch for possible tensions that may arise due to the nature of the activity and ensure any conflicts are prevented or resolved quickly. If someone gets frustrated, ask them to help find a positive solution to the problem.