Tag games for elementary PE are more than just fun ways to get students moving—they help young learners build essential skills like offensive and defensive movement, evasion tactics, change of direction, and spatial awareness. These fast-paced games are easy to modify for different grade levels, making them a great fit for all elementary students.
In this article, we’ll explore how these engaging tag games for elementary PE align with SHAPE standards, highlight a variety of game options with detailed activity descriptions, and share a full lesson sample from PLT4M’s K-5 physical education curriculum to help you bring these skills to life in your classroom.
Fun Tag Games For Elementary PE
Tag is a classic playground favorite, and many students have likely played some version of it outside of school. Whether it’s chasing friends at recess or making up their own rules in the neighborhood, students often come to PE with a basic understanding of tag.
Students might be familiar with classic tag games like regular tag, freeze tag, blob tag, and so many other fun variations! But in physical education, there are countless fun and creative variations of tag that can keep the activity fresh, engaging, and educational for elementary students.
Whether PE teachers want a quick game for an instant activity or fun variations to fill an entire PE class, there are countless options to choose from.
Physical education teachers can easily adapt tag games to work indoors or outside, offering flexibility based on available space. Plus, tag can be modified to suit different age groups and skill levels, making it an ideal activity for students of all abilities across K-5.
Get Free Sample Lessons!
Explore our K-5 Curriculum with these select Lesson Plans from some of our most popular Units. Each lesson includes a one page lesson overview, equipment checklist, game setup, teaching cues, standard alignment and more!
Standard Aligned Tag Games For Elementary PE
Tag games for elementary PE do more than just get kids running—they provide a natural and engaging way to help students apply movement and fitness concepts outlined in SHAPE America Standard 2: Applies knowledge of concepts, principles, strategies and tactics related to movement and performance.
These games involve chasing, fleeing, dodging, and decision-making, which help students develop both offensive and defensive awareness in an age-appropriate way.
Depending on the grade level, tag games can support the following SHAPE sub-standards:
PreK–2: 2.2.2 – Identifies simple strategies in chasing and fleeing activities.
Grades 3–5: 2.5.2 – Demonstrates knowledge of offensive strategies in small-sided invasion practice tasks.
Grades 3–5: 2.5.3 – Demonstrates knowledge of defensive strategies in small-sided invasion practice tasks.
By incorporating tag into your PE curriculum, you’re not only keeping students active and engaged—you’re also helping them build foundational knowledge for more complex movement activities in later grades.
Key Concepts In Tag Games For PE
Tag games for PE may seem simple on the surface, but they introduce students to foundational movement and gameplay concepts that serve as the building blocks for more complex physical activities. These games naturally teach students different skills on how to move with purpose, make quick decisions, and engage with others in both cooperative and competitive ways.
Skills include:
Look Around – Be aware of your surroundings and where others are on the field or in the gym.
Change Speeds – Accelerate or slow down to create or close space.
Change Directions – React quickly to avoid being tagged or to tag someone else.
Find Open Spaces – Move to areas where there are fewer people to reduce chances of being tagged.
Use Fakes – Trick opponents by pretending to go one way and moving another.
Play Fair – Follow the rules and respect others during gameplay.
Be Honest – Acknowledge when you’ve been tagged or stepped out of bounds.
In tag games, students experience both offensive and defensive roles:
Offense: Move to open spaces during gameplay to avoid being tagged.
Defense: Deny space during gameplay by cutting off routes and anticipating movement.
These skills are great for young learners because they’re easy to understand and practice in a tag format. But their value extends beyond basic gameplay. As students advance through the school year to other fun games, these same concepts become essential for more structured invasion games where strategy, movement, and teamwork come together in more complex ways.
12 Tag Games For Elementary PE
In PLT4M’s library of over 150 elementary pe lesson plans, there are 12 tag games for elementary PE to choose from. Almost all of these tag games can be used as a warm up or instant activity to get students moving right away:
Chicken Taco Tag – Students make a chicken taco with a rubber chicken and poly spot!
Couch Potato Tag – A focus on sharing equipment & learning that our energy comes from the food we eat.
Hoop Kick Tag – Emphasis on utilizing eye-foot coordination kicking a hula hoop.
Leprechaun Tag – Leprechauns versus the Villagers to see which group can have more gold at the end of the game.
Mosquito Tag – Emphasis on chasing and fleeing using full-length pool noodles and “bug spray.”
Pancake Tag – Emphasis on using a short-handled paddle and beanbag.
Partner Catch Tag – Play catch and when the music turns on, whoever has the ball is it!
Pizza Delivery Tag – Emphasis on creating & denying space using foam frisbees.
Plank Tag – Emphasis on supporting body weight in a high plank or pushup position.
Scarf or Flag Tag – Emphasis on chasing and fleeing using juggling scarves or flag belts.
Soccer Tag – A simple tag game where tagged players get rescued when a ball is passed/dribbled between their feet.
Triangle Tag – Emphasis on strategy/tactics and small group cooperation.
Want more than just tag games for elementary physical education class? Learn more about our full slate of elementary PE lesson plans made in partnership with our K-5 expert Mike Graham.
Get Free Sample Lessons!
Explore our K-5 Curriculum with these select Lesson Plans from some of our most popular Units. Each lesson includes a one page lesson overview, equipment checklist, game setup, teaching cues, standard alignment and more!
Sample Lesson From PLT4M’s Tag Games For Elementary PE
Check out one of PLT4M’s tag games for elementary PE. Featured in this blog is Couch Potato Tag.
In each lesson, PLT4M provides the following materials and resources for successful implementation of fun and exciting PE games and activities:
Activity Sheet – Great For Lesson Prep or PE Sub Plans!
Cues & Skill Standards
Equipment Checklist
Game Set Up
Step by Step Directions
Best Practices
Key Takeaways on Tag Games for PE
There are endless variations of tag games that can be adapted for elementary grade students, each offering unique opportunities for movement and skill development.
By incorporating different tag games, you can create a dynamic and engaging PE unit that supports students at all skill levels as they develop essential physical skills such as agility, strategy, and teamwork.
While this blog post covers just a few of the possibilities, PLT4M offers a variety of unit resource packs, lesson plans, and more! Reach out to learn how you can enhance your PE program with PLT4M’s resources and support!
Bonus – Check Out Other Elementary Physical Education Content
- PE Games For Elementary
- Elementary PE Lesson Plans
- Elementary Physical Education Curriculum
- Throwing And Catching Games For Elementary PE
- Jump Rope Activities For Elementary PE
- Basketball Games For Elementary PE
- Teaching Underhand Roll Via Bowling Lesson Plans
- Mike Graham, PE Teacher, Partners With PLT4M
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