Due to homework, long school hours and busy schedules, many children do not get the one hour of physical activity each day recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Instead of doing team sports or playing outdoors, many children relax in front of the TV or computer. Recess and after-school playground time can help children get the physical activity they need to thrive, especially if they play games with short bouts of high-intensity activity, such as tag.
Significance
Although many children play kickball on the playground, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that kickball does not significantly improve children's fitness, mostly due to all of the idle time involved in the game. Senior researcher, Stavroula Osganian, MD, ScD, MPH, tells the Children's Hospital Boston's pediatric health blog that many children's playground games do not use much energy. Osganian and her team evaluated 30 different playground games on 28 third graders to see whether kids liked them and how much energy they used. Their study, published in the December 2010 Journal of Pediatrics, found that tag-type games and ones that don't involve much strategy or skill help children burn the largest amount of calories.
Sock Tag
Also known as Dragon's Tail, this fast-paced game can help kids burn as many as 200 calories an hour, according to Osganian. Give children a scarf or long sock to serve as their tail and ask them to tuck it into the back of their waistband. Instruct children to scatter about the playground in a random formation. On your signal, players race about and try to capture the "tail" of the other players. If a child loses his or his tail, he must perform a fitness activity, such a squats or push-ups. Play until one player collects all of the tails.
Capture the Flag
Divide players into two to four teams and give each team a flag, consisting of bandannas, old T-shirts or scarves. Use playground landmarks, such as trees or playing equipment, to divide the area into equal-sized playing areas. Put a flag in each territory. During the game, players cross into each other's territory and try to find and collect their flag. The opposing team can capture the players who enter their territory. If they tag him, he must go to the sidelines and do a fitness task, such as jumping jacks or running in place. Players are "safe" when they return to their own territory. The game ends when one team captures the flag or all of the flags of the other teams and returns to their home territory.
Couples Tag
Assign one child as "it" and divide the others into pairs. Give each pair a scarf, which they must both hold onto. Once the game begins, children must travel in their pairs. The "it" player tries to tag a child and take his place in the pair.
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