Everybody's It

back to: Game Library

Requirements

• Age 5+
• Players 12-24
• Time 4-8 min rounds
• Location Large clear area
• Energy Extreme (sprinting)
• Materials Bands, Game boundary
• Lead by Pathfinder
• Guides 2

Story

A fast-paced, energetic tag game that keeps everyone engaged and moving.

Action Call

Pay Attention to avoid being tagged and, if you are tagged, notice when the person who tagged YOU has been tagged - because then you're back in!

Game

Safety

• Scout playing area for hazards: tripping objects, stinging insects, trash, and much more.
• Avoid collisions. Emphasize that participants must maintain control at all times.

Mission

Set up a boundary (a large rope that everyone can easily fit inside, but isn't TOO roomy).

Everyone needs a "side-tail" that is "free and proud." This means:

• A "side tail" means each player tucks a Band into their waistband on one SIDE of their body (not directly on the front or rear of their body).
• "Free" means the Band is not tied to anything (like a belt or belt loop).
• "Proud" means that a) AT LEAST 2/3 of the Band is showing/hanging out of the waistband (3/4 is better) and b) the hanging part of the Band is not CONCEALED by anything such as a long T-shirt or jacket. Anything that might cover the Band should be tucked into the waistband close to the body, with the Band tucked in outside of it.

Once everyone's Band is a "free and proud side-tail," players spread themselves out within the boundary.

A Pathfinder says go and everyone tries to pull everyone else's Band. When a player pulls someone else's Band, they should immediately drop it on the ground at that person's feet.

When a player's Band is pulled, they should REMEMBER who pulled it, kneel on the ground where their Band was dropped, tuck their Band back in (free and proud!), and watch the person who pulled their Band. If THAT player's Band is pulled, every player whose band was pulled by that player can stand back up and resume playing.

Play continues until only one person is left or it seems like a good idea to re-start the game.

Modify

• Danger everywhere. Players who are kneeling on the ground can't move their knees (they must stay in the same place), but if someone runs by within range, the kneeling players can pull that person's Band, which lets them stand up and resume playing.
• No-Band version. If you don't have Bands, the game can be played without them. In the no-Band version, people use their hands to tag other people's bodies. This often leads to simultaneous tags. To resolve a situation where two people insist that they tagged each other at the same time, the pair can play rock-paper-scissors to see who wins.
• Foxtail. A very similar game to Everybody's It is Foxtail. In Foxtail, when a player pulls another player's Band they KEEP it. If that player's Band is pulled, they can replace their pulled Band with one from their hand. Kneeling players don't gain their freedom if the person who pulled their Band has their Band pulled; they only gain their freedom by grabbing a passing Band or being gifted a Band.