Playground Game: Monster

November 6th, 2022
kids
Here's a game I play with the kids at the park a lot:

  • You play on a play structure.

  • One person is the "monster"

  • Anyone they tag becomes a monster as well.

  • Monsters are not allowed on the horizontal surfaces of the play structure.

  • Non-monsters can't go on the ground.

  • Little kid monsters (7 and younger?) are "baby monsters" who can still go on horizontal surfaces.

Usually I'm the monster over and over. The game typically involves a lot of trying to sneak up on people and reach them through the bars, or climbing around on the railings trying to corner people.

This works best on a play structure with lots of railings and where the main platform is at about adult shoulder height. You often need to tweak the rules for the specific structure and kids you're playing with, trying to keep it balanced: if games are running much too long/short then shift the rules slightly towards or away from the monster.

When I was little I think we used to call this "don't touch the ground tag", though looking online now that seems to be generally used to refer to a different game.

Referenced in: What's the Alternative to Independence?

Comment via: facebook, lesswrong, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

Linkpost for May

Effective Altruism

via Thing of Things May 4, 2026

Fiddle Practice

For a while I wasn't learning how to play violin very well because whenever it was time to practice I didn't want to. I didn't really like practicing, because (1) it's boring, (2) I have better things to do, and (3) actually I guess there …

via Anna Wise's Blog Posts May 3, 2026

New Pony

I have a new pony. I got her from the Goodwill. Her name is "Rainbow" and her nickname is "Sparkles". We went the usual way, in the pink stroller. We went downstairs and I played with some of the toys. I found the pony in the toy area. …

via Nora Wise's Blog Posts May 3, 2026

more     (via openring)