Hospital Tag is a health and fitness game in which taggers put players out of action while first aiders race to get them back in. Students learn to tell minor injuries from major ones and why knowing their personal information matters in an emergency.
Set up a large open boundary. Place a clearly marked hospital zone on one side, staffed by the teacher. All other students begin inside the boundary.
Taggers try to put players out of action. First aiders work to get injured players back in the game as quickly as possible.
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Builds allow you to increase the game's complexity, one layer at a time.
Students play a simple tag game. Taggers use foam pool noodles. When tagged, fleeing players must perform the following actions.
First tag: hold the spot where they were tagged and keep playing.
Second tag: sit down.
There is no way back into the game yet. The teacher stops play periodically to discuss what students noticed.
This build is intentionally simple. The goal is to get students moving, establish the tagging rules, and create a shared experience of being injured that you can connect to the health concepts in the next builds. Keep it short, five to seven minutes, and debrief before moving on.
The teacher selects two or three students to be first aiders. First aiders do not get tagged.
When a player sits down, a first aider wheels their scooter cart to them and pretends to provide first aid. Once first aid is complete, the player is back in the game.
Introduce the concept: first aid is about helping someone who is hurt so they can be okay.
Full version of the game. First aiders now carry pocket dice. When they reach a sitting player, they roll the dice together and determine whether the injury is minor or major.
Minor injuries are treated on the spot and the player returns to the game. Major injuries require the first aider to wheel the player to the hospital, staffed by the teacher.
At the hospital, the player shares one piece of personal information, such as their full name, home address, parent or guardian name, or home phone number, to get cleared.
The pocket dice should have three faces labelled as minor injuries (bump, bruise, scrape) and three faces labelled as major injuries (head injury, broken bone, major cut). If pocket dice are not available, use regular dice with a reference card where one to three is minor and four to six is major.
The hospital conversation is the most important teaching moment in this build. Keep it low pressure and conversational. Students just need to share one piece of personal information to get back in, and every correct answer is worth celebrating enthusiastically.
Print the game sheet, leave it on your desk, and your sub has everything they need: the diagrams, the builds in order, what to say, and what to watch for. This one is $4. #PhysEdU Plus members get all 39, free forever, for $49 a year.
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