Third Man In

Third Man In

A game that challenges reaction time and endurance.

  • 6+ years
  • Group size: 8+
  • Duration: 15 min
  • Tag
  • Folk game
  • Mountains, forests and fields
  • Gym / Sports hall
  • Open space

Participants form a large circle, with two people standing one behind the other in pairs. In addition, there are two participants standing alone outside the pairs. One of these is 'it' (the chaser) and tries to tag the other.

The person being chased can avoid being tagged by standing directly in front of any chosen pair in the circle. When this happens, the person at the back of that pair must immediately start running and now becomes the one being chased. If the person who is 'it' manages to tag the runner, they switch roles: the one who was tagged becomes 'it' and must continue running and stand in front of a new pair.

Variation

The game can be varied by having the pairs:

  • lie next to each other
  • sit behind each other
  • lie on their backs
  • have other starting positions that make it more challenging to react quickly.