Red Light, Green Light

Set up

Mark a start line with a rope, a row of shoes or chalk. Choose one player as the caller, who stands at the far end facing the others. Everyone else lines up on the start line.

On grass or a gym floor, players can run. On a hard or slippery floor indoors, agree that everyone walks.

How to play

1. The caller turns their back to the group and calls “Green light!” Everyone moves toward the caller.
2. The caller calls “Red light!” and turns around. Everyone must freeze at once.
3. Anyone the caller sees moving after the turn goes back to the start line.
4. The caller turns away again and calls “Green light!” to start the next run.
5. The first player to reach and tag the caller wins and becomes the next caller.

Calling it fairly

Give players a moment after “Red light” before judging: freezing mid-stride is hard, and a wobble that stops quickly should not count. Call players out by name so there is no argument. Vary the timing of the calls, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, so nobody can count the rhythm.

Ways to change it

• Yellow light: players move in slow motion. Adds a third call for older children.
• Themed calls: “Purple light” means hop, “Blue light” means walk like a penguin. Invent your own for a birthday theme.
• Teams: two lines start side by side; the first team to have every player tag the caller wins.
• No going back: for small children, a player caught moving takes one step back instead of returning to the start.

Who it suits, and who it doesn’t

Red Light, Green Light suits children from about four to ten, a birthday party in the yard, a gym class or a family reunion with a lawn. It needs no equipment and a few minutes to explain. It needs space to move: in a small room, play Freeze Dance or Simon Says instead. Teenagers and adults enjoy it for a round or two, mostly as the caller.