Pass the Potato
An active, duel game for junior youth and small groups
- Outdoors
- All On All
- Standard (15 - 45 mins)
- Under $20
- Some Mess
- Active
- Duel
- Junior
- Small Groups
- Camp
- Large Groups
Added by
Freak the Geek
on
How To Play Pass the Potato
Materials Needed
One potato (or something representing a potato)
Overview: This game combines "hot potato" with elements of tag. It can get very competitive with more people.
Where to Play: Outside, in an area that is large enough to contain ten people and wide enough to run around in.
Setup: Mark the boundaries with cones. Choose one person to hold the potato first. The person with the potato has to stay in the center while everybody else has the chance to spread out within the boundaries.
Beginning: Shout "Go!" and begin counting down from 20.
The Potato: In those 20 seconds, the person with the potato chases everyone else, trying to tag them. If they manage to tag someone, that person has to take the potato and chase someone else. When the 20 seconds is over, the person who has the potato in their hands is out for the game and another round is played.
Here's the Catch: The person with the potato can run as much as they like. If someone isn't holding the potato, they can't run!
Game Over: A round will end after 20 seconds when someone is eliminated. These rounds should go on until there are two people left, who will compete for the prize (whatever the prize is is up to you).
Duel: The two people at the end perform the "potato toss." This is a variation on a classic game: the two players will stand an arms-length apart, facing each other. One of them holds the potato. That person passes it the other person, and they both take a step back if it is caught. This process continues until someone drops the potato, at which point the other person will win the prize. However, if someone throws it wildly and misses, the other person will win the prize.
Rule: No tag-backs. Basically, you can't tag the person who just tagged you.
Option: You can have a facilitator who narrates who has the potato. If Joe has the potato, the facilitator would shout, "Joe's got the potato!"
Added by
Freak the Geek
on 11 January 2016
7 Comments
Add a commentI would maybe suggest with a bigger group to use two or three potatoes rather than just one. It just goes faster that way
Set a 20 second timer but don't count down, only the leader with the time knows. This will keep the potato moving. A smaller area keeps the potato moving quickly, a larger area a little slower.
This game seems quite flawed. If the others can't run but the chaser can, then won't the chaser simply wait for 19 seconds before quickly tagging another person and getting them out?
So I just thought more about it and the point is that they only have 20 seconds to get rid of the potato, so it will change hands a lot in that time, going from person to person. So you can't stop someone from catching you but you can make sure that you don't have the potato at the end of the 20 seconds!
Maybe the people without the potato can hop, which makes them slower thus giving the potato chaser the advantage. Plus it's easier to police than making the kids walk. And then you can call the game "Hop Potato" is a play on the words "Hot Potato"! :D
"If someone isn't holding the potato, they can't run!" So do they walk? The directions before the "catch" say, the person with the potato "chases" the other players. Can you clarify?
If the others can't run then how are they "chased"?