Octopus Tag Game: Rules, Seaweed and Variations
Octopus tag is a running game for a gym, a playground or a field. One player is the octopus in the middle, and everyone else are fish who try to cross from one side to the other without being tagged. What makes it different from other crossing games is the seaweed: tagged players stay where they were caught and wave their arms to tag the fish that run past. The field fills up with seaweed round by round until only one fish is left. Here are the rules, the seaweed rules that make or break the game, a fair way to choose the octopus and some variations.
How to play octopus tag
- Mark a playing area with two safe lines at opposite ends. The fish line up behind one of them.
- The octopus stands in the middle and calls “Fishy, fishy, cross my ocean!”
- All fish must run to the other safe line at the same time. The octopus tries to tag as many as possible.
- A tagged fish becomes seaweed: they sit or stand exactly where they were tagged and help by tagging fish who run within reach.
- The octopus calls again and the fish cross back. Rounds continue until one fish is left, who is the winner and usually the next octopus.
Seaweed rules that keep it fun
The seaweed is what makes octopus tag work, and most arguments come from it. Agree on these before you start:
- Feet stay put: seaweed may turn and stretch but must keep one foot planted, or sit down for younger children. Without this rule seaweed simply becomes more chasers.
- Gentle tags only: seaweed tags with an open hand on the arm or back, never by grabbing or tripping.
- Who tagged first: if the octopus and a seaweed touch a fish at the same moment, the fish is still caught; the tag simply counts once.
- Spread out: if seaweed ends up in one clump, the game gets stuck. Let the octopus place new seaweed on an empty spot instead of where they were caught.
- Stay in bounds: a fish who runs outside the side lines is caught, so the game does not turn into a wide escape.
A fair way to choose the octopus
Many groups let the last fish be the next octopus, but the first octopus still needs choosing, and fast runners tend to win every round. A random pick is quick and nobody can argue with it. Put the names into the Random Name Picker and remove each name after it is picked, and each child is the octopus once before anyone repeats. The table shows how many games that takes. Kids is the number of players, One the games needed with one octopus per game, and Two the games needed with two octopuses per game.
| Kids | One | Two |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 10 | 5 |
| 15 | 15 | 8 |
| 20 | 20 | 10 |
| 25 | 25 | 13 |
| 30 | 30 | 15 |
With a class of 30 and two octopuses, everyone has had a turn in the middle after 15 games, which may take a few PE lessons. Keep the list between lessons so you can carry on where you stopped.
Gym and field versions
- Gym: use the badminton or basketball side lines as the safe lines. Indoor floors are slippery, so ask fish to run and seaweed to sit, not lunge.
- Field or playground: mark lines with cones about 20 to 30 steps apart, and keep the width small enough that the octopus has a chance. Wider is easier for the fish.
- Small group: with fewer than eight players, give the octopus a smaller ocean, or let seaweed take one step.
- Big group: with 25 or more, start with two octopuses so the first rounds are not over too slowly.
Variations
- Coloured fish: the octopus calls a colour, such as “everyone wearing blue”, and only those fish must cross. The others cross on “ocean storm”.
- Shark and octopus: one tagger is a shark who catches fish who join it as chasers, the other an octopus who makes seaweed.
- Silent ocean: no calls at all; the octopus raises an arm and the fish must notice and cross.
- Related games: if tagged players should run as chasers instead of standing as seaweed, play sharks and minnows. If you want frozen players to be freed again, try stuck in the mud. For the simplest chasing game of all, see classic tag.
FAQ
How do you play octopus tag?
The octopus stands in the middle and calls the fish to cross. Fish run from one safe line to the other, and tagged fish become seaweed who stay where they were caught and tag fish running past. The last fish left wins.
What is the difference between octopus tag and sharks and minnows?
They are close relatives. In sharks and minnows, tagged players usually become sharks who can run. In octopus tag they become seaweed who must stay in one place, so the game changes more slowly.
What does the octopus say in octopus tag?
A common call is “Fishy, fishy, cross my ocean!”, but any agreed call works. In some versions the fish answer before they run.
How many players do you need for octopus tag?
About eight or more, and it works well with a whole class. With 25 or more players, start with two octopuses.
How do you choose who is the octopus?
Often the last fish left becomes the next octopus. For the first game, or to give everyone a turn, draw names at random with a name picker that does not repeat names.