Two lines of children face each other across a field, a name gets called, and suddenly one whole team is sprinting for home while the other gives chase. Predator and Prey is a classic two-team chase game that works well with almost any group size, and it teaches something useful about fair turns along the way.
What you need
An open space with enough room to mark four parallel lines. Chalk, rope, or sticks to mark them. A group of up to 30 players, split evenly into two teams.
How to play
Mark a centre line, then a line two metres out on each side of it, then a further line six metres beyond that on each side. One team, call them the Foxes, lines up on one of the outer lines. The other team, the Hares, lines up on the opposite outer line. The two teams face each other across the centre.
The instructor calls out one team’s name. That team immediately chases the other, who run for the safety of their own outer line. Anyone from the fleeing team who gets tagged before reaching safety switches sides and joins the chasing team. Everyone lines back up, and the instructor calls a name again, chaser or fled, it is not always the same team twice. The game continues until one side has captured everyone.
Variations
For older children, pair players up with their ankles loosely tied together with a soft cloth, which slows everyone down and changes the dynamic considerably.
Safety notes
Tags should be gentle touches only, never a grab or a shove, and this is worth stating clearly before starting. Keep the chasing distance appropriate to the age group, shorter for younger children. Make sure the instructor genuinely alternates which team gets called to chase, so nobody feels like they are always on the losing end.
Why it works
The unpredictability of not knowing which team will be called to chase keeps everyone alert the whole time, rather than only during their own turn. And because captured players switch sides rather than sitting out, nobody is left standing around for long.
