Chasing games Activity
Playing chasing games together is an easy way to keep your tamariki active while also strengthening your relationships with them through shared enjoyment.
Why do it?
- Chasing provides practice for children’s active movement and co-ordination skills such as crawling, walking, running, balancing, turning and stopping.
- Chasing games can be enjoyed with crawlers or walkers.
- Children learn about taking turns as they switch between chasing and being chased.
- Chasing games also build relationships through shared enjoyment and fun.
How to do it
- You may need to do some playful modelling to help a child understand the chase-and-catch idea.
- If a child is still crawling, it will be more fun if you crawl in this game, too.
- Use and repeat verbal cues like ‘Come and get me’ or ‘I’m going to get you!’
- Add to the fun by pretending you’re trying really hard to get away — hide around a corner or behind a chair and add in some excited sound effects.
- Let them get away a few times and then make a big deal when you do catch them, with a tickle or a ‘Gotcha now!’ cuddle.
Using more te reo Māori
| Haere mai | Come here |
| Whai | Chase |
| Ngōki | Crawl |
| Hikoi | Walk |
| Oma | Run |
| E huri | Turn around |
| Tauhunahuna | Play hide and seek |
| Kia tūpato | Be careful |
| Aru | Follow/chase |
| Āta haere | Go slow |
| Kia tere | Be quick |
| Aru mai i ahau | Follow me |
| Kei te haere koe hi hea? | Where are you going? |
| Ka aru ahau i a koe | I'm going to chase you |
| Ka nui tēnā, e te tau | That's enough, my darling |
