Outdoor Games
How to play Duck Duck Goose
One walker taps seated players until naming a goose; the goose chases the walker around the circle.
What you need
An open, non-slip area large enough for a seated circle
Set up the game
- Seat the group in a circle with space to run around its outside. Choose one walker and agree on a safe running direction and no pushing or cutting through the circle.
- This is one schoolyard format; some communities call it Duck Duck Gray Duck or change the chase rule.
Playing Duck Duck Goose
- The walker travels outside the circle, lightly taps heads or shoulders and says 'duck' for each player not chosen.
- On 'goose,' that player rises and chases the walker around the outside. The walker tries to reach and sit in the goose's vacated place before being tagged.
- If the walker sits first, the goose becomes the next walker. If the goose tags the walker first, the same walker continues for another selection in this stated format.
- Pause if anyone falls; restart the chase from the selection rather than treating a collision as a tag.
The goose tags before the seat
Noah calls 'goose' at Maya's place. Maya rises and tags Noah before he has gone around the outside to her empty space. Noah remains the walker for the next choice; Maya returns to her place.
Make the empty seat easy to find
The goose's place is the only safe destination for the walker. Leave enough room between seated players that someone can sit without tripping over a neighbor. The other players stay seated during that chase.
Beginner decisions
- The goose should run around the same outside path so neither runner cuts through seated players.
Common rule mix-ups
- Arguing over whether a tap after saying goose counts; the choice is made when goose is called, with a light tap to identify the player.
- Allowing a runner to push past someone seated to reach the empty spot.
Questions about this game
Who becomes the next walker?
The goose does if the first walker takes the empty place before being tagged; otherwise the original walker continues in this version.
Is there a winner?
No formal score or winner is needed. Rotate roles and stop when the group is ready.
Sources and edition notes
A clearly stated recreational circle-chase format, not an official rulebook. Tag outcome and running direction are local choices; agree on them first.