Get Kids Moving: The Game of Tails

Have you ever played Tails?  If you haven't, you should.  It's a perfect activity for those days when you're stuck indoors but your kids need to burn off some energy; plus, it provides a significant cardiovascular workout.  The premise is simple.

First, tuck a short scarf or other small piece of fabric (say, a wash cloth or dish towel) into everyone's back pocket.  These are your tails.

Then, run like mad around the house as you try to steal someone else's tail while protecting your own.

It's brilliant.  It's fun.  It's exhausting.  Throughout our 40 minutes of play I had to take three water breaks, during which Reese looked at me as if to say, "What?  You're not tough enough?"

To which I looked right back at her as if to say, "You better get moving, kid, because you've got a target on your back."  Then I set down my glass and wiped my mouth with my sleeve in what I hoped to be a formidable way.

Then she ran.  And then I ran right after her.