Healthy August

How to play Pirates

This is a very popular game to play out at the park with your friends and to get your heart jumping. The rules are similar to games played all over the world and it is called by different names – but I know this as Pirates.

When I was young this game was played in school on all the gym equipment out. However, current Health and Safety rules means that you can only play it with mats in the PE hall- boring! Safer yes but boring. As home schoolers, we don’t have the luxury of the school hall – but you can still play this in the local playground. First check the age limit to use the equipment and then play this with care.

The pirates must stay off the ground as much as possible– the sea (sand, rubber, woodchips, etc.) and stay on the play equipment – the sinking ship. They are allowed to dash from one piece of equipment to another. The person who is posing as the ‘Sea Monster' can be in ‘the sea' but not on the equipment with the objective of attempting to tag the other players. The 'Sea Monster' must try to tag or catch the other players as they ‘swim’ from one part of the ship to another.

You can decide if the ' Sea Monster' is not allowed to touch certain obstacles, such as wooden platforms or may only touch objects of a certain colour.

The winner is the last pirate.

Don’t forget to record playing this in your diary!