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Team competition

Capture the Flag

The original team game, scaled to a campsite.

Ages 9–12Large groupHigh energy30–60 minMinimal setupCompetitive

What you need

  • Two bandanas, towels, or shirts (one per team) to act as flags
  • A play area large enough to split in half with a clear midline (a trail, a row of stakes)

How to play

  1. 1.Split into two teams. Each team picks a "home" half of the field and a flag location visible to the other team.
  2. 2.Mark a clear midline. No tagging happens on your own side.
  3. 3.On "go," players cross the midline to grab the other team's flag.
  4. 4.If you are tagged on the opposing side, you go to "jail" — a designated spot near their flag — until a teammate frees you.
  5. 5.A team wins by carrying the opposing flag back across the midline without being tagged.

What success looks like

Carry the opposing team's flag across the midline to your home side.

Variations

  • Three-flag chaos: each team plants three flags. First to capture all three wins.
  • Glow edition: play after dark with glow-stick flags.
  • Time-limited: most flag captures in 20 minutes wins.

Safety notes

  • Set boundaries that exclude fire rings, water, and parking areas.
  • No diving tags. Two-handed touch only.
  • Pause for a head count every 15 minutes if the play area is wooded.

Works great with these trip plans

Already planning one of these? This activity fits right in.