As you might know, Tag is one of our very favorite team games at Pacific Play Tents and our tent models (a very professional term, of course) play it just about all the time during our shoots! We love watching them run around and play at every photoshoot, and their parents certainly appreciate all the extra energy being burned.
Did you know that Tag is an acronym for “touch-and-go”? This isn’t 100% certain, however, with some sources claiming that Tag dates back to the early 1700’s and seems to be a variation of the Scottish word “tig”, or the Middle English “tek.” Even without knowing any of the history, children always somehow naturally figure out how to play Tag with each other! This is thought to be because children are looking to expel their natural competitive spirit and other types of predatory instinct!
With all the fun that is Tag, we thought that this week we would take it up a notch and come up with some awesome variations of different competitive team games you can play right at home, all of which include the simplest DIY we’ve probably ever written.
DIY Team Flags
If you’ve got a small gathering of children coming up, you can make these (insanely) easy DIY Team Flags and watch the competition unfold!
What you’ll need
- At least two distinct colors of fabric
- Scissors
- Optional: Decorating supplies! This can include paint, glitter, pompoms or whatever else the kids would like to decorate their flags with.
How to make them
- Cut the fabric to 8″ x 8″ squares
- Fold them into the top of the children’s waistband so at least 4” is sticking out
- Playtime!
- Optional: Have the children decorate their flags! They can write their names on them as well, so that it can be more easily proven if their flag has been captured in any of the games below.
Flag Games
Now that you’ve slaved away all day making your DIY Team Flags (we know, they were very difficult!), there are a ton of different team games you can play with them, and we went ahead and rounded up some of our favorites!
You don’t even need an entire class of children to play some of these team games either, they are good for only a few players. They’re also fine to play indoors as well, incase the weather isn’t being so kind to you these days!
Flag Tag
This is one of our very favorite team games! While the classic form of Tag has no teams, scores, or equipment, ours has a little spin! The rules are simple for this one: pull out as many flags from the other kids as possible! There’s no particular “It”, but rather a free-for-all, every man for himself. If your flag gets taken, you’re out of the game and now must sit on the sidelines to watch all the competition go down and help judge. Whoever is left standing at the end of the game with their flag still tucked inside their waistband wins.
Extra variations: Blindfold “it”, play in reverse where all the other children chase “It”, or freeze when your flag is taken! For even more Tag variations, check out one of our other blog posts all about Tag right here!
Capture the Flag
For this game, you’ll need a large open space. Put a line down the middle as to assign each team’s “territory”. At each corner, assign a “Jail” and a place to put the “Flag” (there needs to be one of each on each side). This flag is different from the waistband ones. This is a larger flag that must be captured. The flags we used here and here would work great! It can also, in theory, be just about any object that can be captured as well. It can be a stuffed animal or really just about anything that can be picked up easily and the children can run with.
The object of the game is to capture the other team’s flag and bring it back to your own territory. If an enemy team member grabs your flag while you’re standing on their part of the field, they are allowed to take you straight to jail. You can be freed from jail and can put your flag back in your waistband if one of your team members touches you.
Hidden Flags
This is a great mix of Capture the Flag and Flag Tag! In this game, rather than tucking a flag into each child’s waistband, have the children hide their flags around. When the game begins, the team who finds all the other team’s flags the fastest wins! You can also keep the Jail from Capture the Flag for added difficulty if a flag is recovered after it’s taken.
Peek-A-Boo I See You 6′ Play Tunnel
We’ve taken our classic mesh tunnel design and given it a modern color twist. Measuring 6 feet long and 19 inches tall, the Peek-A-Boo I See You Tunnel is the perfect size for young children to work on their gross motor skills by crawling in a fun and stimulating environment. It’s also the perfect hiding spot for flags!
The quality construction is not only ideal for rugged play, but it is also designed to be opened and closed in just a few seconds. Best of all, your child can stretch their imagination for hours in comfort and safety, thanks to the padding around the spring-steel frame and the mesh material that allows for ample light and air flow. When your little one has finished playing, the tunnel folds flat for space-saving storage. How great is that?
You can also connect this tunnel to any of our other tunnels that have connecting lips or any of our play tents that have tunnel ports to create an imaginative maze, perfect for hiding during Tag or a jail for Capture the Flag!
Let us know!
Did you play any flag games growing up? Do your kids love Flag Tag as much as we do? Let us know in the comments below!