Hoist your flags up and get ready for a way to celebrate Flag Day that your kids will never forget. All you need are a few extra kiddos or players and a bit of imagination. Oh, and flags. You’re gonna need lots of flags. Read on for three classics and #GoPlayChandler. Find your closest park.
Capture the Flag
You need:
2 flags (Any flag will do! Pirates vs. Princess?)
2 teams, a minimum of 4 players per team. The more the better.
Set-up:
Divide the playing field in half and designate two small “zones” on both sides to hold people who are tagged. There can also be a designated circle on each side where the flag is placed.
The object:
Capture the other team’s flag. Each team designates their territories, the location of their flag and their zone. There is also a safety zone around the flag where the flag’s team cannot enter unless the opposing team does (this prevents impossible-to-pass guarding of the flag).
How to play:
On the referee’s signal, each team tries to take the other team’s flag and return across the center line without being tagged.
- If a player is tagged while on their opponent’s side they are must go to the holding zone on their opponent’s side.
- If a player who has stolen the flag is tagged, the flag is returned to the flag zone, and the player goes to the zone.
- A player can be freed from the holding zone when a teammate crosses the center line and tags the player; both players then receive a free walk back to their side.
- A player can only free one teammate at a time
Flag Football
You need:
12 flags (flags for each player)
2 teams, a minimum of 6 players per team.
Set-up:
Place the cones on an open field/space to form a large rectangle, and create two small end zones on each end of the field. Also, place cones at the midfield line and at the 5-yard line on each end of the field.
The object:
score a touchdown on the other team’s end zone. This one has all the basic rules of regular football, minus the tackling part, so kids of all ages can play. Just try and grab the flag out of the opponent with the ball’s back pocket.
How to play:
How a member from each team play Rock Paper Scissors to determine which team will have possession first. On the referee’s signal, the offensive team begins at the 5-yard line. Teams have four downs to get to mid field for a first down and four downs to score (maximum of eight downs per possession). The game is non-contact and family-friendly (no blocking allowed). All changes of possession start at the 5-yard line, except interceptions which start at the spot of interception. (If an interception occurs in the end zone, the ball is placed on the 5-yard line. Most touchdowns wins!
Flag & Frisbee Golf
You need:
9 flags (and cones if playing in your local neighborhood park)
1 frisbee
Set-up:
Place flags in cones around the grass (just be sure you’re not damaging the field) by simply tying cloth flags in a tree, propped up in the ground, etc. Make a 9-flag course.
How to play:
Play similar to the rules of golf or frisbee golf, but make a basic course in your park using homemade flags (try cutting up a banner into individual flags). Instead of trying to hit a ball into the hole, you’re trying to hit the flag with the frisbee. Remember to keep track of how many throws it takes each player to hit the flag. The lowest score wins!