Team games

Games to play together

• Capture The Flag

  Rules of Capture the Flag
  Capture the Flag is simple to explain, set up and run. The game works well in a large outdoor area where there is a mixture of open space and cover provided by vegetation.

  To play the game:

  1. One or more grownups should be appointed to act as ‘umpire’ to set up the game, keep an eye on it as it runs and bring it to an end (a whistle is helpful!).

  2. Define the area of play- this can usually be done using naturally occurring boundaries: lines of trees / hedges, fences, rivers, car parks.

  3. Split into two teams and walk each team to opposite ends of the play area.

  4. Each team establishes a base in which to place their flag (it doesn’t have to be a flag, it could simply be a brightly coloured blanket or item of clothing). The base should be a few metres across and the team are not allowed in their own base.

  5. Start the game. The aim is to collect the opposing team’s flag and return it to your own base without being tagged by a member of the defending team.

  6. When a player is tagged, they must return to their own base to start again and the flag is returned to the defending team’s base.

  7. The game ends when a flag is captured and returned to the opposite base.

  
  The game encourages team members to work together to plan their strategy – splitting into defenders and attackers and working out of a plan of attack. As the game progresses, players will have to work together to distract the opposing team, capture their flag and move it to their own base.
  

• Sardines
  Basically hide and seek with added cosiness! Usually one person goes off to hide, but this is a community event with loads of spaces to hide, so send a couple of people off to find a hiding place together. After the usual count, to say 40 or 50, everyone else splits up to look for them. When someone finds them they get in their hiding place with them until everyone is packed in like sardines.
  
• Streetball
  A bit like netball, only bigger!
  
  Ingredients:
  • A ball, preferably not too small and not too hard, that’s easy to catch. If it’s wet outside, use a balloon part-filled with water.
  • Two dustbin or wheelie bin goals.
  • Two teams
  
  The aim of the game is to score by hitting the goal with the ball. Stop when you catch the ball; no running with the ball and no contact allowed!
  
• Street cricket
  Unlike football, which has pretty much the same rules wherever you play, street cricket has a few adaptations, mainly around scoring runs (such as when you hit a wall behind the bowler or fielder) or when you’re out (you can be caught off a wall, for example). One common rule that helps keep the neighbours sweet is that if you hit a house, you’re out.
  
  Check out the Street Chance website for more about street cricket and how to make your own street cricket tapeball. Otherwise, all you need is a bat, a ball and stumps or a dustbin.
  
• It's a Knockout
  If you don’t remember ‘It’s a Knockout’ you probably weren’t watching TV in the 70s and you’ll have to find an older person to explain. Essentially it involved two teams in fancy dress (particularly oversized, foam costumes that made running virtually impossible) racing over obstacles carrying coloured water.

  If you haven’t got a giant foam costume in the back of the cupboard, try making some out of old cardboard boxes – ogres and giants were the norm. Or add in some unusual things to wear, like flippers and armbands.

  Ingredients
  • For that authentic look, some coloured water (don’t overdo the food dye unless you want to be wearing pink splattered clothes for the rest of the day). A different colour for each team.
  • Something to carry the water like a measuring jug or bucket. One for each team
  • A bucket or dustbin to collect and measure the water
  • Lots of obstacles to climb up, over and under
  • Plenty of ridiculous costumes

• Hunter-gatherers
  Make a list of household things, or use and adapt the list below. Each team is given the list at the same time; then it’s simply a race to get everything out on to the street from the team members’ homes.
  
  Every item should come from a different home. Adjust the length of this list depending on how many different homes are playing in the team.

  
  Example list:
  • Potato
  • Carrot
  • Rolling pin
  • Whisk
  • Washing up bowl full of soapy water
  • Cup of tea
  • Teaspoon of salt
  • Tablespoon of oil
  • Slice of toast with butter

• The water bomb game
  This is a really wet game. Fill a number of water balloons and ask all players to stand in a circle looking inwards at each other. One person throws the water bomb across the circle to someone else. If they catch it, all players take a small step backwards, widening the circle and the distance between players. The player then throws the water bomb to someone else, and if they catch it without it exploding, the whole group take another step back, continuing to do so until the water bomb either explodes, or the catcher misses. The game starts again in a small circle with a new water bomb.
  
• Blubber ball
  Like egg and spoon, only wetter. Use a balloon full of water and a frying pan in place of the egg and spoon. You could throw in the rule that the winner gets to burst the blubber ball on the loser’s head.
• Sticky toffee pudding
  One person stands by a lamp post or similar street object and counts to 50 while they cover their eyes and the other players run off and hide. The ‘guard’ has to venture from the lamp post to find the other players and touch or tag them. Once tagged they are ‘stuck’ where they stand. Only another player who hasn’t been tagged can un-tag them. The object of the game is for players to get to the lamp post without being tagged.