Throw a Capture the Flag Birthday Party

Throwing a capture the flag birthday party is a super affordable and fun way to celebrate your child’s birthday. Plus, I have all the free printables that you can download instantly. Check it out!

My son was set on having a capture the flag party for his 10th birthday. Although I was a little apprehensive about the logistics, it ended up being such a fun and memorable birthday party. Here’s how you can throw one too.

Determine the Capture the Flag location

This is probably the most important part of your Capture the Flag birthday party. You’ll want to find a play area, preferably a wooded park nearby that has lots of places for kids to run and hide. My son had his party at a nearby pond with lots of paved pathways and trees everywhere. It was perfect.

Print your birthday party invitations

I designed this cute and FREE printable birthday party invitation. You just have to download the PDF, print it off and fill in the blanks. It comes with four to a page. Download the file below. I offer this printable for FREE to all visitors of my blog, but if you’d like to show your support, feel free to buy me a taco 🌮.

Click here for your FREE Capture the Flag PDF

Prep your supplies

The best part about this type of birthday party is that it doesn’t require very many supplies. This is what you’ll need:

• Two flags (different colors)
• Two different sets of cloth strips (one for each player)
• Balloons (to indicate boundaries)
• Map of the playing field
• Whistle

You can even buy a capture the flag game online if you want to bypass buying all of the supplies above. I made my cloth strips from some old pillow cases and that did the trick.

Print rules and coupons

Although the rules are pretty self- explanatory, it’s helpful to have them all written down in one place. Especially when you’re trying to talk over about twenty 10-year-olds, ha ha! You can download the rules below.

Click here for your FREE Capture the Flag rules

I also wanted to make it fun for the kids by hiding coupons throughout the playing field. Some of the coupons could be redeemed for a prize at the end and the other coupons allowed some players to get out of jail immediately if they are tagged. The kids really liked this. Almost all of them got a prize. Download and print the coupons below. I offer this printable for FREE to all visitors of my blog, but if you’d like to show your support, feel free to buy me a taco 🌮.

Click here for your Capture the Flag coupons

Setup the playing field and have fun!

I went a little bit early and hung balloons along the center of the playing field so the kids knew where the base line was. We also hid the coupons all over the field as well. It was like a simple obstacle course. You’ll also want to utilize your whistle because it’s really hard to yell over a bunch of screaming kids. The first team to steal the flag from the opposite team and bring it back to their own territory wins.

This was the best party. All of the kids had a great time. In total, we had 20 kids. The boys were running around like crazy. They especially liked the cloth strips. They tied them around their heads and all of them wanted to take them home as party favors at the end. I also gave everyone glow sticks to take home. It was a huge success.

We served hot chocolate and doughnuts at the end at home base. It was the perfect finish to a great night. What ideas do you have for a fun birthday party? Leave your comments below.

Related link: FREE traveling birthday treasure hunt