Flip the Tarp

Engage, what you need to know. 

• Ages

  • 10+

• Number of Participants 

  • 5 +

• Time frame 

  • 10 minutes - 60 minutes

• Necessary components

  • A tarp, or very durable blanket  

• Purpose

  • This is a great introductory game to problem solving. The core of this game is very simple. A tarp starts on one side, and it must be flipped over to the other side. This engages those playing by making them problem solve as a group in order to complete a relatively simple problem that quickly turns more complicated. 

Demonstration / Guide 

1. The set up is very easy, as all you need to do is lay your tarp down flat. 

2. Story example. Your boat has been flipped, thankfully everyone on board was able to scramble their way onto its back. But now you are in a predicament, you must flip your boat back over without anyone falling off. 

3. Place all of the participants onto the tarp. 

4. They must now flip this tarp, without a single person falling off or stepping off of it. 

5. This sounds relatively simple. But gets incredibly complicated when you realize that really no one can step off of the tarp. Which makes it really hard as the area of tarp shrinks and everyone must jostle for a good position. 

6. The game ends when the tarp is fully flipped over without a single person having fallen off. 

Optional extensions. 

1. Silence the leader. There will often be a voice that grows the loudest, and that person could be silenced allowing for more leaders to shine. 

2. Blindfolds. This makes the situation harder to navigate. 

3. Smaller tarp, so that everyone must press closer together and work together even more in order to accomplish the task. 

Explaining the requirements 

• Everyone onto the tarp.

• No part of you can touch anywhere that isn’t this tarp

• You must flip the tarp without any part of anyone leaving the tarp.