This is really similar to the game Fresh! (See Indoor Gtivities) already listed here, but we’ve found that this variant allows for a shorter game play if you have a larger group in an outdoor setting. We’ve played this with youth from as young as 4th graders up to adults and they want to play it every week…
(Quick recap if you haven’t read Fresh!) Set up a playing space using four cones as the corners. Divide your group into two teams, and have them stand at opposite ends of the areas. When you start, the youth can leave their lines and enter the field. When someone does this, they are fresh. If another person leaves their line from the opposing team after this, they are fresha (fresher) than the people on the other team. You can only tip a person on the other team if you are fresha than them (ie you’ve left your line later than them). When a person is tagged, they have to go to the jail (a predesignated cone in opposite corners for each team). Once more than one person is tipped, they can form a chain as long as someone is touching the cone.
Instead of waiting for everyone on one side to be caught, we use a scoring method: if a player can make it past the other team’s line without being tipped, they get a point. At the end of the game, count the number of players in prison, multiply by 2 and subtract from the teams points to determine a winner. (you can change the maths…)
Other small things: we use the concept of “free walk” – whenever a player tips someone, frees someone, or crosses an opponents line, they get a free walk back to their line, where they cannot tip anyone or be tipped by anyone. Also, if someone steps out of the side, they are automatically sent to prison.
This may sound a bit complicated to keep track of who is fresha than who, but normal, once the youth understand what is going on, they will do most of the work for you (usually by screaming out fresha as they leave their lines). Enjoy.