• 29 themes
  • Checked October 2026

Themes for Field Day

Each theme comes with four stations, four team names and a closing event, ready to copy onto the flyer.

Themes for Field Day

Show all 13
  1. Ranch Roundup1. Set the scene: a rope corral is the team area, and every station has a wooden-fence sign painted on cardboard.2. Run four stations: Stick-Horse Barrel Race (ride a stick horse around three cones in a cloverleaf), Lasso Toss (throw a hoop over a cone), Gold Panning (sift painted stones out of sand with a colander), Wagon Pull (pull a teammate to the cone in a wagon or on a blanket).3. Name the teams Red Wranglers, Blue Bandanas, Green Cactuses and Yellow Lassos.4. Close with the Roundup. All the classes herd playground balls into the corral with pool noodles, against the clock.
  2. Pirate Voyage1. Set the scene: a cardboard ship stands by the start line, and the day runs from a map with an X on it.2. Run four stations: Walk the Plank (cross a board laid flat on the grass with a bean bag on your head), Cannonball Toss (throw bean bags through the portholes of the cardboard ship), Swab the Deck (sweep a ball through the cones with a broom), Treasure Dig (spoon painted stones out of a sandbox).3. Name the teams Red Sails, Blue Anchors, Green Parrots and Yellow Doubloons.4. Close with the treasure map. All crews follow four clues around the field to one chest with a sticker for every sailor.
  3. Under the Sea1. Set the scene: blue streamers hang from the goalposts, and each station sign is a paper fish.2. Run four stations: Crab Walk Race (crab-walk to a cone and run back), Pearl Dive (ladle ping-pong balls out of a tub of water into a cup), Octopus Relay (four runners travel inside one hoop), Go Fishing (hook paper fish with a magnet on a string).3. Name the teams Red Starfish, Blue Whales, Green Turtles and Yellow Seahorses.4. Close with School of Fish. Each class walks the length of the field inside one loop of rope, and the first class across with nobody outside the loop wins.

Next step Field day games with rules

All 29 themes

Elementary school themes 13

  • Beach Day 1. Set the scene: beach towels mark the team bases, and an umbrella shades the scoring table. 2. Run four stations: Beach Ball Carry (partners carry a beach ball back to back with no hands), Sandcastle Stack (build a pyramid of ten plastic cups), Towel Toss (two pairs launch and catch a ball with towels), Lifeguard Rescue (pull a teammate across the grass on a blanket). 3. Name the teams Red Umbrellas, Blue Waves, Green Palms and Yellow Sunbeams. 4. Close with the limbo line. The whole school files under a pool noodle that drops a notch each time around.
  • Big Top Circus 1. Set the scene: red and white streamers make a tent over the scoring table, and the announcer is the ringmaster. 2. Run four stations: Tightrope Walk (walk a rope laid on the grass with a bean bag on your head), Ring Toss (throw rings over a row of cones), Clown Car (fit the whole team inside one hoop and walk ten steps), Juggler's Relay (run with three scarves, tossing and catching one at the turn). 3. Name the teams Red Noses, Blue Jugglers, Green Acrobats and Yellow Ringmasters. 4. Close with the Grand Parade. Classes circle the field, and each one stops in front of the crowd to show one trick it practiced.
  • Camp Out 1. Set the scene: a paper campfire sits in the middle of the field, with the classes seated around it in a ring. 2. Run four stations: Sleeping Bag Race (hop the lane in a sack), Pitch the Tent (run pool-noodle poles to a cone and stand them up as a teepee), Canoe Carry (four carry a pool noodle with a ball balanced on it), Marshmallow Roast (carry a cotton ball on a spoon to the paper fire). 3. Name the teams Red Foxes, Blue Herons, Green Pines and Yellow Fireflies. 4. Close with the campfire circle. Each class gives its cheer around the paper fire, and the ribbons are handed out there.
  • Construction Zone 1. Set the scene: orange cones and caution-tape streamers mark every lane, and helpers wear paper hard hats. 2. Run four stations: Brick Stack (stack boxes into a wall taller than the tallest builder), Bucket Haul (carry a bucket of bean bags through the cones), Wrecking Ball (roll a ball at a tower of boxes), Pipe Line (roll a ball hand to hand along chutes cut from pool noodles). 3. Name the teams Red Bulldozers, Blue Cranes, Green Diggers and Yellow Hard Hats. 4. Close with the Topping Out. Every class adds one box to a single whole-school tower, and the class that sets the last box without a fall gets the cheer.
  • Dinosaur Dig 1. Set the scene: cardboard bones are half buried in the long jump pit, and paper footprints lead from station to station. 2. Run four stations: Fossil Dig (brush sand off cardboard bones and lay out the skeleton), Egg Rescue (two carry a ball on a towel back to the nest), Stomp Race (race with a shoebox on each foot), Feed the Long-Neck (toss bean bags through a hoop hung high). 3. Name the teams Red Horns, Blue Long-Necks, Green Stompers and Yellow Fossils. 4. Close with the Big Roar. Classes line up, and the loudest roar on the signal wins the last ribbon.
  • Down on the Farm 1. Set the scene: straw bales or yellow-painted boxes mark the start line, and a cardboard barn door is the finish. 2. Run four stations: Egg Collection (carry a plastic egg on a spoon to the basket), Feed the Pigs (toss bean bags into a pink bucket), Wheelbarrow Delivery (partners wheelbarrow to a cone and swap places), Fill the Milk Pail (move water from one bucket to another with a sponge). 3. Name the teams Red Roosters, Blue Sheepdogs, Green Sprouts and Yellow Chicks. 4. Close with the Tractor Pull, a tug of war between classes, best of three pulls.
  • Gold Medal Games 1. Set the scene: classes march in behind hand-painted banners, and a three-step medal stand waits at the finish. 2. Run four stations: Torch Relay (pass a paper-cone torch down the line and back), Noodle Javelin (throw a pool noodle for distance), Hurdle Dash (run a lane of low pool-noodle hurdles), Discus Hoop (toss a flying disc through a hanging hoop). 3. Name the teams Red Runners, Blue Leapers, Green Throwers and Yellow Sprinters. 4. Close with the medal ceremony. Every class steps onto the stand for a paper medal it earned for something, from fastest relay to loudest cheering.
  • Jungle Safari 1. Set the scene: green crepe-paper vines hang over the gate, and helpers wear paper binoculars. 2. Run four stations: Snake Slither (crawl under a row of pool-noodle arches), Feed the Hippo (toss bean bags into a laundry basket with a painted mouth), Banana Pass (pass a yellow pool noodle over and under down the line), River Crossing (step from hoop to hoop without touching the grass). 3. Name the teams Red Macaws, Blue Frogs, Green Geckos and Yellow Leopards. 4. Close with the Great Stampede. Every class crosses the field at once, each in the walk of its own animal.
  • Pirate Voyage 1. Set the scene: a cardboard ship stands by the start line, and the day runs from a map with an X on it. 2. Run four stations: Walk the Plank (cross a board laid flat on the grass with a bean bag on your head), Cannonball Toss (throw bean bags through the portholes of the cardboard ship), Swab the Deck (sweep a ball through the cones with a broom), Treasure Dig (spoon painted stones out of a sandbox). 3. Name the teams Red Sails, Blue Anchors, Green Parrots and Yellow Doubloons. 4. Close with the treasure map. All crews follow four clues around the field to one chest with a sticker for every sailor.
  • Ranch Roundup 1. Set the scene: a rope corral is the team area, and every station has a wooden-fence sign painted on cardboard. 2. Run four stations: Stick-Horse Barrel Race (ride a stick horse around three cones in a cloverleaf), Lasso Toss (throw a hoop over a cone), Gold Panning (sift painted stones out of sand with a colander), Wagon Pull (pull a teammate to the cone in a wagon or on a blanket). 3. Name the teams Red Wranglers, Blue Bandanas, Green Cactuses and Yellow Lassos. 4. Close with the Roundup. All the classes herd playground balls into the corral with pool noodles, against the clock.
  • Space Mission 1. Set the scene: the scorer sits at a table marked Mission Control, and every station sign is a planet cut from cardboard. 2. Run four stations: Moon Walk (hop the lane in a sack), Rocket Launch (throw a foam rocket through a hoop), Meteor Sweep (collect scattered balls into a crate, one at a time), Space Walk (partners joined by a ribbon step through a row of hoops). 3. Name the teams Red Planets, Blue Moons, Green Comets and Yellow Suns. 4. Close with the Countdown. The whole school counts down from ten, and every class launches its paper airplanes at once. The farthest flight scores for its class.
  • Superhero Training Academy 1. Set the scene: every child wears a paper wrist cuff in the team color and invents a hero name of their own. No hero from a film or a comic is used. 2. Run four stations: Leap the Tall Buildings (jump a row of cardboard boxes), Rescue Run (carry a stuffed animal through the cones to safety), Laser Maze (step over and duck under yarn strung between chairs), Strength Test (knock down a tower of boxes with a foam ball). 3. Name the teams Red Rockets, Blue Bolts, Green Shields and Yellow Blazes. 4. Close with the Graduation Lap. Each class runs one lap together and collects its academy certificate at the line.
  • Under the Sea 1. Set the scene: blue streamers hang from the goalposts, and each station sign is a paper fish. 2. Run four stations: Crab Walk Race (crab-walk to a cone and run back), Pearl Dive (ladle ping-pong balls out of a tub of water into a cup), Octopus Relay (four runners travel inside one hoop), Go Fishing (hook paper fish with a magnet on a string). 3. Name the teams Red Starfish, Blue Whales, Green Turtles and Yellow Seahorses. 4. Close with School of Fish. Each class walks the length of the field inside one loop of rope, and the first class across with nobody outside the loop wins.

Middle and high school themes 8

  • Castaway Challenge 1. Set the scene: teams are camps on an island, each with a flag on a pole and a crate for its points tokens. 2. Run four stations: Raft Crossing (the team crosses a marked lagoon on three squares of cardboard), Signal Fire (four carry a cup of water on a board by strings without a spill), Puzzle Wall (stack lettered boxes in the order shown on a card seen once), Coconut Bowling (roll a ball at six plastic bottles). 3. Name the teams Red Reef, Blue Tide, Green Palm and Yellow Dune. 4. Close with Last Camp Standing. One player from each camp walks a course with a ball on a paddle, and the last ball still up wins.
  • Color Wars 1. Set the scene: each grade or homeroom wears one color from head to toe and carries a banner it made. 2. Run four stations: Tug of War (best of three pulls), Banner Relay (the class banner is the baton), Chant-Off (thirty seconds of cheering, scored by the staff), Color Fill (a sponge relay that fills a clear jug with water dyed in the team color). 3. Name the teams Scarlet, Cobalt, Emerald and Gold. 4. Close with the Color Cup, a medley relay with one runner from every homeroom. The winning color hangs its banner on the fence.
  • Expedition Day 1. Set the scene: each station is a stretch of country, and a team gets its map stamped at every one. 2. Run four stations: Desert Dash (a shuttle run carrying a full cup of water), Mountain Pass (a relay over three gym mats folded into hills), River Ford (the team crosses on three mats, moving the last mat forward each time), Island Hop (jump from hoop to hoop on one foot). 3. Name the teams Red Trekkers, Blue Navigators, Green Trailblazers and Yellow Scouts. 4. Close with the Homecoming Flight. Every explorer throws one paper airplane from the same line, and the longest flight scores double.
  • Game Show Day 1. Set the scene: a host with a microphone, a scoreboard on an easel and a bell on a table at every station. 2. Run four stations: Buzzer Sprint (run to the bell, ring it and answer a question from the stack), Spin a Challenge (spin a paper-plate spinner and do what it says to the cone and back), Mystery Box (name five things by feel), Cup Stack Minute (stack ten cups into a pyramid and down again against the clock). 3. Name the teams Red Buzzers, Blue Spinners, Green Wildcards and Yellow Bonus Round. 4. Close with the Final Round. The top two teams answer questions from the bleachers while the rest of the school votes by cheering.
  • Level Up Arcade 1. Set the scene: the stations are levels one to four, and a team gets a star stamped on its card at each. 2. Run four stations: Level 1, Coin Collect (gather scattered yellow discs, one runner and one disc at a time), Level 2, Jump Pads (hop a path of hoops in the pattern on the card), Level 3, Ball Escort (pairs roll a big exercise ball around the cones), Level 4, Boss Stage (knock down a wall of boxes while two teachers rebuild it). 3. Name the teams Red Pixels, Blue Joysticks, Green Glitches and Yellow Power-Ups. 4. Close with the High Score. The scoreboard is revealed from last place up, and the top team plays the staff at tug of war.
  • Medieval Tournament 1. Set the scene: four houses, each with a cardboard shield in its color, and a herald who announces every event. 2. Run four stations: The Joust (run with a pool noodle and spear a hanging ring), Catapult (launch bean bags from a board over a block at a castle of boxes), Dragon's Egg (carry a heavy ball through the cones as a relay), Moat Crossing (the team crosses on two planks without touching the grass). 3. Name the teams Red Griffins, Blue Stags, Green Oaks and Gold Towers. 4. Close with the Grand Melee, a tug of war between the houses. The winning house is knighted with a pool noodle.
  • Mythical Creatures Clash 1. Set the scene: each team paints its creature on a banner and makes up a call for it. 2. Run four stations: Dragon's Tail (teams in lines, hands on shoulders, and each front player tries to pull the scarf from the back of another line), Phoenix Rise (the team stands up from sitting back to back, arms linked), Unicorn Ring Toss (throw rings over a pool noodle standing in a cone), Griffin Leap (standing long jumps added up for a team total). 3. Name the teams Red Dragons, Blue Sea Serpents, Green Basilisks and Gold Phoenixes. 4. Close with the Hoard. Every point of the day is paid out in gold tokens, and the teams pile theirs on a blanket for all to see.
  • Secret Agent Training 1. Set the scene: teams have code names, every station hands over a sealed envelope, and helpers wear sunglasses. 2. Run four stations: Laser Hall (cross a web of yarn without touching a strand), Code Break (sprint for letters one at a time and unscramble the word), Silent Carry (carry a bell on a tray through the cones without a ring), Disguise Dash (a relay in which each runner puts on and takes off a hat, a coat and glasses). 3. Name the teams Red Shadows, Blue Ciphers, Green Decoys and Yellow Signals. 4. Close with the Debrief. Teams race to untangle a knotted rope, and the last envelope names the top agents of the day.

Company field day themes 8

  • Backyard Barbecue Classic 1. Set the scene: picnic blankets are the team bases, and every game is one you could play beside a grill. 2. Run four stations: Bag Toss (bean bags at a slanted board with a hole), Ladder Toss (two balls on a cord thrown at a three-rung ladder), Washer Pitch (washers tossed at a box with a cup in it), Bottle Bowling (roll a ball at ten water bottles). 3. Name the teams The Tongs, The Side Dishes, The Picnic Blankets and The Lawn Chairs. 4. Close with the bag toss final, one game played in front of everyone before lunch is served.
  • Clue Trail Race 1. Set the scene: teams visit the stations in different orders, and each station hands over a sealed clue to the next one. 2. Run four stations: Knot Stop (untie a knotted rope), Tower Stop (build a cup tower to the height on the card), Puzzle Stop (put together a cut-up map of the site), Carry Stop (the team carries a full bucket on a tarp around a marker). 3. Name the teams The Northbounds, The Eastbounds, The Southbounds and The Westbounds. 4. Close with the finish mat. The last clue sends every team to the same place, where the times are posted and lunch is waiting.
  • County Fair 1. Set the scene: gingham tablecloths cover the scoring table, and blue, red and white ribbons are pinned up ready. 2. Run four stations: Bottle Ring Toss (rings over a crate of bottles), Three-Legged Race (in heats of four pairs), Sack Race (in heats of six), Bean Bag in the Milk Can (three throws each). 3. Name the teams The Blue Ribbons, The Red Barns, The Prize Pumpkins and The Green Tractors. 4. Close with Best in Show. Each team has ten minutes to build a scarecrow from a bag of old clothes, and the other teams judge.
  • Department Passport Day 1. Set the scene: every department hosts one station built from its own work, and mixed teams carry a passport to be stamped. 2. Run four stations: The Kitchen Stop (carry a stack of paper plates through the cones on one hand), The IT Stop (untangle a box of cables), The Finance Stop (a coin-counting relay with play coins), The Mail Room Stop (sort twenty envelopes into the right bins against the clock). 3. Name the teams Espresso, Decaf, Green Tea and Cocoa. 4. Close with the stamp count, then a relay in which each leg is run by a different department.
  • Lawn Games Garden Party 1. Set the scene: white tablecloths, a chalkboard for the scores and no running in any event. 2. Run four stations: Croquet (six wickets, played in pairs), Lawn Bowling (closest ball to the small target ball), Quoits (rope rings at a peg), Badminton (doubles games to eleven). 3. Name the teams The Wickets, The Mallets, The Shuttlecocks and The Quoits. 4. Close with One Roll Each. Everyone in the company rolls one ball at the target ball, and the closest takes the cup.
  • Office Supply Games 1. Set the scene: everything comes from the supply closet, and the trophy is a stapler sprayed gold. 2. Run four stations: Envelope Relay (stuff, seal and stack ten envelopes, one runner at a time), Paper Airplane Distance (one sheet, one throw each), Box Tower (stack empty paper boxes higher than the tallest teammate), Sticky Note Sprint (cover a poster board with notes in the team color, one note a run). 3. Name the teams Reply All, Out of Office, Paper Jam and Low Toner. 4. Close with the Memo. One sentence is whispered down the whole company line, and the last person reads out what arrived.
  • Retro Recess 1. Set the scene: a school bell starts every event, and the scoreboard is chalk on the pavement. 2. Run four stations: Four Square (a short tournament on chalked courts), Kickball (one inning each way), Hopscotch Relay (the whole team hops the grid one after another), Jump Rope Count (team total of jumps over a long rope). 3. Name the teams The Hall Monitors, The Lunch Line, The Recess Bells and The Pencil Sharpeners. 4. Close with a tug of war for the whole company, then a class photo in rows with the tallest at the back.
  • Summer Camp for Grown-Ups 1. Set the scene: teams are cabins with a hand-drawn sign each, and the scorer is the camp director. 2. Run four stations: Tent Pitch Relay (put up a pop-up tent and get the whole cabin inside), Three-Legged Trail Race (pairs run a course around trees or cones), Cabin Cheer-Off (thirty seconds, scored by the other cabins), Bucket Brigade (pass cups of water down the line to fill a jug). 3. Name the teams Cabin Pine, Cabin Birch, Cabin Cedar and Cabin Maple. 4. Close with the campfire awards. Paper-plate awards are read out around a paper fire, one for every cabin.

How it works

Most of these themes for field day dress up events a field day already has, so the theme costs cardboard and paint more than new equipment.

Read the full guide

Pick by who is coming

Middle and high school themes run on rivalry: grade against grade in Color Wars, house against house in Medieval Tournament, every team against the scoreboard in Level Up Arcade. Company field day themes are written for adults who work together, and none asks anyone to dress up.

A themed field day in four parts

A theme shows in four places: the signs, the station names, the team names and the last event. Paint one sign for each station, give every team a color, and save the closing event for the moment families or the whole staff are watching.

Questions and answers

What are good themes for field day at an elementary school?

Themes a kindergartner knows on sight: Down on the Farm, Under the Sea, Pirate Voyage, Dinosaur Dig and Big Top Circus. Each renames four simple stations, so a bean bag toss becomes Feed the Pigs.

What is a good theme for a middle school field day?

Color Wars, if the grades already have colors: the class banner is the relay baton, and the day ends with a medley relay. Castaway Challenge and Secret Agent Training suit a school that wants puzzles between the races.

What are field day themes for adults at work?

Retro Recess brings back four square and kickball, Office Supply Games runs on envelopes and paper boxes, and Lawn Games Garden Party has no running at all. Company field day themes shows all eight.

How do you pick team names for a field day theme?

Take them from the theme, and tie each to a shirt color where you can: Red Roosters, Blue Sheepdogs, Green Sprouts and Yellow Chicks on the farm. Every theme here lists four names, and a day with two teams uses any two.

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