--- title: "Pathfinder Minefield" description: "Partners guide each other across an obstacle course using only spoken directions. One partner navigates with eyes closed or blindfolded while the other directs from outside the perimeter." last_updated: "2026-09-20" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/trust-building-exercise-builds-confidence-pathfinder-minefield/" --- # Pathfinder Minefield Partners guide each other across an obstacle course using only spoken directions. One partner navigates with eyes closed or blindfolded while the other directs from outside the perimeter. **Time:** 25 minutes. Playmeo recommends 15 to 30 minutes; 25 minutes allows two full traversal rounds and a structured debrief. **People:** 4 to 24. Pairs working simultaneously around a shared obstacle course. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Practice giving and interpreting precise spoken directions in a noisy, shared environment. **Use it when:** Use when a team needs to examine how clearly instructions are communicated and received under real-time conditions. **Skip it when:** Skip when the room lacks open floor space, when participants have mobility limitations that make stepping around floor objects unsafe, or when the team resists physical navigation exercises. ## Materials and tools - 20 to 40 soft items such as plastic cones, foam blocks, rolled socks, paper cups, or fleece balls - Rope, painters tape, or boundary cones to mark a 5 x 5 meter boundary - 1 blindfold per pair (optional; closing eyes is equally acceptable) ## Before participants arrive 1. Measure a flat, open floor area approximately 5 meters by 5 meters. 2. Mark the four boundaries clearly with tape or rope. 3. Scatter soft items randomly across the interior floor. Ensure no items have sharp edges or rolling hazards like hard balls. ## Say this to open Find a partner and stand on one side of the perimeter. One person will navigate the course while their eyes are closed or blindfolded. The other will stand outside the perimeter and guide them across using only spoken instructions. You may not physically touch each other or step inside the boundary while guiding. Your goal is to reach the far side without stepping on objects or bumping into other pairs. If you touch an object, freeze for two seconds and continue. Let us take two minutes to plan your cues. ## How to run it ### 1. Form pairs and plan strategy (3 minutes) Participants form pairs and gather along the starting edge. If an odd participant is present, create one trio with two guides and one navigator. Pairs agree on roles for Round 1 (Guide or Navigator) and decide on navigation cues, such as step size or clock directions. Opening script is delivered during this time. ### 2. Run round one traversal (8 minutes) Navigators close their eyes or put on blindfolds at the start line. Guides remain outside the boundary line. On the facilitator's signal, all pairs begin. Guides call out instructions from the perimeter. If a navigator touches an object or another person, they pause for two seconds, add one penalty point to their pair count, and resume from that spot. Round ends when all navigators cross the opposite boundary line or time is called. ### 3. Swap roles and run round two (8 minutes) Partners swap roles so the guide becomes the navigator and the navigator becomes the guide. The facilitator quickly resets or shifts a few objects to change the paths. Guides move to the opposite perimeter. Repeat the crossing using the same rules. ### 4. Debrief observations (6 minutes) Bring the whole group together outside the course. Facilitate a structured conversation using the debrief questions. Invite four to six comments across the questions to keep within the time. ## Debrief questions - What specific verbal cues were easiest to act on while moving with your eyes closed? - How did the noise of other guides calling out instructions affect your focus, and how did your pair adapt? - What difference did you notice between giving instructions and receiving them? **Finished output:** Every pair completes two crossing attempts and records the number of obstacle touches. ## Remote This in-person physical boundary game cannot be run identically online. To run a related communication exercise online, use a 6 x 6 digital grid sheet. One partner views a grid showing hidden obstacle squares while the other partner has a blank grid. Using only spoken directional cues ('move up one square, move right one square'), the guide directs the partner from Start to Finish without landing on hidden obstacle squares. ## Hybrid Hybrid delivery is not recommended for this physical floor activity. If necessary, in-person pairs run the physical course while remote participants pair up in breakout rooms using the shared digital grid alternative. ## Access and participation choices - Blindfolds are completely optional; participants may simply close their eyes, cast eyes downward, or choose the guide role exclusively. - Anyone uncomfortable moving without vision may act as a guide, course marshal, or timekeeper without needing to give a reason. - Keep obstacles soft and flat (such as paper plates or felt circles) to avoid tripping hazards for participants with balance concerns. ## If the session gets stuck **Guides step inside the perimeter ropes to herd their partner.** Remind guides that stepping over the line resets their partner back three steps. Guide only from the outer perimeter. **The room becomes too loud for navigators to hear their partner.** Pause the round briefly. Advise pairs to use unique name prefixes before every command (e.g., 'Pat: take two short steps forward') or lower vocal volume rather than shouting. ## Terms used here - Navigator: The person traversing the bounded course with eyes closed or covered, responding only to spoken guidance. - Guide: The partner standing outside the boundary line who gives verbal instructions to steer the navigator. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in Playmeo catalog as 'Pathfinder' / 'Minefield', attributed by Playmeo to Mark Collard. The minefield obstacle navigation format is a widespread adventure education and experiential learning activity. Retained the Playmeo mechanic of pairs navigating a 5x5m perimeter of scattered soft obstacles using only spoken guidance from outside the boundary. Standardized round times, added explicit trio accommodation for odd group sizes, made blindfolds strictly optional, and provided an exact digital grid alternative for remote teams. [Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/trust-building-games/minefield) [Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/trust-building-games/minefield/) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/trust-building-exercise-builds-confidence-pathfinder-minefield/