Want your kids to have an excellent summer camp experience? The best way to entertain and teach them is with the camp games for kids. Although, camping with kids poses many challenges such that you need to keep the interest of each and every kid.
There is more to camp games than the usual storytelling or scavenger hunt etc. The key to having a kid’s attention and keep up their spirit is by offering ever-challenging, age-appropriate and interactive games to your little campers. We will help you with many such games below and you can as well modulate it according to your liking and can change the rules as well. Even though there are fun camping games usually where a single person wins, we encourage you to as well play a few of those games where everyone plays everyone wins. Involve yourself in playing with the kids too and trust us, it will be a memorable fun. And yes, remember to click a lot of pictures.
Summer Camp Games And Activities:
1. Dodge Ball:
Ask all the campers to form a big circle and keeping one arm distance between each player. There can be one or two players in the center depending on the count of players. Once the circle is ready, one of the players from the circle has a football in their hand they have to target the player in the center of the circle to hit only on their thigh and below with the ball without moving from their position in the circle. If they do it correctly, they replace the player in the center. In case they don’t like the player is supposed to dodge, the other player opposite in the circle fetches the ball and repeats the same. If the ball hits any other body part then they are not considered to be out. It has to precisely hit the thigh and below only. The game continues as long as the campers do not get tired or exhausted.
2. Musical Chair:
Arrange chairs in a circle. The number of chairs should be lesser than the number of campers. Once the music starts, the campers will move around the chair circle until the music stops. Once everyone sits on the chair near them, there will be one person left out. That person gets out and the rest get to continue to the next round. Remove one chair with each round, such that at the end there would be only 1 chair and 2 players rotating around. The one to sit first after the music stops wins. Elders can play with the kids too. It is best when you have a large number of players. It really gets the kids active and entertained.
3. Catch It If You Can:
This is where the campers spread out in a restricted area which is not too far. One camper starts and throws the ball to another one. If the camper who just threw the ball sits down if the aim is incorrect. If the camper who threw the ball correctly, and if the camper at the other end drops it or dodges the ball, they are out and sit down giving the ball to someone else. When the game is about to come to an end with only 2 campers, then each one puts one hand behind their back such that they can throw and catch with only one hand and the one to falter will leave the last one to win. These are best camp games for teens where elders can play with kids too.
4. Twisty Musical Chair:
Again this game works with a larger player. We make it more fun with some cool twists in the game and rules. The leader has to tell everyone to walk around the chairs similar to the musical chair, however, instead of the music stopping, call for an object. For example, a napkin, a bottle or any camper’s right socks, etc. Everyone runs to search and look for the object. Meanwhile, while the players are searching the object, the leader takes away a chair and then everyone begins to come back to the chairs. Player has to find the chair and sit and the slowest one to reach doesn’t get a chair. They get eliminated. This game continues making it difficult each time by making the object more advanced by moving farther away. All age group can play this game together.
5. Chalk Twister:
Ask the campers to stand on a straight line or a circle with one arm distance each on a plain surface (this can be played on grass using some color power etc instead of chalk). Give each camper 4 colors of chalk to draw. Ask each camper to draw and color the circle with chalk around them randomly of their choice. Once done, ask the campers to stand up and get ready to twist. The leader has to call out the color and the camper has to place one of their limbs (any one hand or leg) on that color. The next color, they have to place another, without moving the first. Once the leader calls out all the 4 colors, imagine how crazy would they be twisted to stand on each color. The game goes on and eliminates the players who cannot hold their position on each color called out. All age group can play this game, kids have fun twisting, and however, elders might have a good stretching exercise and enjoy it.
6. Tug-O-War:
Divide the campers into 2 teams. Ask the teams to hold a rope. Put teams against each other and it is a test of strength. Each team pulls the opposite ends of a rope and the goal being to bring the rope at a certain distance in one direction against the force to win.
7. Make a Bowling Alley:
Another simple fun game for campers where you can fill the colored water plastic bottles and arrange them like the pins and using a softball or a football, the campers can play bowling. Campers take one turn after the other and the game can continue for hours entertaining them and making it challenging by increasing the distance of the target.
8. Hanging Balloons:
Hang some water balloons filled with water in it from a branch or wooden frame as feasible. Add a small toy or candy inside the balloon to make it more interesting. Ask the kids to jump and break the balloon with a stick within a timed duration say one minute. To make it even more tricky and challenging, you can use a toothpick instead of a stick. This is one of the best fun games for summer camp.
9. Four Corners:
Assign a square space for this game (as big as a room at our houses).It is one person among the campers who closes their eyes. The rest of the other players go to one of the 4 corners of the assigned place. The blindfold player calls a number and the players in the corner sit down. If they fail to sit, they are out. This game continues until there are 6 or 8 players left and each corner gets only 2 players each and eventually 1 player left in each corner. The last person gets to be the blindfold in the next game.
10. Frog:
Very camper sits in a circle. The first person says “one frog” to which the second says “2 eyes” and the third person says “4 legs” the fourth says “in a pond” and goes on until the last person. The first person again starts with “4 frogs” and then the second has to say “8 eyes” and so on! See how many frogs can the players get up to and can also be done with a beat of clap.
11. Hide and Seek:
Kids of every age love playing this fun game at camps. Find the hidden spy members of the camp. Keep the campers in a specific area until the spy hides. Once they are done, give each camper a notepad and pen/ pencil. The campers now go for searching the spy and get their signature as they find each spy. The first camper to get the signature of all the spy’s wins.
Another twist to this game is when only one person hides. Te other players search for the hidden camper and remain hidden with them when they find the player. The loser is the one who is remaining when all the other campers have hidden. The loser becomes the first person to hide in the next round.
Some ground rules for fun games to play at camp:
Few very important points to be considered before you start any activity or games for campers.
- Leaders should facilitate or counsel campers. They should as well participate and enjoy with kids.
- Play the games at the skill level and avoid any unfair or unsafe game
- All participants should have equal opportunity for success. Rotate the leaders, captain, etc in the game and shuffle the teams each game.
- Scoring is not always the end motive, thus having more fun and comparing or scoring less is the key to fun for kids together.
- Reinvent games by changing the rules and making it even more challenging.
- Do not emphasize on the winner or the loser, but the most active camper is recognized.
- Have variations in the physical activity games and mind or brain games looking at the group and their interest, this can be modulated.
- The crux is to build leadership skills, coordination among the kids, the independence yet team spirit, the self-esteem and etc. for the campers. Allow them to choose their boundaries and captains etc for the teams.
There are many other teen camp games and activities which you can read for more. Also, read about some very interesting activities for kids when they are bored.
