These are the very best summer camp games that you and your family can play while you are all out having fun in the wilderness.
There is a lot of camping websites/blogs that put up just ANY type of game, and a lot of them aren’t even fun to play. Most of the time you will need a lot of resources before you can even start playing them anyway.
The ones that I will be mentioning in this article are what my family and I enjoy EVERY time we go camping, and I have no doubts that you and your family will enjoy them as well!
Without further ado, let’s begin.
Best Summer Camp Games For 2017
1. Good ol’ Frisbee, With A Twist
You can either go for the original and very fun Frisbee throw. These are really fun, even in this day and age. However, because of upgraded equipment, there are items that are much more fun that we can use to our advantage.
Have you guessed what it is yet? NERF HOWLERS! These are amazing to use, while I rarely get bored of them either.
2. Freeze Tag
For those of you who don’t know, freeze tag is a variation of the normal tag game. You know, the one that you use to play when you were a kid, when you use to tag all your friends.
Well this is basically the same thing. However, when you get tagged, you have to freeze.
When everyone is frozen, the game is finished. Or you can just start over 😛
3. Ball Tag
Another original game that never gets old. I really enjoy playing this specific game with the kids. You do not need much equipment, just a good-sized ball, some kids, the rest of the family, and you are good to go.
After 30 minutes or so (the initial warm-up :P), take it a step further and make it FREEZE ball tag. It is played exactly like freeze tag, just with a ball.
4. Running Race
Do you really want to have fun with the kids and get the heart pumping in the process? There’s nothing like some good ol’ sprints with the rest of the family, especially with the siblings/cousins.
You can discover who has kept up their speed all these years and the ones who are downright SLOWER than they use to be!
Just focus on having fun, there’s no need to make it competitive.
5. Spotlight
Still one of my favorite summer camping games. There isn’t much equipment needed either, while you will all have so much fun when you play this awesome nighttime game.
Here’s how it goes:
- Everyone has a flashlight
- Someone is “it”, this is the person that has to search for the other players
- The person who is “it” has to count to 60
- Everyone else has to go hide while he/she is counting
- You can literally hide anywhere. In trees, behind trees, behind cars/sheds, in long grass, literally anywhere! That is the beauty of this game
- When everyone is found, the person that was found first is now “it”
6. Bat Down
I don’t even know if this is an official game or if my cousins and I just made it up and started playing it when we were kids (lol).
But basically, this is how it goes:
- You have a cricket bat
- Someone throws a tennis ball to you, you hit it
- If someone catches it, you are out
- Otherwise you place the bat on the ground, sideways
- Whoever was out in the field and grabbed the ball has to “roll” it to try and hit the bat
- If it misses, you carry on with the game
- If it’s a hit, then the player who hit the bat is now the batter
- If you are a few meters away from the bat, you have to throw it instead of rolling, since that would be too easy
- Thank me later 🙂
7. Bull Rush/Tag
Depending on who your family is and who you are playing this specific game with, you may or may not want to try out this game, which is why the “tag” has been added in.
How this game works:
- Someone is the tackler/tagger
- This person stands in the middle of the field
- Everyone else lines up, when the tackler shouts go, everybody runs to the other side of the field/playing area
- When the tackler successfully tackles someone, they join in with the tackler
- The game carries on until there is no one left
If you have softies in the group, you may want to tone it down by “tagging” instead of tackling them. It is still fun to play, it’s just not as hardcore.
8. Scavenger Hunt
A bit of a less hardcore game, however still fun, nonetheless. Since we are in the wilderness, why not play a game that has to do with wilderness objects!
- First and foremost, the “scouter” has to go on a walk through the bush and write down a list of what he/she sees
- When the scouter thinks they have got a good list of items that will take the player a long time to look for, they can then head back and hand over the scavenger checklist
- The player, or players, will now need to go on the same bush walk and try to spot everything that was written down on the list. NONE of these objects need to be removed, just checked off on the list
Some examples include:
- Feather
- Rock
- Pinecone
- Birds nest
- Fish/Frogs
- Toadstool
- Ducks
- Slug/Snails
- Certain types of birds
- Animal tracks
- Moss
- Specific flowers
- Etc, you get the idea
If you’re in a large group, a bigger list of items and teams make it a lot more fun.
9. Water Balloon Fight!
Of course, what’s a summer camping game list without a bit of water involved? Since summer is incredibly hot, it’s just necessary to cool off with a water fight. Don’t forget your sunscreen 😛
Instead of just “winging it”, you can do it the fun way:
- Place everyone in teams of 2
- Provide everyone with water balloons (already filled up)
- Let the game begin
- Whichever team is the driest when all the balloons have been used, they win
Alternatively, if you decide to play without teams, the players that is COMPLETELY dried is the winner.
10. Fort Building
A bit of teamwork is required if you wish to get the forts completed (lol).
Essentially, this is mostly for the kids, but the adults will need to be involved to help the kids create their forts.
- Choose a place to build your fort
- Gather sticks, logs, rope, forest duff, etc. The best places are against trees/fences/fallen logs, or similar, as this allows you to set your fort up much easier
- When the forts are established, and the grounds are level, the logs are secure, and the sticks aren’t moving anywhere, the kids can begin playing inside them
- Have someone rate the forts and decide a winner
- Furthermore, give the kids water guns and they can have mock battles
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed my list of the best summer camp games. If you haven’t tried any of them, you are truly missing out on the huge amount of fun that they provide.
There are so many reasons why we go camping, and having fun with the family is usually at the bottom of the priority list.
So change it up for once, make family time the #1 priority for your next camping trip.
Thanks for reading my article.
What’s your favorite family camping game? Leave a comment below!