Light a campfire and everyone’s a storyteller. – John Geddes
Camping is not meant to be boresome. It should be fun and exciting! Add zest to your camping plans with these enjoyable camp games.
Disclaimer: These games are not part of the actual games like obstacle courses or camp Olympics. Instead, these games aim to lighten up the mood and keep the campers going happily. They can be scored or not–it’s up to the facilitator.
1) Balloon basketball
It’s like the usual basketball game with a twist, of course. Divide the campers into two opposing teams with an equal number of players. Arrange them on the ground two to three feet apart alternately from each group.
Next place a bin or any container at both ends of the makeshift court. The goal is to score by batting the balloon to any teammate and toward the bin or basket. Any player can steal the balloon without getting up from his or her seat.
If the balloon goes out of bound, the possession goes to the other team. The team with the higher score wins within the pre-determined game time.
2) Skits in a bag
This game is best instructed during the day and performed at night. It starts with a facilitator gathering all the campers in one big circle. Divide them into groups of five to eight people, depending on the headcount. At least three groups should do.
Without telling them what the game is about, give the team one minute to gather five items from the camp. Afterward, the facilitator will instruct them to create a skit using all the things they have collected.
They all have to develop their five-minute skits. The facilitator sets the criteria for judging each team’s performance including the creative use of all the items.
3) Play the picture project
This one’s easy with a smartphone as the only material needed. The campers are divided into three to four teams. Each team will choose a captain, and the facilitator will hand a list of tasks to him or her that their respective teams need to complete within 20 minutes or so. The time limit depends on how many members each team has (more time may be required for bigger groups).
The tasks are worth 20, 15, 10, or 5 points depending on the difficulty of execution of each task. The facilitators may think of the most creative categories, although the most common are inadvertent selfies or selfies taken while crazy events are happening in the background. Great examples are the zombie apocalypse, outer space, animal attack, robbery, etc.
Other categories are picture riddles, slow-mo vids, and group selfies. The nastiest or craziest situations can be included in the last one. Some examples are unashamed nose pickers, K-pop sensations, 90s boy band/girl band, etc.
The fun part is actually the show and tell wherein each team captain will present their photos and videos. If the smartphones can be plugged to a projector, the better.
Keep the campers amuse with these camp games, and they’d surely come back for more. While at it, reserve the physically exhausting activities for the day and more laidback activities at night while around a campfire.
