Fun Games for Camp or Picnics

Summer camp brings back fond memories for many folks. Some of us first learned how to swim, build a campfire, go on nature hikes and make some awesome pinecone art. Another thing that is popular at summer camp are the talent shows; what a great way to build friendships and maybe even discover a hidden talent. Games that build teamwork skills are also very important during camp; it keeps the kids busy and having fun while also learning how to work with others to achieve a goal. So let’s break out the guitar, sing a verse of “She’ll be coming round the mountain” and talk bout some team building fun for camp.

There are endless games that are fun to play and are great for building teamwork skills; here are two of my favorites.

Blindfold relay: One team member is blindfolded and set out on a simple path with a few obstacles to maneuver around, while another teammate gives verbal commands to guide them through the obstacles. Use caution, and avoid creating a trip hazard - orange cones are great for this. Place a ball atop of the orange cone; if it is bumped off, the team looses a point. The winning team is determined by who successfully guides all members through the course first and has knocked off the least amount of balls.

Spelling Bee: Here is a game best played with two teams at once. On pieces of paper or cardboard about 8" x 10" print out individual letters, S T P O, enough for two teams and divide your group into teams of 4 or 5 people. Each player gets one letter to hold and if you have the 5th person they can be the letter arranger. The object is to spell out the words called off before the other team. Example, spell Stop; the group has to move around holding there letter to spell the word STOP. Continue with POTS, TOPS and SPOT. The kicker is asking them to spell DOTS; turning the letter P upside down to make a lower case D spells dots.

Win or lose, playing games like these everyone should be having a great time. It’s also important to stress that even if they didn’t come in first, the fact that everyone worked together to finish is more important. So have fun and save me a S'more.