Summer Camp Games That Kids Will Actually Enjoy

Any kid who’s been away for the summer will tell you that summer camp games were one of their favorite experiences. There are tons of super basic games out there that you can think up easily, like hide and seek, but if you’re looking for ones that kids will truly love and remember, you’ve come to the right place.

For example, you might have thought to do a water slide – but have you thought to put (soft) bowling pins at the end of it to play human bowling? This will make an already-fun activity even better!

We’ve separated our list by the four pillars of summer camp games: tag games, water games, night games, and misc. games. That should cover everything you need for an amazing summer! So read on.

 

Tag Summer Camp Games

Blob Tag

One person is designated as “it” and starts tagging. Once a player gets tagged, instead of becoming “it”, they must link arms with the tagger and join a blob of “it”. The blob moves together to tag the rest of the players, who also join the blob.

The more players in the blob, the harder it is to tag everyone, so it’s great for teamwork! But, you might want to shrink the play area as the game progresses.

Partner Tag

This fun outdoor game requires an even number of players.

Have campers pair up and stand in a circle. Choose one pair to come to the center. One person will start as the tagger, and the second will start as the runner.

The object of the tagger is to tag the runner. The object of the runner is to link arms with someone before the tagger can get to them. If the runner links arms with a pair before the tagger can tag them, the player who used to be attached to the person that the runner attached to now becomes the runner.

The new runner will run away from the tagger until they can link arms with a group themselves, and the game continues as such.

If the tagger tags a runner, that person becomes the tagger, and the previous tagger becomes the runner.

Dead Ant Tag

In this fun summer camp game, a tagged player will lay down on their back with their four limbs sticking up in the air. To be readmitted into the game, someone (or several someone’s) must tag each of their four limbs. On the third time someone becomes a dead ant, they become the tagger.

Bandaid Tag

Choose a few taggers from your group. When a player gets tagged, they must hold their hand over the spot where they got tagged. If they get tagged again, they must hold their second hand over the second spot. If they get tagged again, they must go to the “hospital” and do 10 jumping jacks (or some other mildly difficult physical activity) to get out.

Octopus Tag

Designate a long, somewhat slim area to be your boundaries (a gym, field, large room, etc). Select one person to be the “octopus” tagger. Everyone else’s goal is to run from one side of the field to the other. If they make it to the other side, they’re safe. If they get tagged by the octopus, they become “crabs”. Crabs must stay where they were tagged and, in the following rounds, help tag the people running by them. They can move their arms but not their legs.

 

Water Summer Camp Games

Human Bowling

Set up an epic slip and slide down a hill. Set up some plastic (not heavy/hard) bowling pins at the bottom. Each slider is the bowling ball trying to knock down as many pins with their body as possible!

Cup Dump

Divide players into equal groups. Have players in each group sit in a line, where each player is facing the back of the previous. They can sit in plastic (waterproof) chairs, or just criss-cross-applesauce on the grass.

Give every player a plastic cup. Set a bin/bucket full on water in front of the first player in the group. Set an empty bin (must be clear plastic) behind the last player in the group.

The object of the game is for players to get as much water into their final, empty bin as possible. The catch? Players can only move their arms. No looking behind them or turning! If you’re worried about cheating, consider blindfolding players.

The first player will start the game by filling their cup in their water bucket and dumping it behind them. The player behind them will (try t0) catch the water in their cup, and they’ll dump it behind them. Continue until the starting water bucket is empty.

Whichever group gets the most water into their clear plastic bin, wins! Prepare to get soaked in water!

Sponge Toss

Divide players into equal groups. Spread players on each team an equal and reasonable distance apart. Give the first player on each team a sponge and a bucket of water. Give the last player on each team an empty bucket. Set a timer, maybe 3 minutes, depending on how large the teams are.

On “go”, that player will dunk their sponge into the water, soak up as much of it as possible, and toss it to the next teammate, who will toss it to the next one, and so on. The last player will wring out the sponge and toss it back to begin the process again.

The winning team is the one that gets the most water in their final bucket at the end of the timer!

Water Balloon Volleyball

Set up a volleyball net and fill some water balloons. Split your group into two teams and give a towel to every two people (one person for each side of the towel). Catch and throw the water balloon with the towels. Whichever team lets the water balloon burst, looses.

Water Balloon Tag

The person who’s “it” tries to tag players by throwing water balloons at them! If a water balloon bursts on someone, they’re it.

Water Balloon Relay Race

Split group into equal teams. Give each team a water balloon. Players must place the water balloon between their knees and go as fast as they can to and back from a designated spot. The next person in the relay does the same, and on until everyone has done it. However, if someone breaks a water balloon, the whole group has to start over again. The first team to complete the course, wins!

 

Night Summer Camp Games

Glowing Ring Toss

This game is super easy, fun, and glowy! Simply stick a few glow sticks (if you have the thicker, more sturdy ones, those are better) into the ground. Have players line up at a designated spot and provide glow sticks (in ring formation) for them to throw. Whoever gets the most glow sticks on rings, wins!

Sardines

This backwards game of hide and seek starts by one person hiding and everyone else seeking. When a seeker finds the hider, instead of revealing them, they simply squeeze in and hide with them. Soon, you’ll have the whole group hiding together! The last person to find the group will be the next hider.

Kick The Can

This game is particularly close to my heart because it was my FAVORITE growing up. Let’s get into it.

Start by designating some (unimportant) item as the “can”. This could be a water bottle, box, piece of trash, etc. It must be light enough to kick without being hurt but substantial enough to be able to tell who kicks it first.

One person is the “seeker”, and everyone else hides. When the seeker finds someone, instead of simply revealing them or tagging them, it’s a race to the “can”. If the seeker kicks the can first, the revealed hider becomes the new seeker. If the revealed hider kicks the can first, the seeker continues.

Another fun element to the game is that hiders can choose to come out at any time and race to the can. If they kick the can before the seeker, they are “safe” from losing the game. Thus, hiders ideally want to hide where the can is visible to them, because if the seeker leaves the can to find people, they can run and kick it behind their back!

If all the hiders kick the can before the seeker, the seeker must be the seeker again for another round.

Ghost in the Graveyard

One person is selected to be the “ghost” and go hide. A spot is designated as “base”. The rest of the players (besides ghost) count and go to find the ghost. Once someone finds the ghost, they yell “ghost in the graveyard!” and everyone tries to run back to “base” without getting tagged by the ghost. The first person to get tagged is the ghost in the next round.

Snipe Hunt

My summer camp as a kid always put on a “snipe hunt” for the first years. This involved taking them into the woods to look for “snipes” and, at some key moment, having someone jump out to scare them (dressed up in paint and feathers). This is a right of passage for summer camp kids!

 

Misc Summer Camp Games

Giant Ice Block

Freeze some kind of prizes into giant blocks of ice (we recommend using a mold like this one for best results). Whoever can get to their prize first is the winner!

Blind Drawing

Split participants into pairs and have them sit back-to-back. Give one in each pair a notebook/pencil/eraser. The one without the materials will describe any picture. The one with the materials will try their best to draw what is being described to them. Have each pair present their drawing to the group! Then switch.

Life-Sized Guess Who

Guess Who has become very popular in recent years, and you can play a giant version with lots of people! Read instructions here: 7 Fun Games You Can Make Life-Sized.

Garbage Bag Penguins

This game is absolutely essential if you don’t have a slip and slide for the kids. Find a decently-sized hill and check it thoroughly for rocks, weeds, branches, etc. Cut head and arm holes into those black heavy-duty garbage bags, and outfit each kid with them. Cover them in soap or oil and send them down the hill on their bellies! They will LOVE this!

 

Keep Reading

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Ultimate List of 73 Original Relay Games

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27 Fun Tag Games For Any Playground

Let us know how your summer camp games went this summer! Or, share your own ideas that we haven’t included. Leave us a comment.