Camping Games for 7yr olds
August 13, 2021 1:50 PM Subscribe
We having a camping trip this weekend with some of my daughter's “rising second-grade” class. Wondering if anyone has some good ideas for games of a group of about 10 seven-year-old kids could play together?
Corn hole, and some of its ilk are possible but I’ve found wild disparity in coordination at this age so hard tbeinclusive of everyone. it’s a somewhat exposed site so tree cover or hiding may be difficult.
All the kids will be COVID tested and cleared in the days immediately preceding but bonus points for games that can allow for some distance for those that may not be as comfortable with closer contact.
I’ve seen some cool camp games for adults/older kids but having hard time finding something that would work for this age group. Happy to pitch in and buy some equipment if there is something off the shelf that would work.
Corn hole, and some of its ilk are possible but I’ve found wild disparity in coordination at this age so hard tbeinclusive of everyone. it’s a somewhat exposed site so tree cover or hiding may be difficult.
All the kids will be COVID tested and cleared in the days immediately preceding but bonus points for games that can allow for some distance for those that may not be as comfortable with closer contact.
I’ve seen some cool camp games for adults/older kids but having hard time finding something that would work for this age group. Happy to pitch in and buy some equipment if there is something off the shelf that would work.
Oh, if fire is allowed - get a few cheap flint and steel sets, teach them how to make fire, then have firemaking competitions / cooperations. Each kid or group of kids that are comfortable being close can gather their own tinder (although you should have some useful things like cotton balls for help) and try to make a little fire. We even built a few survivor-style "burn through the rope" rigs out of scrap wood but that's probably a bit overkill.
posted by true at 2:07 PM on August 13, 2021
posted by true at 2:07 PM on August 13, 2021
20 questions
Charades
Give everyone string & each them cats cradle
Scavenger hunt
posted by BoscosMom at 2:08 PM on August 13, 2021
Charades
Give everyone string & each them cats cradle
Scavenger hunt
posted by BoscosMom at 2:08 PM on August 13, 2021
Alphabet Memory Game is fun around the campfire. Starts with "I'm going on a picnic and bringing..." something starting with A. Next person must repeat and add something starting with B, next repeats A and B items and adds C item. The crowd usually helps if a person is having trouble remembering the list. By the time you get to the second half of the alphabet, this is lots of fun. Items don't really need to belong on a picnic, just start with the correct letter. A could be Apple or Aardvark.
posted by Al79 at 2:38 PM on August 13, 2021
posted by Al79 at 2:38 PM on August 13, 2021
My kids LOVE playing Kubb when we are camping - they will play for hours. You can easily do 2v2 games and have a couple sets - do it round robin style and have a mini-tournament. It does seem to be more luck based than cornhole, but kids do need to be able to throw in a general direction to really play.
As a side note to the firestarting idea, dryer lint works super great as fire starting tinder - if you want to make it a bit easier, get a cardboard egg carton, fill each cup with lint, then pour melted wax over it. Once it all cools/hardens, you can cut them into individual little fire starters that light pretty easily and burn for a long time - they are basically candles with really big (lint) wicks.
posted by _DB_ at 3:04 PM on August 13, 2021 [2 favorites]
As a side note to the firestarting idea, dryer lint works super great as fire starting tinder - if you want to make it a bit easier, get a cardboard egg carton, fill each cup with lint, then pour melted wax over it. Once it all cools/hardens, you can cut them into individual little fire starters that light pretty easily and burn for a long time - they are basically candles with really big (lint) wicks.
posted by _DB_ at 3:04 PM on August 13, 2021 [2 favorites]
A theater game I played as a camp counselor with a bunch of kids in a tent during heavy rain:
Tell them you're going to tell them a story of a movie you saw, but they have to ask yes or no questions about it. You can make up the title of a nonexistent movie -- the secret is that you don't know the story ahead of time. If their yes-or-no question ends in a consonant, answer "yes." Answer "no" for vowels. I'd reverse this with older, savvier kids who are more likely to question a string of improbable yeses. Repeat until the kids sense that they've told the entirety of the story.
(I first learned about this game from Impro by Keith Johnstone, though I don't know if he was its inventor.)
posted by HeroZero at 3:08 PM on August 13, 2021 [5 favorites]
Tell them you're going to tell them a story of a movie you saw, but they have to ask yes or no questions about it. You can make up the title of a nonexistent movie -- the secret is that you don't know the story ahead of time. If their yes-or-no question ends in a consonant, answer "yes." Answer "no" for vowels. I'd reverse this with older, savvier kids who are more likely to question a string of improbable yeses. Repeat until the kids sense that they've told the entirety of the story.
(I first learned about this game from Impro by Keith Johnstone, though I don't know if he was its inventor.)
posted by HeroZero at 3:08 PM on August 13, 2021 [5 favorites]
Leader of 24 k-2nd grade girl scouts here, have led them through COVID. Red Rover. Statues (like red light green light, but the kids have to turn into statures when the person who is "it" turns around). Have them put themselves in order by age without talking. Flashlight tag.
My kids had fun searching for mini rubber duckies in the woods to teach them how to leave no trace (teach them the hand signals too, it's important). Number them so you know you've gotten them all.
They also love building edible campfires. Or practice lighting matches in a bucket. At this age some kids will have no experience around matches and/or fire so talking about fire safety is important. Make sure anyone with long hair ties it back and they know not to run around a campfire. After you teach them fire safety rules, have them put on a play illustrating what not to do at a camp fire. Promise you they'll find this hilarious.
Also highly recommend just bringing a few beach balls and letting them come up with their own games. They'll surprise you with open-ended time.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 4:01 PM on August 13, 2021 [11 favorites]
My kids had fun searching for mini rubber duckies in the woods to teach them how to leave no trace (teach them the hand signals too, it's important). Number them so you know you've gotten them all.
They also love building edible campfires. Or practice lighting matches in a bucket. At this age some kids will have no experience around matches and/or fire so talking about fire safety is important. Make sure anyone with long hair ties it back and they know not to run around a campfire. After you teach them fire safety rules, have them put on a play illustrating what not to do at a camp fire. Promise you they'll find this hilarious.
Also highly recommend just bringing a few beach balls and letting them come up with their own games. They'll surprise you with open-ended time.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 4:01 PM on August 13, 2021 [11 favorites]
Hacky sack? It has the advantage of needing only a hackysack ball - unlike gaga it needs no special pit. It's outside and can involve any number of kids.
posted by citygirl at 5:10 PM on August 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by citygirl at 5:10 PM on August 13, 2021 [1 favorite]
I haven’t tried it with kids quite this young, but we love slithery snake. The slithery snake is decided on by one kid, and it is a verb or verb phrase, like picking my nose or barking or going on a picnic or flying an airplane. Contestants are allowed to ask questions to discover the answer, and the snake holder has to reply honestly if cryptically. In a group, the questions are asked in rotation and answered publicly. Great for car trips as well as camping etc.
posted by maniabug at 9:28 PM on August 13, 2021
posted by maniabug at 9:28 PM on August 13, 2021
If you search for girl scout and/or Cub scout games, you'll find a ton of resources with games that range from active to quiet. Good luck!
posted by chrisamiller at 7:10 AM on August 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by chrisamiller at 7:10 AM on August 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by true at 2:04 PM on August 13, 2021 [1 favorite]