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Summer Camp Games for Kids

Sheetal Mandora

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Fun, excitement, and a great outdoor fun is all that summer ever demands. Here are some excellent summer camp game ideas for kids to play and enjoy the sunshine.

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The best part about summer is that parents enroll their kids in summer camps. As for the kids, anything is better than sitting at home and watching television all day. It helps kids become more physically active, make new friends, and basically, have a great time.
But for those who can't or won't be able to go to a camp (for whatever reasons), we've got your covered. Invite other kids from the neighborhood and set everything up in your backyard for some excellent time.

Chanting Frogs

Ask all the kids to sit on the grass and cross their legs; make a circle. You will begin clapping your hands, trying to make a particular beat. The kids will join you as well and along with that, chant "one frog... in the water... splash".
The first kid will say "one frog" at the first clap, the second kid will say "in the water", and the third kid will say "splash"; this makes one cycle. When the next 3 kids' chances come, the first kid will say "two frogs", the second kid will say "in the water", and the third kid will again say "splash". After every 3rd kid, the number of frogs increase.
As the game progresses, someone is bound to make mistakes. Whoever does, have them stand inside the circle and distract other players. Whichever kid chants at the right beat till the end, wins.

Knights, Princesses, and Dragons

This game is a bit complicated, so bear with me. To play this game, you need to divide the kids into 2 teams. Each team will decide among themselves whether they wish to be knights, princesses, or dragons. Ask both teams to go to either ends of the backyard and you, the coordinator, will be standing in the middle.
When the teams decide who they wish to become, blow the whistle and let everyone run towards you. Next, you will say "show yourselves" and the kids will either raise their arms to pretend as if they are holding a sword (for knights), keep their arms on the side to twirl their skirts (for princesses), or growl loudly with hands over their heads (for dragons).
Similar to rock, paper, scissors, knights beat dragons, dragons beat princesses, and princesses beat knights. Whichever team loses will get chased towards their side by the winning team. To tag the losing team, you can place water balloons where you are standing. Whoever gets tagged will join the other team. The best team win the game.

Splashing Waters

To play, ask the kids to be in the backyard and sit in a circle. This game is played similar to the duck-duck-goose game. Now instead of touching their heads, you will walk behind them with a glass of colored water.
As you would say duck-duck-goose, go drip-drip-splash. When you say "drip", pour a little bit of water on their heads. Whoever gets picked as "splash" gets drenched with the water in the cup. Keep going till every kid is completely soaking wet; and colored.

Smelling Garlic

Ask the kids to sit in a circle and give each one a name―mayonnaise, salsa, and ketchup. Now you, the leader calls out a name, for example "mayonnaise".
Every kid named that will get up, run around the circle in clockwise manner, and come back to their place. Whichever kid is last, comes and stands in the middle of the circle; call him/her "smelling garlic". Keep playing the game till there are more smelling garlic than mayonnaise, salsa, and ketchup.

Where's the Hat?

For our final camp game for kids, have the kids sit in a circle and ask one kid to sit in the middle. The kids in the circle will get a hat to pass around from behind their backs. The kid sitting in the middle will then close his/her eyes as the hat is being passed around. Then you will stop the passing and the kids will say, "Hat... hat... where's the hat?"
The kid will then open his/her eyes and will get 3 chances to guess where it is. If he/she can guess it right, whoever had the hat will come in the middle of the circle. And if the guesses are wrong, begin the game all over again till he/she gets it right.

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Keep in mind, make the games as fun and entertaining as possible. This is the only time they can all be kids and enjoy their summers without any responsibilities.