Games, games, games!!
Emergency ideas to keep
your kids busy!!
Crab Tag: Set boundaries. Every player
holds up their two claws and runs around
trying to "pinch" the other crabs' claws.
When a claw is pinched, the player puts
that arm down. The last player with at
least one claw left wins.
Evolution: This is an extended version of
rock paper scissors. All students start out
as "eggs" crouched down on the ground.
They find another "egg" and play rock
paper scissors with them. The winner
becomes a chicken (flap your arms and
cluck). The chicken will look for another
chicken and play again. Whoever wins will
become a dinosaur (walk around with
claws out growling) and the loser goes
back to being an egg. The dinosaur's will
find another dinosaur and play again. The
winner becomes a "Supreme Being" while
the other evolves down.
Stick game: Tell the students you will
hide a stick somewhere in a circle but you
will not bury it or break it. Have them close
their eyes and then put the stick
somewhere in the area (hanging from a
tree leaf is always good. When students
find it, they whisper in your ear and then
get to sit outside the circle. After doing this
a couple of times hide the stick in your
shoelaces and walk around inside the
circle. Most of the kids will have a hard
time "thinking outside the box" and finding
the stick!
Name and Motion: To learn each other's
name, participants stand in a circle. First
person says their name and does a
motion. The next person must say the
previous persons name and motion
followed by their own name and their own
motion. This continues until the last
person performs the "dance" of everyone's
names and motions.
Museum charades: Have the students
act out characters or animals or things they
have learned about at each museum.
What's that song?: You will need lines of
a song written on separate pieces of paper
made so that they fit together later. Each
participant is given one line of a song.
Players must figure out what order they go
in to complete the song. When the group
is done they must sing the song together.
(This should be an age appropriate song!)
Story ball: One person starts with the ball
and begins to tell a story. When you say
stop, they must throw the ball to another
person and that person must continue the
story where they left off. Continue the
story until everyone has had a turn and
then the facilitator can finish it.
Adjective Name Game: Group stands or
sits in a circle. Each person picks an
adjective, animal, or object (can match the
museum of the day) that starts with the
same letter as his or her name. Students
must say the object and name of all the
students before them in the circle and then
add theirs.
Ever have you ever: The group sits in a
circle around one person. The person in
the center asks, "Ever have you
ever…"and names something they have
done. If the other students have also done
this thing they must get up and run around
to find a new seat. The person in the
middle is also trying to find a seat. The
person with no space left to sit is then in
the middle and asks the next question.
Screaming Toes: Students all huddle
together and look down. Each person
picks a pair of toes to look at. At the count
of three the student looks the person in the
eye whose toes they were looking at. If
the person they are looking at is looking
back at them, they both scream and are
out of the game (can sit down).
Birthday line up: Tell the group they
must line up according to birthday starting
with January and ending with December.
They cannot speak to each other while
they do this.
Black Magic: This game is great for
driving kids crazy  You will need to be in
"cahoots" with another person (probably
another counselor) to play. Tell the group
you can read their thoughts. Leave the
area and let the group choose an object.
When you return, the person who secretly
knows how to play starts listing off items.
You say whether it is the object they chose
or not. After your partner lists of
something black, the next object will be the
one the group chose. This game can be
played over and over and the kids rarely
catch on.
M&M game: (can be done with other
colored objects if children cannot have
chocolate) Pass around a jar or bag of
M&M's. Everyone takes a small handful.
Each color represents something that
person gets to share with the group.
Examples: Brown-a story about your
favorite scar
Yellow: something that makes you happy
Green: something about your family
Blue: something embarrassing
Red: your favorite hobby
Do one color at a time and go around the
circle. These categories can be changed
entirely based on age group or interests.
Fruit game: Players decide on what fruit
they want to be (should all be different).
One person with start by saying their fruit
three times and then another person's fruit
three times. Whoever's fruit they called
out must then say their fruit three times
and then a different person's fruit three
times. The catch is that no one can show
their teeth or they are out. Even if it isn't
your turn (and the game is so funny you
can't stand it!) you still can't show your
teeth! Last person remaining wins.
Concentration: Group sits in a circle.
The rhythm of the game is slap, slap (on
your knees) snap, snap (right hand, left
hand). If students can't snap you can clap
twice. Everyone slaps twice then one
person will say their name on one snap,
and another person's on the other snap.
The person's name that was said will say
their name (after the two slaps) on the first
snap, and then a new person's name on
the second slap. Point of the game is to
keep the rhythm while not messing up
people's names. If you mess up then you
are out. Last person remaining wins.
Dragon's Lair: This game is great
because it is played silently! The group
forms a circle around a person in the
middle. The person in the middle is the
sleeping dragon, and they will have some
object sitting in front of them. The person
will need to close their eyes (no cheating!)
or be blindfolded. The facilitator will
choose one child from the circle to go up
and try to steal the dragon's treasure. If
the dragon hears them, they will point in
the direction which they heard the sound.
If the dragon points at the person trying to
steal the treasure, they must sit back
down. If the person successfully steals the
treasure and makes it back to their seat
without being heard, they then become the
dragon.
Alphabetical Name line up: Tell the
group they must line up according to their
first name, without talking.
No Elimination Simon Says: 2 side-byside games of Simon Says, that way if
you’re out of one game you automatically
switch over to the other line.
Outdoor Only Games: Red Light / Green
Light & TAG: Freeze Tag, Tunnel Tag, TV
Tag.
What I learned Today: Played with a
Koosh Ball, form a circle that is tight
enough where campers will not have to
throw the ball a long distance or
particularly hard. One person starts with
the koosh ball, this can be decided by
guessing numbers, or by height or
birthdays, etc. The person names
something they learned during the day and
tosses the koosh ball to someone else.
The new person names something they
learned during the day and also repeats
what the first person names, and then
tosses the ball to a new person. Once you
have gone through the entire group, see if
you can go through the sequence once
more following the same people pattern
and the things they have learned.