Supplies

General

• A music device 
• Portable speaker
• A stopwatch
• Hula hoops
• Obstacle course materials

Pool Noodle Javelin

• Pool noodles
• A hula hoop

The Balloon Games

• Balloons
• String
• Chairs

Tic-Tac-Throw

• Two sets of colored bean bags or stuffed animals
• Sidewalk chalk or tape

The Popcorn Mess Around

• A parachute or large sheet
• Bean bags, ping pong balls, stuffed animals, cotton balls, or any other small objects that you can find
• A basket 

The Water Games

• Cups
• Water

Rogue Motor Races

• Straws or rolled up paper
• Empty squirt bottles
• Tape
• Ping pong balls or empty cans (or anything else that’s light and rolls easily)

The Ground is Lava

• At least 5 sheets of paper in 5 different colors
  • Construction paper or any other colorful paper will work
• A hat

The Egg Games

• Eggs (wooden)
• Tape, paper, and anything else that can be safely dropped from 8 feet up.
• Spoons

Buried Treasure

• A space with lots of hiding spots
• “Treasure” that will be easy to hide and find (stuffed animals, coins, etc.)
• A stopwatch to keep time

Ping Pong Shake

• Ping pong balls or cotton balls
• A stopwatch to time the game

Blindfolded Touch Test

• Four or more containers big enough to step into
• A towel
• A blindfold
• Paper and writing utensils
• Plates and spoons
• Various foot-friendly objects and liquids to fill the containers
  • Examples: water beads, cooked spaghetti, sand, shaving cream, Jell-O

Fashion Show Relay

• Oversized clothes
  • Two to three silly outfits for each player
• Any fashion accessories you can find at home to add to the outfits!

Relay Races

• Two or more sacks that are big enough to step into
  • You can also use laundry bags or large pillow cases
• Eggs
• Large spoons
• A stopwatch to time players

One Ball, Two Hands, and a Three Legged Race

• Beach balls, balloons, or any other type of ball
• Elastic bands or strips of fabric big enough to tie two legs together
• A stopwatch to time players

H.O.R.S.E.

• A ball, preferably a basketball
• A hoop or basket, preferably a basketball hoop

Keep-It-Up

• A beach ball, balloon, or any other lightweight ball
• A stopwatch to time players

Tug-o-War

• A long rope

Fill The Boxes

• Playing outdoors: Different colored sidewalk chalk for each player

Capture the Flag

• Two pieces of fabrics to use as flags
• A big open space

Steal the Bacon

• A bean bag, dodgeball, or other easy-to-grab object

Amoeba Tag

• Nothing!

Hot Potato Soup

• A ball, stuffed animal, or other tossable object

Red Light, Green Light

• A big open space

Water Wars

• Water balloons
• Cups
• Water

1,000 Point Toss

• A ball

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Instructions

1. When CAMPers are situated, welcome everyone!
2. Introduce yourself and any other Counselors assisting the activity
3. Give a brief overview of what to expect

Pool Noodle Javelin

• Number of Players:
  • Two or more players
  • A referee
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Round One: Stationary Target
    • The referee stands about 10 feet back from the player holding a hula hoop out at arm’s length. Players take turns attempting to throw the pool noodles through the hula hoop. Each player gets five throws and scores one point each time they make it through the hula hoop.
  • Round Two: Moving Target
    • A referee stands about 10 feet back from the player and tosses a hula hoop so that it stays upright while in the air. Players take turns attempting to throw the pool noodles through the hula hoop while it’s still in the air. Each player gets five throws and scores two points each time they make it through the hula hoop.

The Balloon Games

• Number of Players: Two or more players
• Where to Play: Indoors or Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Round One: Balloon Pop
    • Attach a balloon to the seat of a chair for each player and have them stand in front of their chairs as though they were about to sit down. When the referee says “go,” players attempt to pop their balloons without using their hands in any way (including using their hands to pull themselves down onto the chair). The first player to pop their balloon wins the round.
  • Round Two: Balloon Tag
    • Using a bit of string, tie an inflated balloon to each player’s ankle. When the game starts, players attempt to pop their opponents’ balloons while protecting their own. The last balloon standing wins!
  • Challenge Round: Balloon Wars
    • Divide into two even teams, each with its own base, and assign each team its own balloon color. Inflate five balloons for each team to gather at their base. When the game starts, teams attempt to pop their opponents’ balloons while protecting their own balloons. The first team to successfully pop all of the opposing team’s balloons wins the game.

Tic-Tac-Throw

• Number of Players: Two players
• Where to Play: Indoors or Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Setup: Draw a Tic-Tac-Toe board using sidewalk chalk or tape, then take 5-10 big steps back (fewer steps for an easier game, more steps for a challenging game) and draw a line that players will stand behind while throwing.
  • Playing the Game: Each player takes turns tossing their bean bags onto the Tic-Tac-Toe board. If a player throws their bean bag into a box that their opponent has already claimed, they remove their bean bag and lose their turn. The first player to toss bean bags into three boxes in a row wins. Add an extra challenge by taking three steps back after each round. 
    • Don’t have bean bags? Use a few stuffed animals instead! Just use tape to tag the stuffies with your team’s color.

The Popcorn Mess Around

• Number of Players: Two or more players
• Where to Play: Indoors or Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Round One: Pop the Popcorn
    • Place five small objects onto a parachute and have each player grab a side. Shake the parachute to make the “popcorn” pop without letting any fall off. Every 30 seconds, have the referee add another object to the parachute and keep going until stuff starts flying. How long can you last before the popcorn explosion pours over? Time it and see!
  • Round Two: Serve the Popcorn
    • Place 10 small objects onto a parachute and have each player grab a side. Using a basket, set up a “bowl” for the popcorn about three feet from the players. Shake the parachute to make the “popcorn” pop off into the bowl. See how many pieces of popcorn you can get into the bowl within 60 seconds. Add an extra challenge by moving the basket further and further away.

The Water Games

• Number of Players: Two or more players
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Round One: Cup Cascade
    • Have players form a single file line with the tallest person in front and the shortest person in back. Give each player a large plastic cup to hold on top of their head and fill the front player’s cup with water. Starting with the person in front, have each player tip their head back and pour water from their cup into the cup of the player behind them. Continue down the line to see how much water is left in the last cup, if any.
      • Add challenges like spinning before pouring, including a ping pong ball in the cup, or seeing how many pours your family can do in 60 seconds.
  • Round Two: Soaked Sit-Ups
    • Players take turns lying down on their backs with a small cup half-filled with water balanced on their forehead. Without touching the cup with your hands, the goal is to sit up without spilling any water. If you spill, you’re out! Last cup standing wins.
      • Make the game more challenging by having players close their eyes, by adding more water to the cup, or by having players try to stand up without spilling any water.
  • Challenge Round: Flip Cup
    • Set up three cups for each player near the edge of a table, each filled with water. When the game starts, players must dump the water on their head, set the cup down so the bottom hangs over the edge of the table a bit, then use their finger tips to flip the cup so it lands upside down on the table. The first player to flip all three of their cups wins!

Rogue Motor Races

• Number of Players: Two or more players
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Round One: Straw Racing
    • Use tape or sidewalk chalk to mark a start line and finish line about 10 feet apart. Give each player a ping pong ball or empty soda can to use as a racer, which they can decorate to show their team spirit! When the race starts, players blow through straws or rolled up paper to propel their racers forward. The first racer to cross the finish line wins!
  • Round Two: Squirt Bottle Racing
    • Using the same race course and racers from the first round, players must once again race to see who can get their ping pong ball or soda can across the finish line first. Only this round players use squirt bottles filled with water to propel their racers along the course.
  • Challenge Round: Blindfolded Racing
    • For the challenge round, try rounds one and two again, but this time players work in teams of two. Blindfold one of the players and put them in charge of blowing through the straw and squirting the squirt bottle to propel the racer. The second player is in charge of shouting directions and keeping the first player on track. Have teams compete or time how long it takes to make it across the finish line and challenge others to do it faster.

The Ground is Lava

• Number of Players:
  • Two or more players
  • A referee
• Where to Play: Indoors or Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Setup: Spread several sheets of different colored paper on the ground. (You may want to use tape to keep them down.) These are the “safety stones.” Rip off a corner from each different color sheet and throw them into a hat.
  • Playing the Game: A referee starts the game by yelling out “THE FLOOR IS LAVA!” and everyone scrambles to stand on a “safety stone,” regardless of color. Then the referee pulls different color pieces of paper from the hat and players must hop from their space to the nearest safety stone of the corresponding color. If a player can’t reach a safety stone from where they are or if any part of their body touches the lava, they’re out. The last player standing is the winner!
  • Additional Challenges: When you tear the corners off each colored sheet, write down an additional challenge on each one, like having players hop on one foot or spin around three times before they jump each round.

The Egg Games

• Number of Players: Two or more players
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Round One: Egg Toss
    • In this round, two players face off at a time. They start by standing a couple feet apart and gently tossing an uncooked egg back and forth. After every successful throw, each player takes one step back. If a player drops the egg and it breaks, or if a player breaks the egg while catching it, they’re out.
  • Round Two: Egg Drop
    • Each player uses tape, paper, and other household supplies to build a drop cage around an uncooked egg. Start by dropping the eggs in their cages from about six feet up, and any egg that survives moves on to the next round. Using a ladder, increase the drop distance by another thee feet each round until only one egg remains unbroken.
  • Challenge Round: Egg-and-Spoon Obstacle Course
    • Build an obstacle course using chairs, ropes, and anything else you have around the house for players to race through. Players must navigate the course while carrying an uncooked egg on a spoon. It can be a relay race, a timed race, or a free-for-all depending on the number of players and how big the obstacle course is.

Buried Treasure

• Number of Players:
  • Two or more players
  • One referee per player
• Where to Play: Indoors or Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Round One: Hot-and-Cold Treasure Hunt
    • Before playing, a referee hides treasure (small stuffed animals or coins) around your house or outdoor space. When the game starts, players need to search for the treasures while the referee lets them know if they’re hot or cold, depending on how close they are to finding something. The player that collects the most treasure after five minutes wins!
  • Round Two: No-Hints Treasure Hunt
    • Round two is played just like round one, except this time the referee doesn’t tell players if they’re hot or cold or give any other hints. The player that collects the most treasure after five minutes wins.
  • Challenge Round: Blindfold Treasure Hunt
    • This round requires two players and two referees. Each referee hides just one piece of treasure this time and both have a blindfolded player as a partner. When the game starts, the referees must shout at their blindfolded teammate and tell them if they’re hot or cold, depending on how close they are to finding their treasure. The first player to find their treasure wins, but players can also attempt to tag out their opponent’s referee to win too.

Ping Pong Shake

• Number of Players: One or more players
• Where to Play: Indoors and Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Setup: Cut two vertical slits into the back of an empty tissue box and thread a belt or scarf through it. Secure the box around the player’s waist and fill it with ping pong balls or cotton balls.
  • Playing the Game: Players take turns hopping, wiggling, and dancing around while trying to shake all the balls out of the tissue box without touching it with their hands. Use a stopwatch to keep time and see who can empty their box the fastest!

Blindfolded Touch Test

• Number of Players:
  • One or more players
  • A referee
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Setup: Line up several containers and fill them with the squishiest and weirdest safe-to-touch stuff you can find around the house, like cooked spaghetti, water beads, or Jell-O. Give each player a piece of paper and something to write with, then blindfold them and have them each stand in front of a container.
  • Round One: Foot Feels
    • In this round, players dip their toes into the containers one at a time and try to figure out what they’re feeling with their feet. After each container, players turn around and write down what they think they felt as the referee wipes off their feet to get them ready for the next container. Keep players blindfolded when the round ends.
  • Round Two: Finger Feels
    • In this round, players go down the line feeling the contents of each container again, except this time using their hands. After each container, players turn around and wipe off their hands and confirm the answer they wrote during the first round, or update their answer if they changed their mind.
  • Challenge Round: Fictional Feels
    • In this round, players go down the line of containers one more time feeling the contents again, but this time, players should write down the weirdest thing they think they could be feeling in each container. For instance, maybe some cooked spaghetti could be wriggly worms, water beads could be slippery monster eggs, and Jell-O could stand in for gooey slime!
  • Scoring: At the end of the three rounds, players compare the answers they wrote down on their paper with what’s in each container. They get two points for every guess they got right during the first round, one point for every correct guess from the second round, and five bonus points for the most creative answer from round three.

Fashion Show Relay

• Number of Players:
  • Four or more players divided into teams of two
  • A referee
• Where to Play: Indoors or Outdoors
• How to Play: 
  • Setup: Set up a race course with a starting line and finish line about 25 feet apart. Divide into teams of two players and line up for a relay race. Prepare two or three silly oversized outfits for each player and pile them up behind the starting line.
  • Playing the Game: When the race starts, the first player throws on an outfit as fast as they can and runs to the finish line. They then need to strike a pose, turn around, and do their best model catwalk strut back to the starting line as quickly as they can. When the first player returns to the starting line, the second player should quickly throw on their own outfit and repeat the process until every player has modeled each of the outfits prepared for them. The first team to go through all of their outfits wins!
  • Model Mary Bonus: The referee can call a “Model Mary” victory by choosing the winning team based on their catwalk struts and model poses.

Relay Races

• Number of Players:
  • Four or more players divided into teams of two
  • A referee
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Setup: Plot out a race course that’s about 25 feet long, using sidewalk chalk or tape to mark a starting line and a finish line.
  • Round One: Warm-Up Round
    • When the referee starts the race, the first player on each team must skip to the finish line and back. When they reach the starting line again, they tag the second player on their team, who also skips to the finish line and back. The team that completes the relay race first wins the round.
  • Round Two: Egg and Spoon Race
    • The first player on each team lines up behind the starting line holding a spoon with an egg balanced on it. When the race starts, the first player needs to race to the finish line and back without touching or dropping their egg. When the first player reaches the starting line again, they need to carefully pass their egg and spoon to the second player, who also needs to run to the finish line and back without dropping their egg. Any team that drops their egg is disqualified. The team that completes the relay race first wins the round.
  • Round Three: Potato Sack Race
    • Each player needs to climb into a sack that comes up to around their belly button. (A burlap sack, pillow case or laundry bag should do the trick!) When the race starts, the first player on each team should hop to the finish line and back. When they reach the starting line again, they need to scramble out of their bag and pass it to their teammate, who needs to get in, then hop to the finish line and back to finish the race. The team that completes the relay race first wins the round.

One Ball, Two Hands, and a Three Legged Race

• Number of Players:
  • Four or more players divided into teams of two
  • A referee
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Setup: Plot out a race course that’s about 25 feet long, using sidewalk chalk or tape to mark a starting line and a finish line.
  • Round One: Back Ball Race
    • Pairs of players line up behind the starting line with a ball held between their backs. They’re not allowed to use their hands to hold the ball in place, just their back and arms. When the race starts, players need to race to the finish line, turn around, and race back to the starting line while keeping the ball held between them. Any team that drops their ball is disqualified. The team that crosses the finish line first wins the round!
  • Round Two: Wheelbarrow Race
    • Pairs of players line up behind a starting line, with one player holding themself up with their hands as their teammate holds onto their legs like a wheelbarrow. When the race starts, teams need to scramble to the finish line, turn around, and scramble back to the starting line. The first team to cross the starting line again wins the round.
  • Challenge Round: Three-Legged Race
    • Pairs of players line up behind a starting line with an elastic band or strip of fabric keeping their legs tied together. (We recommend tying the players together around the knee, but anywhere that’s comfortable for both players is fine.) When the race starts, teams need to hobble to the finish line, turn around, and hobble back to the starting line. The first team to cross the starting line again wins the round.

H.O.R.S.E.

• Number of Players: Two players
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Two players take turns setting up and making shots that their opponent needs to copy. For instance, they could attempt a classic 3-point shot, a no-look backward shot, or bounce the ball off the backboard once before throwing it in. If a player misses their set-up shot or the shot that’s been set up for them by the other player, they earn a letter spelling out the word “HORSE.” Players pass the ball back and forth until one player collects all five letters and loses.

Keep-It-Up

• Number of Players:
  • Two or more players
  • A referee
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Two or more players attempt to keep a beach ball, balloon, or other lightweight ball up in the air as long as possible. Players are allowed to hit, bump, kick, and tap the ball to keep it up, but no player is allowed to grab, hold, or throw the ball. Have a referee time the game to see how long the players can go before the ball touches the ground.

Tug-o-War

• Number of Players: Two or more players divided evenly into teams
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Use sidewalk chalk or tape to mark a line on the ground. Have two players stand an equal distance back from the line, and have any teammates line up behind them. Have players grab onto one end of a long, sturdy rope. When the game starts, players on both sides need to tug as hard as they can in order to pull the front player on the opposing team across the halfway line. The team that can pull their opponent across first wins.

Fill The Boxes

• Number of Players: Two or more players
• Where to Play: Indoors or Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Setup: Using sidewalk chalk or a marker, draw out a 10x10 grid of dots.
  • Playing the Game: Each player takes turns connecting two dots with a line. When a player draws a line that connects four dots and closes a box, they tag the box with their initials. Once the entire grid is filled with boxes, count up to see which player tagged the most boxes. That player wins the game!

Capture the Flag

• Number of Players: Two teams with three or more players each
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Setup: Divide players into two even teams, each with their own base on either side of a big field or playground. Give each team a different colored flag to keep at their base.
  • Playing the Game: Players on each team need to work together to capture the other team’s flag while defending their own. If a player can successfully grab the other team’s flag and run it back to their own base, they score a point. However, if someone from the opposing team tags them while they’re carrying the flag, they need to give it back, and their opponent returns the flag to its base. Players are allowed to pass the opposing team’s flag to a teammate while running it back to their base. The first team to score five points wins.

Steal the Bacon

• Number of Players:
  • Six or more players divided evenly across two teams
  • A referee
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Setup: Players split into two equal teams. Teammates then line up shoulder-to-shoulder facing the other team with about 10 feet of space between them. Go down the line and pair players off with the person directly across from them, assigning each pair a number as you go. The referee then sets a bean bag or other small object halfway between the two teams.
  • Playing the Game: Each round begins with the referee calling out a random number. The two players with that number then dive for the bean bag, attempting to grab it and get it back to their team’s line to score a point. If the player holding the bean bag is tagged by their opponent before they make it back to their line, neither team scores, and the referee resets the bean bag and a new round begins.

Amoeba Tag

• Number of Players: At least four players, but the more the better
• Where to Play: Outdoors
  • Amoeba tag is just like regular tag but with one key difference: when the person who is “it” tags someone else, they hold hands and both become “it,” tagging more players and adding to their big amoeba-like group until there’s just one person left standing to declare as the winner. It helps to limit the boundaries for the game since the amoeba starts to move pretty slowly when it gets too big.

Hot Potato Soup

• Number of Players: At least five players, but the more the better
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Setup: Players stand in a circle facing one another. Use a ball, stuffed animal, or other tossable object as a “hot potato.” Players have to catch and throw the hot potato as quickly as possible, and are not allowed to hold onto it for more than a second or two.
  • Playing the Game: Players take turns tossing the hot potato back and forth to one another across the circle. If any player holds onto the hot potato for too long or drops it while catching it, they’re out, and need to join the hot potato soup in the center of the circle. Players in the center should try to swat the object out of the air as it continues to be tossed back and forth, and if they succeed, the player who threw the object is out and joins the soup. The last player standing is the winner!
  • Additional Challenge: Add a challenge by picking a category for each round. When you catch the potato you have to say a word in that category that has not been said before. If you hesitate too long because you can’t think of a word, then you are out. 

Red Light, Green Light

• Number of Players: At least three players, but the more the better
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Setup: The referee stands behind a finish line at one end of a field or race track, and players line up behind the starting line on the other end.
  • Playing the Game: The referee then alternates calling out “green light” and “red light.” When players hear “green light,” they should start running towards the finish line. When they hear “red light,” they need to stop as fast as possible. If they keep moving or fall over after “red light” has been called, they’re out! The first player to cross the finish line wins.

Water Wars

• Number of Players: Five or more players
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • Round One: Water Roulette
    • Setup: The referee sets up several opaque buckets, filling one with water and leaving the rest empty, being careful not to let the player see which bucket gets filled.
    • Playing the Game: Standing far enough back that they can’t see into the buckets, the player carefully chooses buckets one at a time and the referee picks them up and empties them onto the player. Once the player chooses wrong and gets soaked, the player and referee switch sides and start a new round. The player that can go the longest without getting soaked is the winner.
  • Round Two: Duck Duck Splash
    • Setup: Pick a person to be “it.” Give them a cup filled with water. Have all the other players sit in a circle facing one another.
    • Playing the Game: The person that is “it” goes around the circle declaring each player as a “duck” or a “goose” as they tap them on the head. When they finally declare a goose, the player who is “it” dumps the contents of the cup onto the goose’s head and starts running. The goose then needs to get up and chase the “it” player down, and tag them before they can get all the way around the circle and sit down in the vacant spot. If the goose makes the tag in time, they get to be “it” next round and avoid getting wet again. If the “it” player makes it all the way around and sits down, they get to keep being “it” and avoid getting soaked!
  • Round Three: Water Balloon Toss
    • Fill up a water balloon, then have two or more players take turns gently lobbing it back and forth, taking a step back after every successful throw. When the balloon finally bursts, the player that got soaked is out. Fill up another balloon and keep playing until there’s just one person left standing.

1,000 Point Toss

• Number of Players: At least three players, but the more the better
• Where to Play: Outdoors
• How to Play:
  • One player throws a ball across a field or lawn to everyone else waiting some distance away, announcing how many points each catch is worth (rounded to the nearest hundred). The player that catches the ball earns the announced number of points, and the first player to earn 1,000 points wins and becomes the new ball thrower!‍

Hula Hoop Teamwork - This can be used as a great team building activity — or with two teams competing. Explain that the hula hoop must not touch the ground, nor can the circle of hands be broken. The person on one end of the line then places a hula hoop on a teammate’s shoulder and the group joins hands to form a circle. Each person must maneuver through the hula hoop without letting it touch the ground to move around the circle until it reaches the beginning again.
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Obstacle Course - Use objects you already own like jump ropes, boxes and hula-hoops to create a silly obstacle course. Encourage Campers to find ways to change up the course with their own ideas. Layer in challenges for bigger kid
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Kick the Can - In this old-school twist on hide-and-seek, the player designated “it” counts while everyone else hides. “It” then goes searching for her companions, who must go to a “captured” area if they’re tagged by “it.” In the meantime, un-captured players can attempt to kick a metal can in the middle of the playing area (before being tagged by “it!”) to release all the captured players.‍