Great for camping! Recreation games for kids
Many families are probably planning to take their kids camping over the summer holidays.
Camping is exciting in so many ways, and in this article we introduce activities and games that will make your trip even more fun.
From active, physical play to popular everyday games kids already love, and nature experiences that even little ones can enjoy—there’s plenty to choose from! Take this opportunity to savor the special moments you can only experience at a campsite.
If you go over this with your child before you leave, you’ll surely hear, “I want to do this!” Get fully prepared, have a blast, and make the best memories!
- Outdoor games and recreational activities recommended for children
- [Play Right Away!] Exciting Recreation Games Recommended for Elementary School Students
- Fun recreational games that liven up outdoor activities
- Recommended for upper elementary grades! Exciting indoor recreation and games
- Play ideas kids can enjoy from 1st to 6th grade [indoors & outdoors]
- Outdoor Recreation Popularity Rankings
- Fostering Cooperation: Recommended Games to Enjoy in the Boy Scouts
- [Elementary School] Games and Recreational Activities to Enjoy at a Forest School Camp
- [Children’s Club] Easy and fun indoor games. Exciting party games
- Recommended outdoor games and recreational activities for lower elementary school children
- No worries even in the rain! Fun recreational activities you can do in the gym
- [For Kids] Fun Indoor Game Ideas for After-School Day Services
- Recreation Activities That Excite Kids’ Clubs! Plans and Ideas Children Will Love
Recommended for Camping! Recreation and Games for Kids (21–30)
Gorilla Game
In elementary school, there are overnight study trips, right? At night, you sometimes have a campfire.
A great recommendation for a recreation activity at times like that is the “Gorilla Game.” The rules are simple: split into a questioner and an answerer, and the answerer must reply “gorilla” no matter what they’re asked.
Questions like “What’s your name?” or “What did you have for breakfast today?” are fun because answering “gorilla” makes everything hilariously mismatched.
It’s a popular activity with kids, so be sure to give it a try around the campfire!
long rope jumping
When a large group gets together for something like a camp, a great game to try is long-rope jump rope.
The rope is easy to carry, so it’s especially recommended for outdoor play.
Once everyone syncs up and starts jumping the long rope together, you’ll be surprised how addictive it is—you’ll want to do it again and again.
It’s also fun to split into teams and compete for the highest number of consecutive jumps, or set a target number and race to see which team can finish it the fastest.
water gun
Kids love playing with water.
When it comes to water play with items, water guns are great fun, offer lots of ways to play, and are highly recommended.
These days, water guns come in various shapes and sizes, and many of them are exciting and enjoyable not just for kids but for adults too.
Simply splashing each other with water is fun in hot weather, and you can also spice it up by attaching targets to your shoulders and shooting at them, or by playing team battles—both are sure to get everyone fired up.
If small children are participating, please be careful with water guns that have strong pressure or powerful streams.
Jump together
As a recreation activity that builds a sense of unity, I’d like to introduce “Jump Together.” First, everyone holds hands and forms a circle.
Then a leader calls out, “All together!”—that’s the starting signal.
Everyone responds in unison.
After that, you jump according to the leader’s directions.
Wondering, “Which direction is next?” adds excitement, and working toward the same goal strengthens your bonds.
As a next stage, it’s also fun to jump in the direction opposite to the call.
Fun music play in nature
Let’s move our bodies together and enjoy playful music activities in nature while taking in the scenery and sounds around us.
Placing ourselves in nature and listening to the wind and the sounds of insects stimulates the five senses and helps refresh the mind and body.
As we sing, let’s wave colorful scarves and try moving them while imagining what the wind might sound like.
It’s also fun to sway the scarves with varying strengths, like a gentle breeze or a strong gust.
One of the charms of this play is being able to move freely and express yourself while sensing a variety of sounds—like leaves rustling and water flowing.
Evolution Rock-Paper-Scissors
“Evolution Janken” is a game where you evolve from an animal into a human by playing rock-paper-scissors.
The evolution order is chick, rabbit, gorilla, then human.
You can only play rock-paper-scissors against someone who is the same animal, so be careful.
The player who evolves into a human within the time limit is the winner.
Adjust the rules according to age and group size—for example, when you lose, you go back one step, or all the way back to chick.
You can use any animals you like, so set them to your favorites.
Hand-push sumo
Have you ever played “teoshi-zumo” (push sumo)? Two people face each other, hold their palms up and push against the other’s hands; the one who stumbles and steps out of the ring loses.
It looks simple and like a test of brute strength, but in fact you can win with a few tips and techniques even without much power, so it’s fun despite differences in size or age.
For example, standing a bit pigeon-toed can help you brace better, and instead of pushing straight ahead, pushing upward from below can be effective.
Master these tricks and try beating opponents bigger than you!
Archery
Since you’re going camping, many of you probably want to enjoy recreational activities you can only really do on such occasions.
For those people, archery is a great recommendation.
By archery, I don’t mean the competitive sport, but archery-style toys.
They’re designed with safety in mind—for example, the arrow tips are made of sponge.
Even so, some products can shoot as far as about 60 meters.
Since it’s a special opportunity, why not set up a target as far away as the location allows?
The “Haa” game
There are many ways to express the same word depending on the situation, right? This game, “The ‘Haa’ Game,” turns those expressions into a challenge.
Just like the title says, you have to guess what kind of situation the ‘haa’ is being used in.
It’s not just ‘haa’—there are various words like ‘no way’ and ‘I’m fine’ as well.
You draw a card with a word on it and act it out; the listeners try to guess which ‘haa’ it is.
If they guess correctly, they earn points.
The performer also earns points based on the number of correct guesses.
It’s a simple, high-energy card game that tests your acting skills.
Puzzle-solving game
When you think of campfires, songs and dancing are the classics, but a great new classic we recommend is a “puzzle-solving game.” It’s an intellectual recreation you can do even in the dark.
For example, there are wordplay-style questions like figuring out what a string of hiragana represents, or cipher-like puzzles that use arrows or kanji—ranging from simple ones to those that require a flash of insight.
It’s fun for both kids and adults to think through together, and you can adjust the difficulty to match the group size and age range.
You can tackle them individually or play in teams—there are many ways to enjoy them.
Give it a try!
