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[Elementary School] Games and Recreational Activities to Enjoy at a Forest School Camp
Forest school is a big event for elementary school children.
Some kids might already be bubbling with excitement and feeling fidgety, even though it’s still quite a while away on the calendar.
In this article, we’ve put together games and recreational activities we’d love for you to enjoy at forest school.
We’ve selected options you can enjoy outdoors and activities you can do gathered around a campfire.
Let’s all make the most of this extraordinary experience that’s different from everyday school life!
[Elementary School] A Compilation of Games and Recreational Activities Enjoyable at Outdoor School (1–10)
Capture the flag
Known by different names and rules as a traditional group game, similar versions exist all over the world.
Now that there are fewer safe outdoor spaces to play, it would be great to run around to our hearts’ content on the spacious grounds of a school camp.
The rules are simple: split into two teams, and the team that touches the opponent’s base—a designated tree or object—wins.
Be sure to agree beforehand on the finer details, such as what happens after someone is tagged and how players can respawn.
It’s more exciting if the two bases are set a little apart.
I’d love for teachers to join in as well, not just the students.
X gyro
The X-Gyro is a piece of playground equipment that isn’t exactly super well-known yet.
Any teacher who brings this along is sure to become popular with students asking, “What’s that? What’s that?” The X-Gyro, which looks like both a ball and a Frisbee, was apparently invented by students at Baylor University in the United States.
Its structure uses the same method for generating lift as the invariant airfoil of a biplane… but putting the technical stuff aside, it’s just fun to throw and play with.
It might even take a few hours before you can play a normal game of catch with it.
It’s very light, so even female students can throw it easily.
Birthday chain
It’s a simple recreation activity often used at the start of a new school term or during company training.
It’s frequently done to ease the tension when meeting people for the first time.
But it’s also a lot of fun just as a game! The rules are simple: without speaking, line up in order of birthdays from January 1 to December 31.
The more people, the better, so it’s perfect for exchange events with other schools at camp, for example.
Another plus is that you can play it repeatedly by changing the groupings.
Teachers should definitely join in, too.
It seems suitable for students from around upper elementary school and up.
kick the can
Vacant lots tucked into the gaps of town were part of the classic Showa-era landscape—like the park with concrete pipes you see in Doraemon.
Back then, such empty spaces were packed with kids playing kick-the-can.
How about we all try kick-the-can together on the spacious field at the forest school? Some students might be playing for the first time.
Think of the rules as “hide-and-seek with a can at the center.” There are lots of local variations, so be sure to agree on the rules before you start.
If you have a big group, it’s fine to have multiple taggers!
Cops and Robbers
Cops and Robbers, abbreviated as Keidoro.
It’s one of those classic tag games.
The hugely popular show “Run for Money” is essentially this Keidoro reworked into a TV program.
The simple thrill of chasing and being chased is just so fun.
Unlike tag with one chaser versus many, this starts with an equal number of police and robbers.
If you play it on the spacious grounds of a forest school, it’ll definitely get exciting! Since it might not always end decisively, it could be good to set a time limit, like “whichever side has more players after 60 minutes wins.”
Rope-Under Relay
A rope-diving relay where the team cooperates to pass through a looped rope! First, the group holds hands in a circle and places a looped rope around one person’s body.
At the start signal, each person uses their whole body to pass through the rope and then quickly pass it along to the next person.
The team that completes one full round the fastest wins.
You must not let go of each other’s hands while the rope is being passed.
It may look simple at first, but squeezing your body through a small rope loop is surprisingly tricky—especially for children who are less flexible! If a friend is having a hard time, help them by suggesting how to move their body more easily, and work together to get the rope all the way around!
Tail tag
If you’re going on an overnight camp, you’ll definitely bring a towel or two.
There’s a fun game you can play with those towels called “Tail Tag.” The rules are simple: tuck a towel into the back of your waistband and try to snatch each other’s “tails.” You can compete in teams divided up for camp, or go full free-for-all—either way, it’s guaranteed to get everyone excited.
For elementary school kids, you might add handicaps to balance out size differences, like “boys can’t run.” Since it requires no special preparation, you can play anytime, and it’s also handy as a quick time-filler activity.
If you’re unsure what to play, this one’s highly recommended.