[Elementary School] Games and Recreational Activities to Enjoy at a Forest School Camp

Boccia

People with disabilities and those without follow the same rules… Elementary school students in Takamatsu City experience the Paralympic sport “boccia”

Boccia is an official Paralympic sport.

Its appeal has been gaining attention, and I’ve heard that now not only people with disabilities but also nondisabled people enjoy playing together.

Since it doesn’t require a large space like baseball or soccer, it’s easy to play even on a school campgrounds.

Often called “curling on the ground,” the sport mainly involves throwing balls, so differences in physique aren’t much of a concern.

It seems like everyone could have fun together even in mixed-grade groups from lower to upper grades! You can buy boccia balls online.

Orienteering

[For Beginners] The Basics of Orienteering [Practical Edition]

Orienteering is a sport where you use a map and compass to travel through fields and mountains, pass through checkpoints, and aim for the finish.

Some say it originated as training in the Swedish military.

Since entering unfamiliar mountains can be dangerous for elementary school children, make sure to customize the course so they can follow proper trails.

Adding a bit of a puzzle-solving element can give it a modern twist.

If everyone just races to be the fastest, the fun can sometimes be reduced, so you might consider ideas like “the team that finishes in exactly 60 minutes wins.”

Dodgebee

Dodgebee | Sport Introduction

Have you heard of “Dodgebee”? It’s a sport like dodgeball played with a disc similar to a Frisbee.

Some of you might even say, “We play it at school!” There are detailed rules—like using a court the same size as a volleyball court and having 13 players per team—but if you’re enjoying it at a camp, all you really need is a Dodgebee disc.

Unlike a regular Frisbee, this disc is made of a very soft material, so it’s safe even if it accidentally hits someone’s face.

You can’t play when it’s very windy, so having a gymnasium makes it even better.

Gesture Game

Kids and adults alike go all out! Gesture game!

All things considered, this gesture game has been enjoyed since the early days of television.

Even in the Reiwa era, you still see it as a segment on TV shows.

Let’s get everyone excited with a gesture game as a fun activity for outdoor school trips or around the campfire at night! Ask the class favorite to demonstrate first to warm up the crowd.

Be sure to prepare drawing paper or flip cards with the prompts written on them in advance.

The key to having fun is to choose prompts that aren’t too difficult.

Everyday things like dogs, cats, or fish work well.

Recommended for upper elementary grades.

Hand-push sumo

Ep.42 | [Secret Techniques Unleashed] Hand-Push Sumo No.1 Championship! [MAZZEL ROOM #Mazebeya 🛋️]

By the time kids reach the upper grades of elementary school, there’s quite a noticeable difference in their sizes, and that makes regular sumo a bit too imbalanced.

In that case, how about playing “hand-push sumo” instead? Surprisingly, this game can be enjoyed regardless of size differences.

It might even be trending among kids now—NHK Educational TV’s popular show “Suiensā” did a special on hand-push sumo techniques.

It could be nice to secretly teach these tips to smaller students.

Since you can play it even on rainy days, it might be a good idea to prepare a backup plan for rainy weather, like a tournament bracket!

long rope jumping

2015 Big Jump Rope, Yellow 34HR – an astonishing 167 jumps (^^)v – 2015-06-04

A long-rope jump (group jump rope) is an event often featured at high school sports festivals and company-wide athletic meets.

It’s really simple—everyone just jumps together—but for some reason it always gets people excited.

Maybe it’s the feeling of teamwork? All you need is a single rope and you can start right away, so it’s perfect for a quick recreational activity.

It also sounds fun to have groups—like cabin groups at camp or tent teams—compete to see who can get the most jumps.

You can do it in the gym on rainy days, too, so the weather won’t be an issue.

It’s suitable for all grade levels.

Evolution Rock-Paper-Scissors

Physical activity play to enhance children's motor skills: 3. Evolutionary Rock-Paper-Scissors

I’ve heard that more and more outdoor school camps are being equipped with playgrounds and gymnasiums.

If the camp has a gym, this “evolving rock-paper-scissors” game is recommended.

It’s fun for all grades, from lower to upper elementary.

First, everyone crawls forward on their bellies, and when you bump into someone, you play rock-paper-scissors.

If you win, you get to move up to a hands-and-knees crawl.

Win the next round and you evolve to four-legged walking like a monkey, and finally to two-legged walking—your posture grows and evolves with each victory.

If you can’t win, you stay on hands-and-knees.

Since physical strength doesn’t really matter, it’s a recreation everyone can enjoy together.

Rock-Paper-Scissors Train

We tried playing “Rock-Paper-Scissors Train” with eight elementary school kids!

Rock-Paper-Scissors Train is also a recreation activity held on the first day of welcome mixers for new students or during onboarding.

It’s a game that helps people quickly break the ice even with those they don’t know, so it’s really handy for events like camp exchange programs.

The rules are simple: play rock-paper-scissors, and the loser lines up behind the winner like a train.

As you repeat the game, the line gets longer, and in the end it becomes one single train.

It’s highly recommended—even upper-grade elementary school students, who are a bit more grown up, can easily feel like kids again.

Arranged Tag

Must-see: 3 tag game variations that work your brain and body! Fun for elementary schoolers and even preschoolers, these games boost three abilities. Packed with tips for brain training and time-saving too.

A game of tag played in the form of chasing and being chased.

In the past it was called “Keidoro,” and nowadays “Run for Money,” but regardless of the name, it’s a format that’s been enjoyed for a long time.

Since we’re at it, why not have everyone in the class going to the forest school create a new kind of tag and enjoy it in the wide outdoors? Just thinking about coming up with a new tag game at a class meeting is exciting, isn’t it? Try inventing brand-new rules that haven’t existed before, like “Stealth Tag,” where no one knows who’s “it,” or “Pair Tag,” where you can’t be caught as long as a boy and a girl are holding hands!

Shoe-flinging

Anything goes: Just throw it far! Extreme Modified Shoe-Toss Championship!

There was a time when we could have fun with nothing more than seeing how far we could throw a stone or how far we could fling a shoe.

Times have changed, but I think that feeling still lingers in everyone’s heart.

Enjoying the Showa-era game of “shoe flinging” sounds fun, too.

On the spacious grounds of a school camp, this seems like the kind of game that might be allowed to some extent.

If there’s a swing, fling your shoe while riding it; if there isn’t, stand and send your shoe flying as far as you can.

What’s fun is that being bigger doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll fling it farther! Just make sure you do it when no one else is around.