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

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.

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.

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.

Class Recreation Consensus Game: Deserted Island Edition

This is an activity where you choose 8 items out of 17 under the scenario that you’ve been caught in a storm and stranded on an uninhabited island.

There isn’t a single correct answer; the key is to discuss why you choose each item as you make your decisions.

The criteria for what seems necessary—such as tools to make fire, food, or items to call for help—vary from person to person.

In small groups, considering what’s essential for survival will also test your ability to cooperate and persuade.

By engaging in conversation and exploring your teammates’ thinking, understanding deepens, and the adventurous theme fosters excitement and a sense of unity.

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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!

dodgeball

3-minute PE tips you’ll want to teach your kids: How to throw in dodgeball

Dodgeball is played so widely in Japanese schools that there’s practically no one who hasn’t tried it.

There’s even an organization called the JDBA—the Japan Dodgeball Association.

Playing dodgeball as a lunchtime activity really gets everyone excited.

All you need is a volleyball and you can play anywhere, so let’s have a blast at camp too.

Giving just-right handicaps—like having boys throw with their non-dominant hand or letting lower grades step into the opposing court—makes dodgeball even more fun.

On sunny days, it’s definitely something you’ll want to enjoy outdoors!

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.