![[Elementary School] Games and Recreational Activities to Enjoy at a Forest School Camp](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/gAjq0GBryWU/maxresdefault.webp)
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!
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[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.
Saying the same things, doing the same things.NEW!
This game is a play activity where everyone holds hands and jumps, following what the leader says.
If the leader says, “Say the same, do the same,” you repeat exactly what the leader says and do the same action.
If the leader says, “Say the opposite, do the same,” you verbally say the opposite of what the leader said while performing the action the leader instructed.
Since everyone is holding hands, doing something different breaks the coordination and creates funny “huh?” moments, which is part of the fun.
You don’t need any preparation, so give it a try!
Evolution Rock-Paper-ScissorsNEW!
It’s a game where the same animals play rock–paper–scissors, and if you win, you can evolve.
You start as a chick, and if you win rock–paper–scissors, you evolve to a rabbit, then a gorilla, and finally a human.
You act in a way that shows which animal you are, and you keep playing rock–paper–scissors with others who are the same animal as you.
If you become human within the time limit, you can leave the court.
If you lose, you go back one animal stage or return to a chick.
The animal actions themselves are exercise, so it’s good to move around to find opponents.
Epicenter GameNEW!
This is a game where one of the participants becomes the guesser and tries to identify the epicenter—that is, the person who first started the movement everyone is doing.
Everyone except the guesser sits in a circle, and the epicenter should pass along the movement without letting the guesser notice.
All participants must imitate the epicenter’s movement, so the epicenter might get a laugh by doing something goofy.
However, be careful: if the movement is too flashy, you’ll be found out.
Rotating the role of the epicenter can bring out each person’s personality and make the game more fun.
Command GameNEW!
Choose one person to give instructions, and everyone else lies down facing the same direction.
When that person gives a command by saying “Command: please do XX,” everyone must do the same action in accordance with that command.
Anything not prefaced with “Command” is not a command, so you must not follow it.
Continue the game while distinguishing whether something is a command or not.
If the person speaks quickly or phrases it naturally, you might find yourself obeying by mistake, but do your best not to be tricked!
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.
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!
