Summer Camp Games for All Ages
We have all been to a summer camp at least once in our lives and if you haven’t… you seriously missed out! I seemed to have no fear when I was younger and would want to participate in every activity whether that is tree climbing, jumping in the lake or rock climbing. Whatever the activity, I wanted to do it. There are so many activities at Austin summer camps, but I understand that many parents are worried about certain events and want to know which are age appropriate.
Adaptive or Special Needs Games These summer camp games include Bead Roll, Bean Bag Bucket Basketball, and Marshmallow Toss. I don’t know about you, but all these games sound fun to me! These games are designed to increase physical activity while also improving on social skills and attention span. All of these games are suited to all ages. Younger children will not know it but will soon pick it up.
Circle Games Circle games are one of the most popular types of games including 1-2-3 Look, Dead Horse, Dollar and Hide the Carrot. No need to be alarmed about the Dead Horse game, it doesn’t involve an actual dead horse or even a fake one. It only requires one child lying down on the floor with their eyes closed while the other children stand in a circle, and one-by-one have to try and make that child laugh without touching them. As soon as the kids giggles they lose, and it’s the next kid’s go. These games are suitable for all ages.
Cooperative Games These are some of the best games at summer camp and include games such as A What?, First Names, Fox & Squirrel and Pigs Fly. Cooperative games help children work together as a team while having fun. They are suitable for both younger children and older children with the younger children picking it up a bit slower but with no problems.
Dramatic Games Who doesn’t love a bit of dramatics in their lives? These games involve a lot of drama playing, improvisation, and charades. One of the favorite games among summer camps is FFEACH where a group of children is divided into two groups, one of the children from each group will go to the summer camp leader who will whisper a word into each of their ears. That child will then run back to their group and act out the word. Once the team guesses correctly, the next child moves to the summer camp leader to get a new word. And this would continue until everyone in the group has had a go. The team to finish first, wins. This game and these types of games tend to be more suited to children who are a bit older.
High Activity Games Those kids who love a lot more action and running around like crazy kids that they are would enjoy these high activity style games a lot more. Games at some summer camps include Air Raid, Everybody’s It, Fire on the Mountain and Noodle Hockey. A lot of these high activity games are like contact sports and so aren’t suitable for younger children as they can easily be knocked over and hurt.
Nature Games A summer camp without nature games is no summer camp at all. Your kids will have fun but also learn about nature while playing these games. Nature games include Compass Crisp, which involves dividing the players into teams, giving each team a compass, placing items throughout the woods for them to find and giving them a list of bearings to be able to locate these items. The first team that returns with all the elements will win. Young adults can only play this game with adult supervision.
These are just a few of the many games available at summer camps. There will always be activities suited for your children whether they are young, older, a young adult, special needs, etc. Let your kids explore nature and make lasting friends at some of Austin’s best summer camp.