Skip to Main Content

Christian Retreats Network

BlogBlog Post

Rethink Your Recreation

By Kayla
6/19/2017

One of the best parts of summer camp is the whacky, fun games that you don’t get to play anywhere else. There’s always the classics (tug of war, freeze tag, obstacle course, etc.), but as the planner, you want to make sure the activities are as fun and memorable as possible.  Here's a few of our favorite summer games.

Capture the Glow Stick

Capture the flag is a classic camp game, but have you ever tried playing it in the dark? The rules are the same as the original; divide into 2 teams and get the other team's flag, except in this case, the flag is a glow stick. Designate territories and jail before beginning play. If an enemy team member tags a player while in their territory, the player must go to "jail" until one of their teammates frees them by tagging. Each player also wears a glow stick on each wrist, the color of their “flag”, to designate their team and make sure everyone can still be seen to play. The first team to successfully capture the other’s “flag” and return it to their territory is the winner.

Full Scale Angry Birds

This game will take some props. Use different sized boxes to make the wall. You will need a lot! The best part is participants will enjoy building it, too. The pigs and birds are made out of balls; 5 large green, 3 small red, 3 small blue, and 1 large yellow. Feel free to paint faces on them. Special tip: use mason jar lids to keep the pigs from rolling away before they can get knocked down. There are two ways to go about launching the birds: simply throw the balls or create your own slingshot launcher (you can find many tutorials for this online). After the first launcher knocks it all down, rebuild the wall and move to the next player.

Slip-n-slide Kickball

This twist on a classic schoolyard game is the perfect way to cool off during the summer. In place of bases, you will need inflatable kids’ pools, and for the baselines, a roll of plastic. Set these up just like a kickball field and fill with water. Then the game is played the exact same, except everyone is slipping and sliding trying to get from base to base. Depending on the intensity of the game, you may need to refill the pools a few times.

Water Balloon Relay

It’s not summer without water balloons. Get a bucketful and let the race begin. Start by splitting your group into two or more teams (doesn’t have to be an even number, but you’ll want more than 5 per team). Split each team in half and have them toss a balloon back and forth down the line until it gets to the end. If the balloon breaks, start over. To make sure players don’t move too close, paint lines on the ground that they have to stay behind.



Christian Retreats Network /

Based at Lake Williamson / PO Box 620 / Carlinville, IL 62626

info@christianretreatsnetwork.org