These are games that are simple enough to be played while children are arriving.
It gives them something to do and is a way to break the ice in the morning with something fun.
My go to trickle-in games for day 1:
- I spy
- Would you rather
- Put a finger down
- Scavenger Hunts
Get to Know You/Ice Breaker/Warm-Up Games
Animal Alphabet
The leader starts with the name of an animal that starts with the letter “A.” From there, go around the circle and have each person say the name of animal each beginning with the next letter in the alphabet. First see if you can get to the end of the alphabet and then see how many times you can complete the alphabet as a team.
Would you Rather
Ask questions “would you rather….” go swimming in a pool or in a lake? Would you rather eat worms or grass?
10 Things in Common
Try to find 10 things the whole group has in common
Action Syllables
Materials: None
Objective: Learn names and loosen up campers
To play Action Syllables, have your group form a circle. Ask each participant to choose an action for every syllable of their name. Example: Elvis has 2 syllables, so he does a hip shake with and snaps his fingers for his name. Once Elvis has done his action while saying his name, the whole group repeats. After the 2nd person does his/her name, the whole group repeats, then does Elvis’s again. And so on until everyone’s done it.
Get to Know You
Toss a ball or something back and forth in a circle and ask a question, whoever catches it has to answer
Human Treasure Hunt
Have cards with a statement on them. Uses mint toothpaste, Likes spaghetti, Has a brother, etc. Children have to ask their friends if they match the question and if they match they need to sign their card.
Who Dun It?
Everyone writes an experience they had on a piece of paper. They all get mixed up and then drawn out one by one. The person who draws the paper has to guess who dun it.
Find Your Partner
Print cards with known pairs on them and then tape a card to each child’s back.
They have to talk to each other to find their pair.