Day Camp Activities for Kids
Whether a day camp is held at a local recreation center, park or campground, young campers spend the day in a round of engaging activities before going home for the evening. From athletic to crafty to educational, activities at a children's day camp should be age appropriate and designed to hold their attention.
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Tree House Signs
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Tree house signs is a game designed to help campers get to know each other at the start of a session. Divide the children into groups. Let them decide on their group name. Give each group a wooden plank, paint, glue and paintbrushes. Instruct them to write the name of their group in the plank and decorate it with whatever they can find, such as leaves and flowers. When the paint and glue are dry, drill holes on both ends of the plank and run a string through for hanging. Let the campers hang it wherever they want it to be seen by others. The activity can be adapted to a range of camp themes or ages and helps develop cooperation and team spirit.
Ball Catcher and Catch the Ball Game
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The classic ball-and-scoop game helps kids develop hand-eye coordination and can be used as part of a lesson on recycling or as part of a green-themed camp session. Cut two plastic milk or laundry detergent jugs into scoops. Let the kids decorate the scoops with colorful electrical tape. Divide the campers into two teams. There should be a ball thrower and a ball catcher for each team -- the kids will take turns -- each child on the ball thrower team will have a ping pong ball. The ball thrower will launch a ball from her scoop toward the ball catcher and the ball catcher should catch it in his scoop. The team with the most number of catches win.
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Rock Your Pet
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Creative activities are suited to campers of any age. Use materials found around the camp grounds, like rocks, as a base for a craft project. Let these kids explore their imagination by creating pet rocks. Let the kids find any rock that looks interesting, then add acrylic craft paint, glue and other decorations such as beads, yarns, wiggly eyes and sequins. Tell the kids to take care of their pet rock and treat it as a friend. When everyone is finished with their pet rocks, let each child introduce his rocky pal to the group. Expand the activity by holding a pet show.
Lizard's Tail
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Keep campers active with a game that encourages teamwork. In lizard's tail, a pair of campers for the head and tail of a lizard, and they have to try to stay together throughout the game.The tail should hang a bandanna on the back or the back pocket of his pants. When you shout the word "GO" they should get as many bandannas from the other lizards's tails. Tell them that as soon as a pair doesn't have a tail, they're paralyzed and should sit down. The last pair with the tail on wins the game.
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References
- Photo Credit children playing image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
