Unplug and Play: 8 Fun Camp Games for Parents and Kids to Enjoy at Home

In today's fast-paced world, screens often steal the spotlight, overshadowing the joy of simple, unplugged activities. Recreating camp games at home offers a fantastic way to bring fun, teamwork, and imagination into family life. These games help forge lasting memories, provide a dose of exercise, and encourage bonding. So, why not transform your living room or backyard into a mini camp? Here are eight camp games we play with our campers that kids will enjoy at home!

1. Capture the Flag

We enjoyed playing capture the flag with our campers Capture the Flag is a timeless game that can bring excitement indoors or outdoors! You’ll need a flag—or any item—per team and a clearly defined playing space. At camp our campers made their own flags, decorating them how they like before hiding them!

To start, split your family into two teams. Each team hides their flag in their territory while trying to find the opponent's flag. Players must avoid being tagged as they race to capture the other team's flag and return it safely. The game fosters strategy, teamwork, and a spirit of friendly competition.

2. Nature Scavenger Hunt

Create a list of items to find in your yard or a nearby park, such as a pine cone, a feather, a smooth stone, or a colourful flower.

Once your list is ready, head outside for a race against the clock! Set a timer for 30 minutes, and see who can collect the most items from the list. This activity not only gets kids moving but also boosts their appreciation for nature. It is a great activity for a nice day and a good excuse to go on a nature walk!

3. Octopus

Octopus is a fun, active game where kids run back and forth across a play area while avoiding being tagged by the "Octopus" in the middle. Those who get tagged become "seaweed," staying in place but reaching out to tag others. The game continues until only one player remains, who becomes the next Octopus. Variations include adding more Octopuses, using different movements like hopping, or allowing seaweed to move slightly. It's a great way to encourage agility, strategy, and active play.

Another great variation of Octopus that we would play at camp is that the person in the middle singles out who can cross first without being tagged. For example, anyone who is wearing blue can cross! After those wearing blue cross, the person in the middle yells out "GO!" and the remaining players attempt to to run across without being tagged.

4. Jeopardy!

Jeopardy! for kids at home is a fun trivia game that mimics the classic TV show but with kid-friendly questions. Create a game board with categories (e.g., Animals, Space, Fairy Tales) and assign point values to each question. We created our Jeopardy! boards with five topics (or sub-topics) with 5 questions ranging from 100-500 points.

One player acts as the host, reading questions aloud, while others take turns picking a category and point value. Players must answer in the form of a question (e.g., "What is a dolphin?"). Correct answers earn points, while incorrect ones give others a chance to steal. It's a great way to make learning fun and interactive!

5. Wax Museum

Wax Museum is a fun, stillness-based game where one player acts as the "Curator" while the rest are "Statues." The statues must freeze in place like figures in a wax museum while the Curator walks around, trying to catch them moving. If the Curator turns their back, statues can try to shift positions, but they must freeze immediately when the Curator looks. If the Curator catches someone moving, that player is out or becomes the new Curator. The game continues until only one statue remains or until everyone has had a turn as the Curator. It’s a great game for practicing balance, patience, and sneaky movement!

Sometimes we would add a twist, such as the curator also tries to make the statues laugh. This added more creativity to the game and was very fun for our campers!

6. DIY Obstacle Course

Turn your backyard into a thrilling DIY obstacle course using household items you already have, like chairs, garden hoses, and cones.

Plan out the course and time each family member as they navigate through it. Players can crawl, jump, or balance through challenges. There is a lot of room for creativity with setting up. At camp we would use hula hoops, jump ropes, pool noodles, cones, and sometimes add a ball in the mix. For an extra challenge try a blindfolded challenge, where one person talks the blindfolded person through the course!

7. Mafia

Mafia is a social deduction game where players take on secret roles and try to outsmart each other. One player acts as the Moderator, who assigns roles: Mafia (bad guys), Villagers (good guys), a Guardian Angel (who can save one person per round), and a Detective (who can investigate one player per round). The game has two phases—Night, where Mafia secretly chooses someone to eliminate while the Guardian Angel and Detective make their moves. Then, everyone debates who they think is Mafia and votes someone out. The game continues until either all Mafia members are eliminated (Villagers win) or the Mafia outnumbers the Villagers (Mafia wins). It’s a fun, strategic game that encourages teamwork, bluffing, and critical thinking!

The Moderator gets to tell a creative story to the group after each round to reveal who was eliminated, and whether or not the Guardian Angel saved the correct person and the Detective suspected the Mafia. Our campers always enjoy being the Moderator and coming up with an interesting story!

8. Card Games

Our campers enjoyed playing card games during camp, especially on rainy days or wind down times. Some games we played frequently were Crazy 8s, Pig, and Golf!

Crazy 8s

Crazy 8s is a fast-paced card game where players try to be the first to get rid of all their cards. Each player is dealt 5 to 7 cards (depending on the number of players), and the rest form a draw pile, with one card flipped over to start the discard pile. Players take turns matching the top card by either number or suit. If they can’t, they must draw from the pile until they get a playable card. Eights are wild and can be played anytime, allowing the player to choose a new suit. The first player to discard all their cards wins, and points are scored based on the remaining cards in opponents’ hands. It’s a fun, easy-to-learn game that combines luck and strategy!

Pig

Pig is a simple and fun card game that requires quick reflexes and keen observation. To play, each player is dealt four cards, and the goal is to collect four of a kind. Players take turns picking a card from their hand and passing one to the left, keeping the game moving quickly. Once a player gets four of a kind, they discreetly place a finger on their nose (or perform another agreed-upon signal). Other players must notice and do the same. The last player to realize what's happening and copy the gesture loses the round and gets a letter in the word "PIG." The game continues until someone spells "PIG," making them lose! It’s a great game for groups and encourages focus, quick thinking, and laughter!

Golf

Golf is a casual card game where players try to score the lowest points, just like in real golf. Each player is dealt six face-down cards in a 2x3 grid, with two cards flipped face-up to start. On their turn, players can draw from the deck or discard pile, swapping a drawn card with one in their grid or discarding it. The goal is to replace high-value cards with lower ones, as numbered cards keep their value, face cards count as 10, and aces count as 1. The round ends when one player flips all their cards, giving others one last turn. Scores are tallied, and after multiple rounds, the player with the lowest total wins. It’s an easy-to-learn game of strategy and memory!

For extra fun, have a card house building competition! At camp we had a great time seeing who can build the tallest house without it falling!

Happy Playing!