Some games and activities at camp can encourage competition among campers, while some encourage cooperation and team building. Here are three activities to try with campers that can help them make connections with others.

1. Dicebreakers — Not Your Ordinary Icebreaker Activity

Materials: Dice, questions

Directions:

Place campers into small groups, and have them take turns rolling the dice and answering the corresponding question. This activity helps campers form relationships as they find out things they have in common with one another.

Use these suggested questions, or change the questions to best support connections among your campers!

Dicebreaker Questions:

• What is your favorite thing to do on the weekend?
• If you could have any pet, what would it be?
• What is your dream vacation spot?
• If you could eat any food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
• What is your favorite holiday and why?
• What is one thing you would like to do in the next year?

2. Hula Hoop Loop — A Fun Cooperative Challenge

Materials: One large hula hoop

Directions:

Place campers into two large groups (such as boys against girls, or count them off “One, two, one, two . . . ” and make all the ones a group and all the twos a group).

The challenge in this game is to compete to see which group can pass a hula hoop around the circle and back to the beginning the quickest without using their hands.

Have each group circle up and hold hands. Kids must keep their hands joined but can work together to get the hula hoop over to the next person in the circle.

3. Friendship Butterflies — A New Twist on Friendship Bracelets

Materials: Butterfly template, long thin strips of construction paper, glue

Directions:

Give each camper a butterfly template and tell them to color only half of it.

Have campers write their name on the back of their butterfly, and then mix up the butterflies and redistribute them, or let the campers pair up and swap with a partner.

Campers will color the other half of the butterfly they are now holding. They can color it to match the half already colored or make it different.

Return the butterfly to the original camper.

Give each camper a long, thin strip of construction paper. Have them glue the butterfly to the paper strip.

Next, they will wrap the paper strip around their wrist to make a bracelet. Glue it or help them cut a notch in it to secure it to their wrist.

For even more fun and connection building, have kids make several butterflies with different friends to add to the bracelet.

Amy Middleton has 25 years of experience as a teacher and camp director and knows how to make every moment count with campers. Her book, 50+ Nifty Ways to Keep Little Hands Busy, available through the ACA Bookstore, shares quality activities that provide simple, hands-on fun for kids.